What's in a name?

Today at Aggiecon (a 3-day convention at the campus) I had my name written down in kanji (Japanese characters. Well, actually it's Chinese characters, but you know what I mean). The very nice Japanese lady who held the stand took my first name and broke it into four parts (MA,HA,MU,TO), each with a kanji character and its own distinct meaning. They're beautiful, both the calligraphy and their meanings. She gave me a sheet of paper detailing the meaning of each character. I'll write it down here:

MA: shining, polish.
"This person has a pure, clean heart. This is his blessing from God."

HA: one of Japan's most famous poets (Basshó).
"'HA', from the famous Japanese poet, indicates artistic sense, wisdom, and appreciation of nature." The lady added that since this poet had left his mark in the history of Japan, so it is hoped that I, who share his name, will also left my mark in history. ("Amen!" I said)

MU(BU): samurai.
"'BU', from 'Bushido' - the way of the samurai - indicates honor. Samurai virtues include courage, honesty, and mercy."

TO: capital.
"The literal meaning of 'TO' is capital, but it means more. 'TO' is the second kanji in Kyoto, the ancient Japanese capital. It indicates nobility." She then added that Kyoto was regarded as the core of the world, and so it is hoped that I will also become a 'core' for someone else, or perhaps in the world.

Such grand meanings. It's no less beautiful than the names I got from my parents. I remember my father once told me that names are prayers for the one who bear it. Oftentimes afterwards, whenever I'm alone, I get to thinking about myself. Who am I? What is my goal in life? I'm a very laid back guy, pretty emotionless (I think). Ambition? None whatsoever. Whenever I think of my life, sometimes I would get scared about where I'll be heading.

But there are also times when I just burst out laughing at my own silliness. There's no need to be afraid. La vita é bella. Life's beautiful. My name is Mahmud Arief Albar. Mahamuto. I'm the praised one (Mahmud). I'm wise (Arief). I'm grand (Albar). I'm shining, artistically sensed, appreciative of nature. I'm honor, courage, honesty, and mercy. I'm the core and the capital. I'm all of those and so much more!! I'm blessed with a beautiful name. With so much prayers and hopes in my name, I'm protected from all the ugliness in the world! I don't care where I'll be heading. For now, I will just live my life so I can bear my name with pride. I will strive to be all those prayers and more. And then when I die, God will let me know whether or not I've taken good care of my name!! Then I can start worrying!

What's in a name? A lot!!