Oh! You lived on Magnolia Lane in Topeka, Kansas during the blizzard of ’83? Do you know Mr. Macpherson?
The Origin of the Name Game-Yes, it is Biblically mandated.We’ve all done it (and by “we,” I mean at least myself and my three friends). Met someone, talked for a few minutes, exchanged random, shallow facts about ourselves, and then, lo, discovered that we indeed, shared some random piece of minutiae. Immediately, the response usually is to say, OH! I know someone who also ate sushi in Washington D.C. on the date of June 11th-do you think you might know them? Usually, they give us a slightly confused look, then try to politely state, that no, they don’t know everyone who ate sushi in D.C. on that day, but they ARE still relatively cool and social despite their obviously limited social circle. The conversation then gets awkward for about thirty seconds, because the truth is, you really don’t know them or anything about them and your one attempt to connect in a deep meaningful way has failed miserably. Generally, the next topic of conversation is something that you are both completely familiar with…i.e. the weather. Or recent movies. Or the food you are eating.
HOWEVER despite the overwhelming failure ratio of the name game, I believe that it should still be pursued in ALL situations possible, because, as I will share, it actually started in the Bible, and is therefore Biblically mandated.
In Genesis 29, we encounter the FIRST (I think) recorded evidence of the name-game, here it goes:
Genesis 29:1- 11 Jacob Meets RachelThen Jacob went on his journey, and came to the land of the sons of the east. He looked, and saw a well in the field, and behold, three flocks of sheep were lying there beside it, for from that well they watered the flocks. Now the stone on the mouth of the well was large. When all the flocks were gathered there, they would then roll the stone from the mouth of the well and water the sheep, and put the stone back in its place on the mouth of the well. Jacob said to them, "
My brothers, where are you from?" And they said,
"We are from Haran." He said to them,
"Do you know Laban the son of Nahor?" And they said,
"We know him." And he said to them, "Is it well with him?" And they said, "It is well, and here is Rachel his daughter coming with the sheep." He said, "Behold, it is still high day; it is not time for the livestock to be gathered. Water the sheep, and go, pasture them." But they said, "We cannot, until all the flocks are gathered, and they roll the stone from the mouth of the well; then we water the sheep." While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she was a shepherdess. When Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, Jacob went up and rolled the stone from the mouth of the well and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother. Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted his voice and wept.
And, as we can see, Jacob drops the name-bomb, is SUCCESSFUL and ends up meeting his future wife all because he was willing to play the often-awkward and much failing name game. We too continue to play in the hopes of establishing such a lasting relationship as Jacob was able to find with Rebekah (after toiling for 14 years, but that is another story).
So play on, name-game players, keep dropping those names.
