The Power and Importance of Being Named
The things people name and call us have dynamism to them. They are laden with an explosive power that can gloriously rocket us into the heavens, or grievously blow us to bits.
Hello beautiful beings!
Over the years, what have people called you when they weren’t using your name? When you reflect on the various ways you’ve been named, what feelings arise within you? Isn’t there something powerful and important about how others name us?
My earliest memory of being named is simultaneously fuzzy with age, and joyous. Grandpa Earl, with a mirthful twinkle in his eyes, called me “Kid Tiger Boom.” It was silly, and awesome. Thinking of it, and the playful times together being Kid Tiger Boom marked, fills my heart with bliss. It calls forth a carefree, unadulterated gladness within me.
(Little Lang with my mom 😍)
Words are potent. The things people name and call us have dynamism to them. They are laden with an explosive power that can gloriously rocket us into the heavens, or grievously blow us to bits.
For instance, as much as what grandpa called me lifted me up, what bullies and others did in middle school, tore me down. My given name, Lang Charters, became “Fang Farters.” I don’t recall why, perhaps I blocked it out because of the trauma, but my bullies also dubbed me “Changus Rex.” With a disdainful tone and twist to their lips, another verbal knife they stabbed me with was: “Lang, Lang Bo Bang,” and other meanspirited combinations of bang and Lang.
(My mom, Grandpa Earl, Grandma Marge, and Aunt Becky)
You know how the spirit, energy, and heart behind—and within—what someone says makes a world of difference? Fast-forward to 40-year-old Lang doing a month of intensive yoga teacher training. As Meghan, our teacher, and other students became my friends, they began regularly naming me “Bang-Bang Lang.” Initially, as you might imagine, the entirety of my being recoiled in terror. But it was said in an uplifting, championing, playful, and celebratory manner. I quickly grew to love this moniker, and am forever grateful for the “accidental” gift of healing these beautiful yogis blessed me with.
Before that, I had a different life and career as an officer in the air force—where I flew as the Mission Crew Commander on the EC-130H Compass Call. I mention that because, typically, air force aviators are given call-signs; which, then basically becomes what everyone calls them in military circles. Mine was Kermit. I was pretty dang skinny, wore a green flight suit, and had/have a Kermit-like tonality to my voice. Not to mention that, like Kermit, I’m simultaneously awkward and kind. Sometimes, the gift of being named is it calls your attention to what is already true about you—which, helps us more fully lean into our gifts and strengths, accept the weirdness we all have, and address the other aspects of ourself as necessary.
(I have barely any pictures of me in uniform—none in a flight suit—so here I am being promoted to major)
Which brings us back to the here and now. This year I became a doctor! I graduated from George Fox University with a Doctorate in Leadership and Spiritual Formation. That said, for the last decade-plus, in all aspects of my life I’ve been uber love-centric. So much so, I had the phrase “Love ALLways”—as in love always (continually) and all ways (contextually)—tattooed over my heart … the day before we went into lockdown in 2020!
The foundation, flow, and finish of this thing called life—in my mind—is love. “Love” means aligning one’s thoughts, words, and deeds to foster flourishing. Love seeks the common good, while seeing and honoring the inherent light in everyone.
(Big shoutout to Mark and Amy Hoffman for this gift! 🩵🩵🩵)
For a good while now, I’ve done my absolute best to live out, share, and spread this goodness. Recognizing, and loving this, right after I became Dr. Lang Charters, family and friends spontaneously began calling me “Doctor Love.” I feel extremely blessed and honored. So, that’s why I sign my posts with “Lang (aka “Dr. Love”).
What has your experience of being named, as well as naming others been? Is there a way you’d like to grow in this area?
Hugs & Love,
Lang (aka “Dr. Love”)