When I enter my name into Google I find that I am not the only one listed with my name. Put your hand up if you have the same issue. Oh there you are! I can see you, my dear readers, putting your hands up – except perhaps for Huanris Thussichoppolos.
Has somebody stolen your identity? We are all unique individuals, even if that is confused in the new world we live in of social media. Still – one is supposed to be unique. Right? So who is this imposter? What is this person doing living in some strange place at the other side of the world using your name? What does this person do? Might they put your reputation and integrity at stake? Must we compete with someone else in the world for our own identity?
Incidentally – how concerning is it when your namesake has passed away and you can find your own last resting place? Here I lie and rest and peace. Don’t you find that a bit disturbing?
I am a simple person. I move houses and offices. I drive trucks and write strange blogs. If my name appeared on any list at all it would most likely be at the bottom. You could say that I lived “under the radar”. Naturally then, for many years my namesakes and I lived harmoniously together in peace, because I was never to be found. Once in a while, possibly by mistake, I might have had an invitation to a special event. That is – till Google emerged.
Clearly, obscurity is not a recipe for business success. Something had to be done and slowly through newsletters and blogging, my name became better known. Then I got an email. The sender was not happy. His friends believed that he had become a removalist. Instead of playing the piano he was now asked to move them – so could I please change my name? My namesake is a man of importance.
Me change my name? Why should I do that? After all, I am older than him and I had it first! So I emailed back to say sorry to hear about the confusion and helpfully suggested that maybe he should change his name instead as I am older and therefore had first rights to it. But I asked myself the question, why did we have the same name?
It made me think, maybe in my wild youth, being quite a catch (in my dreams), I had an affair with his mother and had a son I didn’t know about who she named after me. Don’t they call this 6 degrees of separation? But then again my memory is not what it used to be. So I emailed “please send a photo of your mother so that I can see if I recognise her”. Strangely I received no reply. Then I looked him up on line. No! Impossible! He didn’t have my good looks and figure (in my dreams) and (again in my dreams) the girls I courted were all beautiful. 
Meanwhile, I got this phone call from someone I didn’t know. What did I think about the latest production of the ballet Vivi Langusigo by Luigin Bonglo, produced by Annie Brown with the famous Wally Vladinof as principal dancer? Good thing I go to Toast Masters – it makes you think on the spot. To me it sounded awful spending the evening watching Wally dancing in his Tutu. But some how I felt sorry for Annie. To me she seemed to be a bit lost – out of her comfort zone. She was doing her best in difficult circumstances, but had no idea what she was getting involved with. Her vulnerability moved me to help her out, especially, being such a can-do character I am not as troubled as Annie by self-doubt.
Anyway, my opinion got published and went online. People commented and some of them even agreed with me that it was a disappointing performance. Wally was not at his peak.
This time a very long email from my namesake appeared in my inbox. He was not happy. I sent an email back. Sorry about the confusion. “I have no idea what you are talking about and please attach a photo of your mother”.
The world is changing fast. I believe it won’t be long, if it has already happened, that the name our parents give us will not be relevant anymore. We need to have a unique name and of course a password to go with it.
password: huggkissXOXOX
