Who Do We Choose To Be?

Naming Ourselves

Many years ago, I listened as Reverend Wayne Muller challenged people to choose a name for themselves big enough to contain their entire life. He said that so many of the names we select speak to challenges we’ve overcome—cancer, war, abuse, addiction—but that these hard-won names aren’t big enough for the remainder of our lives. Over the years, I’ve added to his challenge by asking everyone to choose a name that draws us forward into the future, a name that requires us to be fearless.

I took this challenge personally and, as I began understanding where we are in the pattern of collapse, I began searching for a name to prepare me for the future I saw coming. None of my previous incarnations were sufficient. In fact, they were ...