Blog Post #3: Master Identity

18/09/2016

Today, we learnt about the different types of identity being master, interactional, personal and relational identity. Master identity is quite a key one as these are the things that do not change or do not change often within a person. One element of this we have become accustomed to is the names we have been given by parents. They are the things we associated with people, our name is our label and is how we identify as an individual. Some people have the same name however how we think about one Hassan is completely different to how we feel about another Hassan. As many of you know from my first post I have been given the name Karma, more specifically my name is Karma Valerie Thomas. How did I get this name? Does it mean anything?  Well, if you are interested then keep on reading.

Let's start with my last name because that is the easiest, my last name 'Thomas' is the family name of m father's side of the family. It is a normal Australian name and to my knowledge has no relevance at all really. Before you ask, no, I'm not asking my Dad if it has any significance because I will bet anything he will look at me funny and say "Yes! Of course, it is the name given to naturally born Dovakiins who are ready to kill dragons." If you failed to get that reference then don't worry because I have grown up in a family of gamers and I don't blame you. The point is my dad is a jokester as you will learn and that the name 'Thomas' has no real relevance. However, my middle name does have some substance as it is the first name of my Dad's grandma who is a very sweet woman. I adore the name 'Valerie' and my Dad gave me it because he respects her dearly.

Now, let's get to the main attraction and that is my first name which is Karma. For me to explain this to you I need to give you some background on my Dad's family. My Dad is called Peter and his two brothers are Steve and Jeff which makes all three names probably some of the most stereotypical names in Australia. He describes his name to be the Australian version of Mohammed, and even says at a point in his friend group he had about 10 good friends with 6 of them being fellow Peters. This is most likely majorly exaggerated because it came from my father but it does paint a picture for you guys. Growing up with these stereotypical names he decided he wanted to name his children more unusual things. We all know 'Karma' being part of Hindu philosophy, it describes the relationship of cause and effect. The idea that if you do something bad something bad will happen to you and if you do something good then you will be repaid. This belief did help in the decision of my name, however, isn't how he came up with it. Truth be told, he got it from Final Fantasy VII ( a video game), it is one of the attacks the enemy uses and a growth currency earned by Mira daughter of the Darklord. If that all just went over your head then it's fine, just know my name originally came from a video game. My Mother obviously agreed with this because she is just as a unique person as he is and they both loved it.

All my siblings have interesting names as it is what makes our family special, I have an older sister called Starr, an older brother name Kaleb (the only normal one), a younger brother called Orsume (Awesome) and the youngest is called Wylde (wild). No matter how many jokes are made each day or each time I meet a person, I truly love my name because of its obscure behaviour and meaning. Plus, it makes it a great conversation starter and in some situations, I bring endless punch lines.

I hope you have enjoyed this explanation of my name!