(280) Name and fate

By Janet Shin

Names may have a fateful influence. If you expected them to reflect the literal interpretations as they suggest, however, their implications are sometimes contradict and you should read the superficial and implicit meanings carefully. It is very important as we often face the situations being guided by names.

It is reported that Yoo Byung-eun, de facto owner of the sunken ferry has got trademark rights over a thousand, which include not only Sewol, the name of the ship, but those of many other affiliates the company has.

Once you review their brand-names, including his own pseudonym, you will find some hints about how Yoo has regarded his business and people. There are underlying ramifications to lead to grave consequences.

First of all, they contain much of religious significance, which is rather doctrinaire and implies they were chosen by God. They sound like kingdoms ruled by a special existence.

For example, CheonHaeJi, the largest shareholder of its ship business indicates the heaven, ocean and earth. It has the concept of cosmos as a whole. The other associate, Semo, its health food company, is adroitly spelled backward of Moses. It is the name of a prophet in Christianity, Islam and in many other religions as well.

You would be extremely surprised once you understand the meaning of Ahae, Yoo's professional name as a photographer. It derives its analogous sound from Yahweh, the Jewish name for God.

There are many other intriguing names, signifying such as ‘New millennium' and ‘Shining star'. They are seemingly felicitous.

Then what is the problem? The thing is people have rarely employed those with great connotations for their real lives. It was because they had to demarcate their fortune and those of supernal. It was an intention to abase themselves before a heavenly power. Otherwise, their blasphemous deeds would provoke nemesis.

In the oriental culture, no matter how propitious they may denote, there are some Chinese letters that should be prudentially used for people's names. If we translate them into English, they comprise the literal interpretation of ‘great, good, truth, joy, first, luck, completion, ultimate, upper, full, longevity, pleasure, victory, fruition, thousand, light, tiger, dragon, crane, mountain, rock and new.

Other than these, the list largely consists of vulgar words without a doubt. The above recited words, however, were used only when they were appropriate. People were very cautious when they borrow the auspicious and grandiose energies. For instance, those implying great and noble are only used for the high rank or someone who were expected to be. Others with the meaning of ‘joy and full' were for the rich. The words with victory, dragon and tiger were for the power classes. Then that of crane would be for a family member of intellect. Even in the ordinary home, the words like big shouldn't be used for the second child as it might lessen the luck of the eldest.

Apparently this sounds like a social discrimination and is not commendable. Although this practice is not prevalent any more in our contemporary times, we have to beware of some teachings behind this. While we wish the best fortune by giving one an auspicious name, there was an effort to avoid excessiveness and avarice. It was especially refrained from dealing the words related to heaven and god. They tried to harmonize their lives and not to violate the cosmological principle.

There are full of suggestions in the way the controversial people have named themselves. Once you comprehend their significances, you may also foretell the consequent incidents henceforth.

There would be a contradiction with law enforcement in the case of Yoo as he considers himself as the super ordinate existence over the nation.

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