How would you feel if you had to wait until you were about 15 years-old before you had a name? What would people call you? Just “You”? *
That’s what happened to Oganesson, or, as it was previously known, the element You. No, just kidding. It was element 118 for years, but the IUPAC ** (Not a member? Join today) finally gave the element the name of its discoverer, or, more accurately, of the leader of the discovery team, Yuri Oganesson. Yuri not going to believe this, but Yuri and others haven’t made more than about a half dozen of these heavy atoms. Not bad, right? Now Og, the element, bears his name for eternity. Ironic in a way. Og has a very short half-life, one measured in milliseconds, or parts thereof. So, there isn’t going to be much made from supplies of Og.
Anyway, back to the question about not having a name? How would not having a name affect you personally? Of course, you could go by a number as Og did from 2002 until March 2, 2017. You, of course, differ from Og. You lasted longer than any Og individuals, and you don’t have sibling clones that need a diet, like Og’s heavier isotopes, some of which tip the scales at more than 294 amu--all the way up to Big Brother Og at amu 313.
Could you accomplish whatever it is that you accomplished so far without a name? Would there be a silhouette on your driver’s license? What about applying for a credit card?
Does this seem like a foolish exercise for Psych 101 students? Maybe, but having a public identity is a significant part of discussions in which we hear statements, such as “I don’t know who you are anymore,” “I’m trying to find myself,” “I was lost,” “I didn’t know who I was,” and similar thoughts centered on identity or the search for identity.
You probably don’t refer to yourself in the third person when you enter into self-talk. *** So, here’s a question for you: What is the significance of your name? Should you have one only after you have established a personality, such as “Dances with Wolves”? If so, what would your Kevin-Costner-Native-American name be?
Og is rather unique among elements. It appears to be reactive, but it belongs to Group 18 on the periodic table, the group known as the Noble Elements because they don’t readily associate (react) with other elements to form compounds. Among those elements known for their isolation, Og, in contrast, associates, even if for but a brief time. And You, what about your combination of uniqueness and interaction. Should your name reflect either your isolation or your social embrace?
What do you think we should call you? And why?
*See the episode “Junior Mint” in the series Seinfeld in which Jerry doesn’t know the name of the girl he’s dating (Delores, aka Gipple, Mulva).
**International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (An opposition organization of the Local Union of Impure and Useless Chemistry, or LUIUC)
***In another episode of Seinfeld, “The Jimmy,” George adopts the habit of Jimmy, who refers to himself in the third person.
That’s what happened to Oganesson, or, as it was previously known, the element You. No, just kidding. It was element 118 for years, but the IUPAC ** (Not a member? Join today) finally gave the element the name of its discoverer, or, more accurately, of the leader of the discovery team, Yuri Oganesson. Yuri not going to believe this, but Yuri and others haven’t made more than about a half dozen of these heavy atoms. Not bad, right? Now Og, the element, bears his name for eternity. Ironic in a way. Og has a very short half-life, one measured in milliseconds, or parts thereof. So, there isn’t going to be much made from supplies of Og.
Anyway, back to the question about not having a name? How would not having a name affect you personally? Of course, you could go by a number as Og did from 2002 until March 2, 2017. You, of course, differ from Og. You lasted longer than any Og individuals, and you don’t have sibling clones that need a diet, like Og’s heavier isotopes, some of which tip the scales at more than 294 amu--all the way up to Big Brother Og at amu 313.
Could you accomplish whatever it is that you accomplished so far without a name? Would there be a silhouette on your driver’s license? What about applying for a credit card?
Does this seem like a foolish exercise for Psych 101 students? Maybe, but having a public identity is a significant part of discussions in which we hear statements, such as “I don’t know who you are anymore,” “I’m trying to find myself,” “I was lost,” “I didn’t know who I was,” and similar thoughts centered on identity or the search for identity.
You probably don’t refer to yourself in the third person when you enter into self-talk. *** So, here’s a question for you: What is the significance of your name? Should you have one only after you have established a personality, such as “Dances with Wolves”? If so, what would your Kevin-Costner-Native-American name be?
Og is rather unique among elements. It appears to be reactive, but it belongs to Group 18 on the periodic table, the group known as the Noble Elements because they don’t readily associate (react) with other elements to form compounds. Among those elements known for their isolation, Og, in contrast, associates, even if for but a brief time. And You, what about your combination of uniqueness and interaction. Should your name reflect either your isolation or your social embrace?
What do you think we should call you? And why?
*See the episode “Junior Mint” in the series Seinfeld in which Jerry doesn’t know the name of the girl he’s dating (Delores, aka Gipple, Mulva).
**International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (An opposition organization of the Local Union of Impure and Useless Chemistry, or LUIUC)
***In another episode of Seinfeld, “The Jimmy,” George adopts the habit of Jimmy, who refers to himself in the third person.
RSS Feed