'What's Yer Major?'

The nearing of school brings me back to last year and all the introductions. "Hi, what's your name?" Now you know what to call the person. "Where are you from?" Now you know the general mannerisms to expect from the person. "Oh yeah, and what's your major?" And now you know how to judge them in their entirety.

Funny how those three things were really all you cared about. At least at first. Beyond those first moments of traveling from stranger to acquaintance, there were many more opportunities to grow even closer, even to the point of close friend and occasionally, best friend.

But at first, all you needed were three pieces of information. Name, Hometown, and Major. There you had it.

In occasions that didn't involve freshman [i.e., clubs, sports, other misc. organizations], you might need to add the person's grade. Though I don't even know if they call it 'grade' anymore in college. Isn't it just class now? I'm in the sophomore class. Yeah, that's right.

And with that really fine mesh, I'd judge a person. 'Oh, he's a ESS major? I don't even know what that is. Like, English as a Special Study? Oh, nice, he's a chem major! But wait, he wants to be an MD. And thinks I want to be one too? What a presumption! Man, where are the pure scientists? Another BIO major. I swear. To. Freakin'. God!'

And quickly I'd find that those judgments were pure bunk. But I'd make them anyway. And I'll probably continue to make them.

I wonder how you identify yourself in the real world. Just by name? I guess the profession gives away your area of expertise. Then you're Bob the Builder. Or Joe the Pharmacist. Or Brian the Author. And no-one even needs guess at who you are. It's built into your title.

This is a shoddy way to live. As I heard once, labels are for cans of soup. And yet, they're all we've got in the beginning.

And here we are, at another season of "Hi, what's your name?"

Life's a series of introductions. Might as well get better at them.