The Ballad of Surnames

I think it was circa 2005 that I was really disturbed by the use of surnames. The hypothesis is: the more prominent your family is, the higher the probability you would use your family's surname. It really contaminated the idea for me at that time.

But it turned out, I thought to myself 5 years later, the surname is merely a symbol. It's when the prominence of your surname overshadows your own contribution that it becomes an issue. It would appear, then, in these situations, that the offsprings are riding on the coat tails of their forefathers. But when you speak for yourself, despite the name behind your own - I found myself less concerned.

Anies Baswedan. Najwa Shihab. To name a few. They are themselves, despite the surname they carry. The consistency of their work and how it reflects their character stirred me away from what both of their families have accomplished*.

So I guess symbols are idiosyncratic, if you will. And, like anything else in life, intentions are what matters. And that, is not for me to judge.

But just to play it safe, I don't keep a surname.

*Come to think of it, it could also be related to the fact that they come from a line of intellectuals. Perhaps families of businessmen would exemplify another trend.