My mother had this to say to me over this holiday season:
Your grandfather gave you such a strong name, but your not strong. Are you strong? Do you think your strong?
This sounds like a horrible thing to say to your child, but she didn’t mean any harm by it. Her comment certainly told me that we have different ideas or views of what strength is or what makes a person strong.
It seems to me that she is focused more on the external expression of strength. Expressing my will and opinions in a assertive and even forceful manner. Perhaps bending others to my will and forcing my opinions upon others. I think this stems from my mothers black and white (and sometimes almost naive) view of what is right and wrong. It probably also has something to do with not wanting to see her son get hurt or taken advantage of.
I think I tend to focus internally. I believe in staying true to my personal values and beliefs; staying true to who I believe I am. This is something that my mother also believes. Where we differ is perhaps in our flexibility. I don’t necessarily care to bend people to my will or force my opinions on them. I don’t mind bending to the will of others so long as my values and beliefs are not compromised in the process. As far opinions go, everyone is entitled to their own opinion and there’s no point in getting all worked up every time their opinion differs from my own.
My name does imply a certain strength and maybe I don’t quite live up to it but I don’t think I’m as far off as my mother may think.
How about strength as measured by ability to consume, and instantly destroy, calories? Possibly how you’d measure a fire’s strength…