M-m-m-m ...something to think about, yes, it may not hurt, but will it help?

And if it doesn't help ...does it perhaps hurt a little??

A total aside here, let's look at something that has no societal ramifications. How well has pen names helped??

Charles Dickens went by the pen name of ---Boz.  Who ever heard of Boz??

Benjamin Franklin went by several pen names ...more than one of them being a woman's name.  Alice was one of them, though it was not in Wonderland.  Be it clear, I would not want to begin to imagine what land or dream world he was in at the time. Though I am very fond of the name, Alice, as my sweet Grandma's name was Alice Arnold.

Speaking of A.A.---don't know how many people know of Erle Stanley Gardener, but my guess is that even less know of the pen name, A.A.Fair.

C.S.Lewis used the pen names, Clive Hamilton ...and N.W.Clerk.

More current would be Dean Koontz ...who used the pen names: Richard Paige, K.R.Dwyer, Aaron Wolfe, Anthony North, and David Axton.

Yet, in fairness, there are pen names that gained much popularity.  In the comic book world, Stan Lee is well known, more so than his real name, Stanley Lieber.  And who hasn't read the Dr. Seuss books, by actual author Theodore Geisel. And my guess is that Mark Twain is more known than his real name, Samuel Langehorne Clemens.

And now, we come to another personal name: Shepherd Heath. 

How about I call myself ...merely, Steve (or not Merely Steve, but just Steve ...but, not with 'just' being used as an adjective). No, I'm no more just than anyone else.  

And I don't believe we should take justice or the law into our own hands ...whether we are serious, or consider it sport.

Justice is often disputed, even when referring to God.  Yet, when looking to the Bible, to Stephen, we read of his spectators gnashing their teeth & crying in a loud voice, while stopping their ears ...and rushing him.

What was the stopping of the ears??  They didn't want to hear the truth.

We've moved beyond that ...but, in which direction??  Now, we even get angry at opinions.  Yet, there are some opinions that involve the truth.

So, considering that my blogs are my opinions ...then I feel quite well with using the name of Steve, since I believe that many of my opinions are also filled with what I believe is fact.  And I will possibly have many of you shut up your ears.  

I would hope that you not shut up your ears and I'd never ask you to shut up your mouths, nor will I charge you ...physically or financially. I also will not grind my teeth (at least while I'm awake) ...and hopefully you won't either.

So, I can be referred to as Shepherd Heath ...yet, you may think my writings are much like Steve's. That's because Steve and Shepherd Heath are friends ...and have given each other permission to not only interchange names, but share writings. Does it really matter who's pen name, or who penned it ...as long as both agree??

Okay, few of us often agree ...at least, on everything.  But, one should at least agree to be a friend to oneself.

And we can be mature enough to be able to hear those out who have a different way of thinking.  

Alternatives of thought are okay, as long as they have equal chance to express them ...and as long as they are not cruel and damaging, nor forced upon us.

And if alternative thoughts are given a chance to be express, then there is at least some chance that some of the real bad ideas are not put into practice.
That is, of course, unless the alternatives are limited and unequal.  But, with alternative voices, we cannot blame ignorance ...only ourselves.

Yet, with only one voice, though we can blame ignorance ...we deny ourselves choice.  We are stuck with what we are given, which often is not in our best interest.

The fact is, names do often hurt ...and it is best to uplift and edify others, when they do allow us to help them.

Yet, the question remains ...that I asked earlier, "M-m-m-m ...something to think about, yes, it may not hurt, but will it help??"

It helps when you invoke positive feelings in a sincere and loving way ...more than what we may find in a letter where we may write a generic greeting of "Dear" or closing with "Your Friend".  We know those who  we perhaps call Honey or Sweetheart, but for those of low self-esteem who may feel they are not a significant other, perhaps they would feel significant by merely being poltely called their name.

And speaking of helping another, how about helping yourself?  It certainly helps if you call out to Jesus ...by His Name.

How does it go again?? ..."Sticks and stones ...but, names will never ..." Yet, names do mean something.

There are a lots of sticks here ...but notice how straight and tall they stand, as they reach up to the sun.

Let us reach out to the Son ...

Yes, even if we feel we are the only one, there is often beauty in standing alone ...