Your Name and Your Number

In the broader scheme of things, your name is a poor tag for your identity.  An uncommon name might help.  Or, you might give yourself a single moniker that boldly stands above the rest: Sting, for example.

But what if you are among the 40-some-thousand John Smiths living here in these United States of America?

You will need a number.  A Social Security Number. 

I got to thinking about this last night.  As a distinctly non-famous person, my name is of little use beyond the spacious valley in which I live.  For business purposes and legal purposes, I need my number.

Funny thing about that.  Even though this is your best identity, you must keep it secret for fear of fraudulent use.

A sort of paradox, then.

—Mitchell Hegman