Conclusion

Returning to Zelda’s poem that was presented in the introduction to the book, and by this to the deeply intuitive conception of possessing a name, this chapter ties together the major themes developed in the book: the meaning and significance of being a self, that is, of being given a name—primarily by God, but no less importantly by one’s living in the world; the meaning and significance of possessing this name—one’s individual essence—in a state of potential that requires an actualization by virtue of worldly existence; and the crucial connection between becoming oneself—the self that God intends one to be—and loving, romantically, in a genuine, correct, way.