What's in a name?

I've decided what's wrong with my country, the USA. It's not politics, it's not the media, it has to do with our culture.

And what I've decided is wrong with our culture is a very simple principle that has been totally forgotten by most of the population - the value of your name.

And really, that is the only thing you can ever really own. But in today's society people just don't seem to care about the value of their name. Celebrities, especially, have become indoctrinated into a world where they can just buy themselves out of a situation, and they become more famous regardless of what they do or how badly they act.

I understand how corporations need to write huge contracts to make sure that they don't have any problems, there are a lot of people involved and a lot of processes taking place. But it's getting to the point where regular folk need to have these giant contracts worked up, too. Plumbers, painters, lawn workers. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if the paper boy came by to have me sign something. When did the handshake stop meaning something?

I, for one, will not let the ideal of a person's name meaning something die off completely. I value my good name as my most precious possession, and I believe in the power of a handshake. I hold people to correct their mistakes just as I accept and do my best to correct mistakes when I make them. I live my life with the knowledge that whatever I do lives with my good name, and reflects upon all of my family who share it.

I know I'm just an idealist, but think of how the world would be if everyone simply valued their name.