Knowing

There is power is naming things, or so I've been told.  Know someone's name and you have power over him.  Know what the disease is and then it can be treated.  "Knowing is half the battle."  It is comfortable to "know."
 
In a black and white world good guys and bad guys, healthy and dying, right and wrong, believer and nonbeliever, efficiently slip into slots gobbling up simplicity in favor of actuality.

One of the problems with thinking I "know" is that I feel comfortable no longer looking for more.

People don't believe in fairy tales because they "know" there are no such things as ogres and trolls, witches and devils, but let me tell you a secret.  Real monsters just don't look the way you might think.  Hiding behind different names, they are smarter in real life, masquerading as beautiful, rich, popular, successful creatures in positions where they do great things for the people around them and even mankind.  That's the secret to true evil.

On the flip side of this, because there is always an equal and opposite something, are those who are the ugly, poor, unpopular and seemingly unsuccessful creatures who turn out to be princes in disguise.

And the confusing part is that these creatures can be one and the same.

When the pantry is invaded by ants and someone gets rid of them that person is both a hero and a monster wiping out an entire colony of living creatures.  Justification comes from "knowing" certain things and believing them.

Perhaps the power in naming is not discovering someone's name, but in getting the name you want.