Responsibility is a significant matter, and making a responsible decision is no small feat. For instance, imagine you’re walking through the jungle and suddenly come face to face with a massive, menacing tiger. What do you do? There are plenty of options: you could climb a vine, try to run away, or even pretend you didn’t see the tiger at all. But it’s best to take a moment to think it through. Acting in haste can lead to mistakes. How right your decision is—well, that’s something the tiger will ultimately test.
Life presents us with moments that, while perhaps less exotic, are just as critical, and thankfully, there’s no tiger breathing down our necks.
Consider a young couple who just welcomed a son. “We discussed with my husband what name to give our child, but we couldn’t agree… He went ahead and registered the name—Kolya—but we don’t call him that. He’s almost two months old, and we just call him little bunny or little rabbit, but we really want to name him something, and everyone keeps asking what his name is…”
Who do you think is to blame for this situation? The parents, who had nine months to think about a name but didn’t manage to come to a decision? Not quite—the real culprit is that metaphorical tiger. In the form of the civil registry office employees, they didn’t give the parents a chance to think it over for at least five or six years. Instead, they reminded them that according to the family law code, a newborn must be registered within a month of birth.
Well, that’s alright. We can still think it over… For now, let him run around as Bunny and Rabbit, and when he grows up, we can add a patronymic. Zaya Rabbit Vasilyevich—doesn’t that sound nice? There’s no need to rush, as this is a serious matter, and in the Year of the Tiger, a decision must be made.