Two by two, door by door, god loves nametags and he wants some more

Mormon missionaries are unique in that they’re the only evangelists required wear nametags at all times in public.

It’s one of the most recognizable visual features they carry. According to the church’s official wardrobe guidelines, they are required to wear their nametag on the outermost layer of clothing so that others may clearly identify them.

What’s fascinating is, the badge not only dons their surname and appropriate title, but also the name of the church itself. Reminding them that they are part of a family, with a reputation to uphold. They are to treat people with politeness, striving to have god’s image in their countenances.

Regardless of your opinions on religion, it’s hard not to admire the beauty of this gesture. Because these people have introduced an apparatus of accountability to both themselves and the world.

By wearing the church nametag at all times, there’s less incentive to get away with bad behavior. It’s a social construct that forces them to sign their work, so to speak, and take a stand for their identity.

Can you imagine how much better off we would be if more people walked through the world like that?

My manifesto, which made a sociological case for why everyone in the world should wear nametags, all day, every day, forever, stresses this very issue. A nametag is a structure that bankrupts bad behavior. It’s social contract. We resign it every day. And we wear it on our chest for all to see, public, so we can’t run away from it.

When you sign your name to it, you own it. It’s accountability through attribution. By directly tying our actions to our real identity, by connecting the individual to what they do, and making that connection explicit to the rest of the community, we make better decisions.

We think before acting. We consider the potential repercussions that arise from direct accountability.

How would your daily engagement with the world transform if you were required to wear a nametag at all times in public? Might you relate to people differently, yourself included?

After all, everyone is an evangelist for something.

It just depends whose image you want in your countenances.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
How are you taking a stand for your identity?