"Other people's words Part I - Orchid"

1.  An "orchid" is a member of the Orchidacae Family characterized by its three-petaled flowers.

2.  Suppose you've never once seen an orchid, that when you woke up this morning you had no idea what one might look like.  Then suppose later in the day you're at a friend's house, and your friend's got a vase on display, and in this vase is the most beautiful flower you've ever seen.  You say to your friend, "What kind of flower is that?" and she says, "It's an orchid."

You've never seen an orchid before, so it's safe to say you know very little - if anything - about orchids.  If anyone were to ask, you might say, "I'm sorry, I don't know anything about orchids as a species."  In fact, if you say this, you know even less than you think you do.  Experts estimate that the number of species of orchids lies somewhere between 21,000 and 25,000.  Meaning: today you learned that a flower you wouldn't have recognized yesterday is called an orchid, and for as long as you retain this knowledge, you'll know that your friend's flower is an orchid.  But actually, what you learned today is like finding out that a creature with wings that has feathers and a beak and hatches from an egg is called a "bird."  You see?  In truth, you haven't learned anything at all.  

3.  What if, instead of person, you were orchid?

Or, if life as an orchid is too far of a stretch: what if you were like an orchid?  What if you didn't know what you were called?  Could you stand being referred to as simply "a person" in a sea of other people?  Could you live your whole life believing you didn't have your own name?