Reading your tribute to your dad and the 'Superman' metaphor brought a sense of sadness to me. Like your father, mine was the product of two World Wars and the Great Depression. His father died from Spanish Flu in a military training camp during WWI. His mother had to "farm out" her children to relatives who could support them. I suppose the "super power" our fathers possessed was perseverance - the ability to be traumatized and shattered yet somehow pull all the pieces together and survive.
An uncle took my father in and raised him like his son. Chuck studied petroleum engineering in college and was sent to England as an officer during WWII and later to Korea during that ill-begotten war. He later worked to establish the petroleum logistics for the new military service, the U.S. Air Force.
Like Superman, he was solitary and "a man of steel." He was from a different era, the old school of manners and honor. He became "an officer and a gentleman" living his life and embracing his death with stoic dignity. He showed me what a 'decent' man looked like and acted. He had his flaws, but they paled in comparison to his unwavering decency. Yes, decency is a super human trait in today's world.
I remember the Superman 'slogan': "Truth, justice, and the American way..." He lived his life by those values and I long for them in my life today. My dad, probably for survival, "steeled" himself away and was not easily assessable or demonstratively affectionate, but demonstrating that one's core values and dignity can survive the most devastating traumas is a super power that allows love to emerge beneath the scars. Happy Father's Day...
"I suppose the "super power" our fathers possessed was perseverance - the ability to be traumatized and shattered yet somehow pull all the pieces together and survive." I always appreciate your lens, John. Wishing you a Happy Father's Day.
Reading your tribute to your dad and the 'Superman' metaphor brought a sense of sadness to me. Like your father, mine was the product of two World Wars and the Great Depression. His father died from Spanish Flu in a military training camp during WWI. His mother had to "farm out" her children to relatives who could support them. I suppose the "super power" our fathers possessed was perseverance - the ability to be traumatized and shattered yet somehow pull all the pieces together and survive.
An uncle took my father in and raised him like his son. Chuck studied petroleum engineering in college and was sent to England as an officer during WWII and later to Korea during that ill-begotten war. He later worked to establish the petroleum logistics for the new military service, the U.S. Air Force.
Like Superman, he was solitary and "a man of steel." He was from a different era, the old school of manners and honor. He became "an officer and a gentleman" living his life and embracing his death with stoic dignity. He showed me what a 'decent' man looked like and acted. He had his flaws, but they paled in comparison to his unwavering decency. Yes, decency is a super human trait in today's world.
I remember the Superman 'slogan': "Truth, justice, and the American way..." He lived his life by those values and I long for them in my life today. My dad, probably for survival, "steeled" himself away and was not easily assessable or demonstratively affectionate, but demonstrating that one's core values and dignity can survive the most devastating traumas is a super power that allows love to emerge beneath the scars. Happy Father's Day...
"I suppose the "super power" our fathers possessed was perseverance - the ability to be traumatized and shattered yet somehow pull all the pieces together and survive." I always appreciate your lens, John. Wishing you a Happy Father's Day.