My mom was a Democrat. She's been dead for seven years now so I don't know for sure if she would be a fan of Obama,but she liked Clinton just fine until he was impeached for having extra-marital sex in the Oval Office. She REALLY didn't like that. Mom was a good woman,she was a sweet,compassionate,reasonable well educated and grounded person and I truly,truly lover her and miss her.
Mom was born in the 40's so her being a Democrat seems to have stemmed mostly from JFK (who was more like a classical Republican than modern Democrat). I think JFK was a good man and I think he wouldn't survive in today Democratic party,he wasn't a tool.
I bring this up because of the Chick-Fil-A crapola. I'm not getting into all of that here but I want to go on record with a few things One: Dan Cathy was intentionally taken out of context by CNN about what he actually said to the Baptist Press . CNN has only fanned the flames harder since then (in my opinion).
All Cathy did was answer a question about his faith,that's it. He never said the company won't or doesn't serve or employ someone that fits outside of his definition of traditional marriage. The company's hiring practices aren't based on anyone's sexual orientation.
Anyway,back to my 'point'. My mom was a Democrat but wasn't really Liberal in the sense that you think of it now. She was wholly opposed to abortion,thought food stamps were a terrible thing and felt that only lazy folk used them. I'm not listing my beloved mother's faults here,just laying out who she was in terms of her socio-political views.
So with all of this 'controversy' (manufactured but still a controversy) about same-sex marriage I can't help but wonder if Mom would have been in favor of it. The conclusion I keep coming to is that she probably would be opposed on religious grounds. She wasn't a regular pew-warmer but she did strongly believe in God and held Christian views rooted in her Baptist upbringing,so I can't say that I believe she would have accepted this idea of homosexual persons being allowed to marry. I guess that shows how far to the Left the Dems have drifted (slid) since the day's when my Mom was right there with them on matters of race and war,but I just can't begin to imagine that she'd agree with this.
I 'have' to view these kinds of things through the lens my Mom gave me (my Dad certainly gave me a perspective too but since he and I share a very similar view of many things I don't feel like I 'have' to consider how he feels about this stuff). I don't want to be unable to see the 'compassionate' side of an argument like this so I often use my Mom's views as a filter if I worry that I'm not seeing both sides.
In this argument her view seems to tell me that it's "wrong" (religiously speaking),but I don't agree with what I perceive her view would be.
From the religious perspective this goes against a few Biblical teachings and if we're trying to say that Christians and their many churches should be REQUIRED to accept this and forced to perform marriage ceremonies that outright violate their beliefs then I will fight you tooth and nail. Fortunately this country is founded on Christian principles,but isn't a theocracy. We are free to pursue different ideas and faiths,just so long as they don't harm anyone.
I would include this particular bit of inane bickering over who can be married as being one of those ideas that really doesn't hurt anybody (sorry,feelings don't count).
So here's my way of trying to be compassionate and to try to view this as I think my Mom would: I have no problem with persons of different faiths,nationalities,income brackets,color or GENDER getting married. I don't think we need a law to allow this,we may need to repeal a couple here and there though. I see that as being compassionate but more than that I see it as just being damned human. Mom may not have approved of this but I learned how to see things from a compassionate viewpoint from her.
Kinda funny in a way.
The party my mother identified with is the party that is now the least tolerant and has compassion only for those persons and causes that they can exploit to their own end. Yet here I am,the son of a kind and generous woman that showed great compassion to many but whom probably would not support this particular cause.
The point of all this? For you dear reader,possibly nothing,hopefully a little provoking of thought I suppose,but this was mostly just me writing. This topic was gnawing at me and I needed to explore it and this is a great medium for that.
I'll try for something a little more interesting in my next piece. Probably.
Friday, August 3, 2012
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Influences
"No man is an island" Meditation XVII - John Donne
That's an old phrase that seems to have originated from a poem by the above named author in 1624.
Don't think I'm going to get into the works of a 17th century poet,even I don't want to do that.
I use that phrase to set up the fact that I am influenced by some of those persons around me,specifically other writer/bloggers. A lot of what I read is fiction and history,with news writing being a close second,however I do enjoy a little autobiographical writing in the form of the occasional blog. I don't really follow any of them closely,most of them just end up doing what I'm doing here,prattling on about 'blank' issue or 'blank' self indulgent introspective topic. That's not always as bad as it sounds,some folks are really good at it and their writing opens doors of understanding which go on to open other doors of respect and appreciation. Those people are rare but they exist.
At this moment I'm going to prattle on about a couple of them that I happen to know of (like you didn't see that coming,right? lol).
The two bloggers that I admire and find myself to be somewhat (at present at least) influential on my writing style are Wayne Engle and Marla Sink Druzgal.
Wayne Engle is a native of Madison,Indiana which is something I am not and every once in a while still realize. Mr.Engle is retired from the local newspaper the Madison Courier he was a beat reporter for the most part,covered the 'news of the day' stuff,but he wrote a few features that I really enjoyed too.
Presently he's staying busy with his blog Corporal's Corner. He doesn't write 'news' anymore. His focus is on topics of interest to him and,hopefully,his readers.
I happen to know Mr.Engle. We aren't pals,we don't go out for drinks or 'poke' each other endlessly via Facebook,but over the course of a few years we have spoken politely to one another and he's been quite pleasant toward my daughter,always willing to take just a moment to say hi and speak with her. I always appreciate people that will take a moment and speak to kids,especially when they aren't greatly condescending to them.
Just the other day I briefly spoke with him about my writing and he was tremendously supportive of me trying my hand at it. Of course at that time he hadn't seen a single thing I'd written so maybe he'll have different opinion later? lol
What I like about Wayne is that he can give you all the facts of a story but he also manages to convey his feelings on the matter. Sometimes he's a bit obvious but,when he dons a more velvety glove,he's can be subtle and not screamingly obvious. He's speaking as himself and not as some nebulous third party just passing along the facts of a story to those who are taking in his writing.
I aspire to be as professional as Mr.Engle in my writing.
Marla Sink Druzgal is the author of the blog travelingmarla,she's also a riot.
I've had the great pleasure to meet this woman in person and she is an engaging and intelligent conversationalist.
Mrs.Druzgal is one of those persons whose exuberance and energy are not only obvious but also welcoming!
For the most part Mrs.Druzgal writes about places she's been and the people she's met while in those places but,she also has a penchant for capturing a certain mood and energy that allows the reader to more fully immerse themselves in her chosen subject.
Marla is a fellow non-native,she's been here through the month of July accompanying her husband whose job tends to take him to quit a few far flung places (including Vietnam). That this seemingly worldly woman has managed to land in our midst here in Madison is very cool and by her stated admiration and love for Madison she's helped to show that this town has some kind of strange magic that pulls people in and only infrequently releases them.
What I like about Marla is that in her writing she is absolutely unafraid to take the reader on an emotional journey. Hers is NOT the journalistic approach,its alive with color and freedom of thought and the sense that you are with her as she goes about and explores and enjoys her environs. One of her finer qualities,as a writer,is her ability to laugh at herself and her own absurdities. Her blog is full of quite 'awkward' (to say the least) moments that serve to help humanize the experience she's relating and herself.
Not all writers can do that and I see it as a rare gift and it is one that I hope I may possess somewhere inside of myself.
I aspire to be as human as Mrs.Druzgal in my writing.
I have influences upon my writing,I am not an island. I just would like to think that I have particularly GOOD influences. lol
I really do hope that others will read their work and see what I'm talking about.
Good writing doesn't have to be found between the covers of a book,magazine,or newspaper and it doesn't have to be fawned over by critics either. So long as YOU like it and gain something from it that makes it good and isn't that ultimately what a writer wants? Is to have others understand and appreciate his words?
Maybe a paycheck too,but that's a different story.
That's an old phrase that seems to have originated from a poem by the above named author in 1624.
Don't think I'm going to get into the works of a 17th century poet,even I don't want to do that.
I use that phrase to set up the fact that I am influenced by some of those persons around me,specifically other writer/bloggers. A lot of what I read is fiction and history,with news writing being a close second,however I do enjoy a little autobiographical writing in the form of the occasional blog. I don't really follow any of them closely,most of them just end up doing what I'm doing here,prattling on about 'blank' issue or 'blank' self indulgent introspective topic. That's not always as bad as it sounds,some folks are really good at it and their writing opens doors of understanding which go on to open other doors of respect and appreciation. Those people are rare but they exist.
At this moment I'm going to prattle on about a couple of them that I happen to know of (like you didn't see that coming,right? lol).
The two bloggers that I admire and find myself to be somewhat (at present at least) influential on my writing style are Wayne Engle and Marla Sink Druzgal.
Wayne Engle is a native of Madison,Indiana which is something I am not and every once in a while still realize. Mr.Engle is retired from the local newspaper the Madison Courier he was a beat reporter for the most part,covered the 'news of the day' stuff,but he wrote a few features that I really enjoyed too.
Presently he's staying busy with his blog Corporal's Corner. He doesn't write 'news' anymore. His focus is on topics of interest to him and,hopefully,his readers.
I happen to know Mr.Engle. We aren't pals,we don't go out for drinks or 'poke' each other endlessly via Facebook,but over the course of a few years we have spoken politely to one another and he's been quite pleasant toward my daughter,always willing to take just a moment to say hi and speak with her. I always appreciate people that will take a moment and speak to kids,especially when they aren't greatly condescending to them.
Just the other day I briefly spoke with him about my writing and he was tremendously supportive of me trying my hand at it. Of course at that time he hadn't seen a single thing I'd written so maybe he'll have different opinion later? lol
What I like about Wayne is that he can give you all the facts of a story but he also manages to convey his feelings on the matter. Sometimes he's a bit obvious but,when he dons a more velvety glove,he's can be subtle and not screamingly obvious. He's speaking as himself and not as some nebulous third party just passing along the facts of a story to those who are taking in his writing.
I aspire to be as professional as Mr.Engle in my writing.
Marla Sink Druzgal is the author of the blog travelingmarla,she's also a riot.
I've had the great pleasure to meet this woman in person and she is an engaging and intelligent conversationalist.
Mrs.Druzgal is one of those persons whose exuberance and energy are not only obvious but also welcoming!
For the most part Mrs.Druzgal writes about places she's been and the people she's met while in those places but,she also has a penchant for capturing a certain mood and energy that allows the reader to more fully immerse themselves in her chosen subject.
Marla is a fellow non-native,she's been here through the month of July accompanying her husband whose job tends to take him to quit a few far flung places (including Vietnam). That this seemingly worldly woman has managed to land in our midst here in Madison is very cool and by her stated admiration and love for Madison she's helped to show that this town has some kind of strange magic that pulls people in and only infrequently releases them.
What I like about Marla is that in her writing she is absolutely unafraid to take the reader on an emotional journey. Hers is NOT the journalistic approach,its alive with color and freedom of thought and the sense that you are with her as she goes about and explores and enjoys her environs. One of her finer qualities,as a writer,is her ability to laugh at herself and her own absurdities. Her blog is full of quite 'awkward' (to say the least) moments that serve to help humanize the experience she's relating and herself.
Not all writers can do that and I see it as a rare gift and it is one that I hope I may possess somewhere inside of myself.
I aspire to be as human as Mrs.Druzgal in my writing.
I have influences upon my writing,I am not an island. I just would like to think that I have particularly GOOD influences. lol
I really do hope that others will read their work and see what I'm talking about.
Good writing doesn't have to be found between the covers of a book,magazine,or newspaper and it doesn't have to be fawned over by critics either. So long as YOU like it and gain something from it that makes it good and isn't that ultimately what a writer wants? Is to have others understand and appreciate his words?
Maybe a paycheck too,but that's a different story.
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