I love this piece! It rings true in so many ways. A bit pessimistic, perhaps, but it would be odd NOT to allow that mood to begin to sink its roots into you, if you spend even 15 minutes per day watching cable news (no matter the channel or its bias - and every channel seems to have one.)
My father was also the ultimate non-conformist and was definitely not fashionable!! What he WAS was cheap, and I say that affectionately. My parents had 9 kids (I was the 8th of 8 boys, before they were finally blessed with a daughter), so some of the frugality was logical. But, he took it to a new level (can't one purchase clothes that don't clash at the Salvation Army or garage sales?).
By luck or design my parents sent me to a Jesuit high school where I grew up in Detroit, and their central theme was: question EVERYTHING! Combined with my own personality (analytical to a fault), this was a wonderful influence on my formative years.
Very happy I found this substack (I got an email about it for the first time this morning as A Peaceful Man follower, which I found by way of Humble Dollar. So, it turns out the internet can be a tool for good, as well as folly! Looking forward to future curmudgeonly installments!!
Thank you, Matt! So glad to have you as a reader. Wow - nine kids! My parents had it relatively easy with only six of us. 😳
Anyone who got their training from Jesuits is blessed indeed. If I could do anything differently, I would have pressed my folks for a classical education with studies in rhetoric, philosophy, Greek literature, etc. At 65, I’m trying to catch up. Better late than never, I suppose. 😊
I love this piece! It rings true in so many ways. A bit pessimistic, perhaps, but it would be odd NOT to allow that mood to begin to sink its roots into you, if you spend even 15 minutes per day watching cable news (no matter the channel or its bias - and every channel seems to have one.)
My father was also the ultimate non-conformist and was definitely not fashionable!! What he WAS was cheap, and I say that affectionately. My parents had 9 kids (I was the 8th of 8 boys, before they were finally blessed with a daughter), so some of the frugality was logical. But, he took it to a new level (can't one purchase clothes that don't clash at the Salvation Army or garage sales?).
By luck or design my parents sent me to a Jesuit high school where I grew up in Detroit, and their central theme was: question EVERYTHING! Combined with my own personality (analytical to a fault), this was a wonderful influence on my formative years.
Very happy I found this substack (I got an email about it for the first time this morning as A Peaceful Man follower, which I found by way of Humble Dollar. So, it turns out the internet can be a tool for good, as well as folly! Looking forward to future curmudgeonly installments!!
Thank you, Matt! So glad to have you as a reader. Wow - nine kids! My parents had it relatively easy with only six of us. 😳
Anyone who got their training from Jesuits is blessed indeed. If I could do anything differently, I would have pressed my folks for a classical education with studies in rhetoric, philosophy, Greek literature, etc. At 65, I’m trying to catch up. Better late than never, I suppose. 😊
Fantastic piece. So well said and written