The Cellar - View Single Post

B-Tay · 03-27-2012, 12:28 AM

This issue seems basic, but I cannot help but think the individual is born with a way of thinking that will overcome the childhood imprints of the parent.

Up to my late teens, I tended to blindly parrot my father's views, because I considered him quite brilliant. (Mom is alive and everything but she is not too much into politics or sports, so my identification with her is more of the nurturer only). But things changed for no clear reason (other than maturity) and I would attribute that to my personal way of thinking, which is a lot more anxious and a need for clarity at all times, whereas he is VERY quiet, and would find the "thinking stuff" to be a waste of time which would detract from his reading. He reads constantly, and is not a very social person at all (he is a retired mechanical engineer).

Thus I know I tend to "think" more than my father. I have diverged from him on politics and other issues. We are not opposites, but I know he is sort of stuck in a traditional north Texas democrat/Ann Richards/Molly Ivins type of role, and I keep changing my views as I become more open-minded to things that I was taught were "nutty" - for example "Goldwater was a nut" was what I was brought up to believe. Now I find him to be over-principled, but not nutty at all. He fits a logic that is understandable.

At this stage I like to bandy things about in my head and see if there is a logic that is understandable. Even something like abortion I can easily see both sides. I tend to view a lot of things in shades of gray so I tend to not really engage in many discussions. I recently found myself at a dinner party and debating politics with someone and very much enjoyed it, because we were both quite adept at keeping things unemotional and intelligent.

Also, having two of my own children really hit home with me how little I influence certain ways of thinking with them. Sure I can influence certain, obvious things, and I am sure they too will follow my line of thinking at first, but I definitely see how they react and interpret life is something that they were born with, so their politics naturally will evolve depending on their innate outlook.

The red wine is wearing off. Time to hit the sack.

03-27-2012, 12:28 AM	#24
B-Tay Non-Newbie Sort Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Foster City, CA Posts: 6	This issue seems basic, but I cannot help but think the individual is born with a way of thinking that will overcome the childhood imprints of the parent. Up to my late teens, I tended to blindly parrot my father's views, because I considered him quite brilliant. (Mom is alive and everything but she is not too much into politics or sports, so my identification with her is more of the nurturer only). But things changed for no clear reason (other than maturity) and I would attribute that to my personal way of thinking, which is a lot more anxious and a need for clarity at all times, whereas he is VERY quiet, and would find the "thinking stuff" to be a waste of time which would detract from his reading. He reads constantly, and is not a very social person at all (he is a retired mechanical engineer). Thus I know I tend to "think" more than my father. I have diverged from him on politics and other issues. We are not opposites, but I know he is sort of stuck in a traditional north Texas democrat/Ann Richards/Molly Ivins type of role, and I keep changing my views as I become more open-minded to things that I was taught were "nutty" - for example "Goldwater was a nut" was what I was brought up to believe. Now I find him to be over-principled, but not nutty at all. He fits a logic that is understandable. At this stage I like to bandy things about in my head and see if there is a logic that is understandable. Even something like abortion I can easily see both sides. I tend to view a lot of things in shades of gray so I tend to not really engage in many discussions. I recently found myself at a dinner party and debating politics with someone and very much enjoyed it, because we were both quite adept at keeping things unemotional and intelligent. Also, having two of my own children really hit home with me how little I influence certain ways of thinking with them. Sure I can influence certain, obvious things, and I am sure they too will follow my line of thinking at first, but I definitely see how they react and interpret life is something that they were born with, so their politics naturally will evolve depending on their innate outlook. The red wine is wearing off. Time to hit the sack.