I believe the majority of our opinions and insights are gained in our childhood. Children tend to emulate the adults that surround them. They identify with their siblings first, then the neighborhood and eventually the community. Those three are the building blocks. Yes as we grow and mature we will modify those opinions and insights. We do so for a myriad of reasons. Popularity, financial gains, religious convictions or shifts in societal norms. Still I think our foundation remains unchanged. I was raised in a neighborhood known loosely as Three Mile Harbor. That defined a general geographic location. It is from that location that my view originates. I still embrace the general logic and behaviors of those folks that lived in the neighborhood. They really did form the core of my world until I was about 12 or so. At that age I had a bicycle and freedom to roam, as long as I was home by suppertime. I choose the bright lights of the village. I had a very close friend that lived in the village as well. I was uptown ! I would mingle with the folks from the neighborhood but had little interest in their doings. The central group of those folks were commercial fisherman. bayman some called themselves, but I found that term used only when it proved convenient. The ones I knew just said they fished for a living. A hard brutal existence that fishing, and I really wanted no part in it. I was interested more in the trades or possibly academic pursuits. I was seduced by the lights of the village and abandoned my heritage. Well, the truth is my Dad had already done that as he worked in the trades. His father was a bayman, it even says so on the census. But the trades and being a bayman were dying away in my view. The tradesmen were becoming just that, tradesmen, not craftsmen ! Things were being mass produced now, like pre-fab housing, mechanics didn't repair anymore, they replaced and the bayman were being pushed out by regulations and big companies. The future was waiting for me, but somewhere else. I joined the Navy in search of that place.
Now I can't say I have found that place, the future has arrived all by itself. Turns out all I had to do was wait. So, I sit and write my little blog posts espousing my view of the world. I make no claims as to my successes or failures in life. I have just lived it. The future has arrived but more lies ahead and so I reserve judgement. When stating my opinions or sharing insights I am aware of this. I am really sharing my view from the " Harbor. " That was my neighborhood, my foundation. Do I agree with everything I was taught there ? Of course not. The neighborhood contained all manner of people. Good folks and bad. No neighborhood can be defined by a strict set of parameters. We can only generalize. In general the folks from the " harbor " were hard working blue collar types, given to hard living and straightforward approaches. Not much intrigue down to the harbor. Folks pretty much told you how they felt about things. Political correctness hadn't moored at the harbor ! Folks in the village however were a bit different. A bit more " refined " one might say. I was told money will do that for you. ' Course money comes at a price too, common sense. Not many have both. Just the way it was " seen " back then. Common sense will tell you can catch a fish and eat it for free. Only a fool will pay to eat that same fish at some fancy restaurant. Those villagers will do that though. Same as hire folks to mow the grass or shovel some snow. Why if you can't do it yourself you got a neighbor don't you ? Or a friend ? That is the logic and reasoning I grew up with. A lot of it based in Biblical passages although you didn't hear much preaching. Yes, we went to church on Sundays, the rest of the week was ours. Faith or the lack of it was a personal thing. A lot of things were personal back then. There were some in the neighborhood that what we would say were, " light on their feet " but nothing was said openly about that. Nobody needs to know about all that ! And I think that is the view I miss the most. There is just too much detail in the view today. I believe we would all be better off if we just looked at things in general. Don't worry so much about what the other folks are doing, mind your own business. Speak your truth and let the chips fall where they may. You are responsible for your actions. That's my view, my view from the harbor.
Now I can't say I have found that place, the future has arrived all by itself. Turns out all I had to do was wait. So, I sit and write my little blog posts espousing my view of the world. I make no claims as to my successes or failures in life. I have just lived it. The future has arrived but more lies ahead and so I reserve judgement. When stating my opinions or sharing insights I am aware of this. I am really sharing my view from the " Harbor. " That was my neighborhood, my foundation. Do I agree with everything I was taught there ? Of course not. The neighborhood contained all manner of people. Good folks and bad. No neighborhood can be defined by a strict set of parameters. We can only generalize. In general the folks from the " harbor " were hard working blue collar types, given to hard living and straightforward approaches. Not much intrigue down to the harbor. Folks pretty much told you how they felt about things. Political correctness hadn't moored at the harbor ! Folks in the village however were a bit different. A bit more " refined " one might say. I was told money will do that for you. ' Course money comes at a price too, common sense. Not many have both. Just the way it was " seen " back then. Common sense will tell you can catch a fish and eat it for free. Only a fool will pay to eat that same fish at some fancy restaurant. Those villagers will do that though. Same as hire folks to mow the grass or shovel some snow. Why if you can't do it yourself you got a neighbor don't you ? Or a friend ? That is the logic and reasoning I grew up with. A lot of it based in Biblical passages although you didn't hear much preaching. Yes, we went to church on Sundays, the rest of the week was ours. Faith or the lack of it was a personal thing. A lot of things were personal back then. There were some in the neighborhood that what we would say were, " light on their feet " but nothing was said openly about that. Nobody needs to know about all that ! And I think that is the view I miss the most. There is just too much detail in the view today. I believe we would all be better off if we just looked at things in general. Don't worry so much about what the other folks are doing, mind your own business. Speak your truth and let the chips fall where they may. You are responsible for your actions. That's my view, my view from the harbor.
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