just thinking

what is it that gives us attachment and understanding...
sympathy or more specifically empathy

it is hard to explain
but there is a power of thought

a person can exist their whole life never knowing that they have a sibling
then when they discover that someone is their blood
well... there is a connection
a bond
a wonderful bond of blood
that amazing bond of family

when I was a small child my cousin coined the term "special friends"
for years he was teased about that term
but it always made sense
it made sense then and it makes sense now

I once knew a person who learned in their 20's that they were part Native American Indian
once discovering this
well, he grew curious and he researched his heritage
then his heritage grew to be an interest and a concern
so he left this area and returned to where his family was from
that became his reality and his life

it was a difficult thing to understand
as I was young
and well... I was not the one experiencing that kinship

but...
now... as a father
I feel a kinship to my children and to all other fathers
all the children and all the fathers of the world

there are times when I see images in the news and I can not help but let my role as father interpete those images
I see the children who are victims and I see the fathers who are in pain
my empathy for them now is greater as I am now also a father
yes, I would have had sadness and understanding before
but now that I am a father myself
my level of compassion is profound

no... I do not understand why the world can not lay down their arms and just live life
I know my ideas sound like a Coca Cola commercial from the 70's

okay...
I am drunk
but this world sucks

had a conversation about Cindy Sheehan
some people call her crazy
well... I think her loss has given her a heightened sense of empathy
it is hard to walk that mile in another person's shoes
yet it seems easy enough to understand the pain that people suffer from the abrupt loss of a loved one

when I was in my early twenties I went across the country on my motorcycle
I set my path through various parts of the country where I had people to visit
one of my first stops was to see family in suburban illinois
when I rolled up on my uncle's house I was greeted by my grade school age cousins

I had not seen these cousins since before they could speak
so it was uncomfortable for me to step off my motorcycle and get mauled in the driveway by two small children before I took off my helmet
each exclaiming that they loved me
it was initially uncomforable
then it felt completely normal

on that same trip just down the road I visited my other cousins
they had grown just as I had grown
but we were still special friends
we are still special friends now
we are family
cousins are like siblings that do not fight

okay...
I am drunk

charlie don't surf in iraq either
cindy shehan on Wikipedia
gwadzilla archive on HBO's LAST LETTERS HOME