Making Sense of the World
['74] By the time I was four I knew a few things about the world. I knew, for example, that there were places in far away locations called Sierra Leone and Togo that had people that dressed and lived differently than the people I knew in the United States. They even spoke in different languages that I could not understand, stating simple phrases that I should know as a 4 year-old but that were way different. They didn't have as much modern day luxuries as Americans, but they were happy people.
['75] Thanks to my parents I was aware of a bigger, real world around me, further out there. They had lived in those places and took a lot pictures, many slides and film that we could watch from projectors on bed sheets put up in our kitchen or family room in our small house at the end of our dead end street, some 10 blocks from a major college campus. My older sisters also helped me learn about the greater world, like their elementary school choir performances and dance shows.
['76] By the time I was five I was aware of my religion in many ways; I knew that Jesus Christ was the seminal figure in our faith; I knew about other figures like Adam, Noah, Moses, and Joseph Smith. Mary and Joseph and the Shepherds and the Wise men were part of the story, too. Christmas was huge to us kids, presents along with all the religious celebrations and music made for a warm time in dark cold winters.
['77] At age 6 I knew that my country was two hundred years old and that we were patriotic, we were grateful for our colonial ancestors and those who fought for our freedom against the British. Then again, the British were now our good friends and allies.
['78] By seven I knew there were big people walking around, guys like the big giant blonde Kent Benson on the Indiana University basketball team, a mere 7 footer who not only walked a head above everyone else, but commanded respect and awe in our small university town because of the reverence to basketball in our culture and his key part of the basketball team.
['79] By eight I knew there was a healthy world of movies out there, like Star Wars and Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. These motion pictures were inspirational and took you to places that didn't really exist but almost could, or could have. Or maybe some day would exist.
['80] At age nine I knew more about divorce since my best friend Ian Noyes was living in a family with just his mom and his sister, and his dad lived far away. Ian was a year younger than me and had seen his parents argue a lot. He made observations about my parents that way as well.
['81] When I was age ten I found out crazy people from the history books were not relegated to only the pages of those old published tomes; John Hinckley shot and did not kill President Ronald Reagan, but left his buddy James Brady paralyzed for life. I also learned within the same 24 hour period that when your hometown team wins the national championship you can miss out by not paying enough attention.
['82] By age 11 I learned more about state and local pride in my native state of Indiana from my new music teacher at Elm Heights, the school my sisters had attend six years each before me and I finished as a small student. She focused on some Hoosier songs that were more traditional to where we lived. Mrs. Getzee was great before, and we learned a lot, but it was interesting to note the difference in emphasis of songs.
['83]At age twelve I had learned quite a bit about the world. Iran did not like us, they had a bearded fellow named the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeni. The USSR, popularized in a Beatles song, also known as the Soviet Union, had had a series of presidents die that they had a hard time admitting were in fact dead, for long periods of time after their demises. They accused us, the USA, of being the world bullies and bad guys. But I, we in the free West and United States knew different. There were problems in many parts of the world, like Latin America, or Africa, and a few other parts of Asia. Vietnam was a wound still healing.
Vietnam was not spoken about that much. It would take a few more years.
Years in my life that would make more sense of it to me.
Blog it, EMC.
['75] Thanks to my parents I was aware of a bigger, real world around me, further out there. They had lived in those places and took a lot pictures, many slides and film that we could watch from projectors on bed sheets put up in our kitchen or family room in our small house at the end of our dead end street, some 10 blocks from a major college campus. My older sisters also helped me learn about the greater world, like their elementary school choir performances and dance shows.
['76] By the time I was five I was aware of my religion in many ways; I knew that Jesus Christ was the seminal figure in our faith; I knew about other figures like Adam, Noah, Moses, and Joseph Smith. Mary and Joseph and the Shepherds and the Wise men were part of the story, too. Christmas was huge to us kids, presents along with all the religious celebrations and music made for a warm time in dark cold winters.
['77] At age 6 I knew that my country was two hundred years old and that we were patriotic, we were grateful for our colonial ancestors and those who fought for our freedom against the British. Then again, the British were now our good friends and allies.
['78] By seven I knew there were big people walking around, guys like the big giant blonde Kent Benson on the Indiana University basketball team, a mere 7 footer who not only walked a head above everyone else, but commanded respect and awe in our small university town because of the reverence to basketball in our culture and his key part of the basketball team.
['79] By eight I knew there was a healthy world of movies out there, like Star Wars and Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. These motion pictures were inspirational and took you to places that didn't really exist but almost could, or could have. Or maybe some day would exist.
['80] At age nine I knew more about divorce since my best friend Ian Noyes was living in a family with just his mom and his sister, and his dad lived far away. Ian was a year younger than me and had seen his parents argue a lot. He made observations about my parents that way as well.
['81] When I was age ten I found out crazy people from the history books were not relegated to only the pages of those old published tomes; John Hinckley shot and did not kill President Ronald Reagan, but left his buddy James Brady paralyzed for life. I also learned within the same 24 hour period that when your hometown team wins the national championship you can miss out by not paying enough attention.
['82] By age 11 I learned more about state and local pride in my native state of Indiana from my new music teacher at Elm Heights, the school my sisters had attend six years each before me and I finished as a small student. She focused on some Hoosier songs that were more traditional to where we lived. Mrs. Getzee was great before, and we learned a lot, but it was interesting to note the difference in emphasis of songs.
['83]At age twelve I had learned quite a bit about the world. Iran did not like us, they had a bearded fellow named the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeni. The USSR, popularized in a Beatles song, also known as the Soviet Union, had had a series of presidents die that they had a hard time admitting were in fact dead, for long periods of time after their demises. They accused us, the USA, of being the world bullies and bad guys. But I, we in the free West and United States knew different. There were problems in many parts of the world, like Latin America, or Africa, and a few other parts of Asia. Vietnam was a wound still healing.
Vietnam was not spoken about that much. It would take a few more years.
Years in my life that would make more sense of it to me.
Blog it, EMC.
