Fathers and Sons

This is just one of those things that a fellow thinks about sometimes.

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Fathers and Sons

          The relationship between fathers and sons has, for all time, been one of those fickle bonds that transcends description. It is a fragile bond, but with a strength beyond imagination, and an endurance like water making its way toward the sea. A teacher once said to me that "No man is truly free, until his father is dead." This troubled me for many years, and until my father died, I had no idea what it really meant. I suspect the true meaning will be catching up with me a little at a time until my own son takes over learning the true meaning of his father's death. This freedom my teacher talked about must certainly vary from son to son, but there is without doubt a certain liberation that occurs with the passing of one's father. In my own case, I have found myself more inclined to do things my father's way, than I would have been before his death, not so much out of respect, or honor, or guilt, but more from a standpoint of finally being able to accept his usually good advice. The problem now is that I have to second guess this advice, and most often this is not an easy task. I catch myself, from time to time, looking back for that piece of wisdom that would help me though some particular incident, or I may glance up and ask "What the hell would you do now." At any rate, I am certainly more free today to take his advice than I was before he left me to struggle on my own.

 

Copyright © 2007. Ed Gnaedinger.