Tag: Point of View

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The Recliner, by Phillip Hoyle

Some years ago when my back started hurting I got a
new swivel chair for my desk at work. Then my wife and I bought a new firm
mattress. These two steps were helpful yet did not solve the problem totally.
Then I bought myself better shoes that gave my arches adequate support. I was
really beginning to feel fine. Then Myrna bought me a recliner, a small one
from La-Z-Boy®. I was not quite sure of the message, but I did find the chair
moderately comfortable. From my point of view the seemed unnecessary, maybe not
a good choice for I had never been able to sit or sleep comfortably in such
chairs. Still, this model seemed okay for me due to the facts it was more firm
than our mattress and it was not one of those monster-size chairs made for
retired football linemen. The recliner sat next to the bed. I got a lamp so I could
read while sitting in it. That was in the days when I was reading five books a
week. Using a pillow, I could read for hours and not hurt my back. My back got
even better—actually stronger—when I added Super Circuit at the gym as well as
my marathon reading in the recliner.
Some people at the church where I worked thought we
would enjoy a new TV. They bought a nice SONY model, a really large one. It was
fine but we didn’t really want nor need a TV to replace the smaller one that
worked just fine. In fact, the new TV required that we buy an entertainment
center large enough to hold it. We found a nice one but realized we had no
place for it in the living room. So it went into our rather large bedroom, and
of course the kids wanted to come and watch the big one. I rarely watched TV.
My space was being eroded. I wondered if I would become a recliner potato, but couldn’t
recline in the new chair to watch the big TV because my new glasses were
bifocal.  
Oh the problems of modern life for the ageing. As you
may suppose I was ageing a long time ago! And the process hasn’t ended. Actually
I’m pleased about that. If I ever start not ageing…. Well I suspect you’ve
already been thinking about such things. Where I live now there two recliners.
I suspect I‘ll be using both of them for even more reclining while my life is
declining, but I do hope that’s a ways off for me.
© 6 Feb 2017 
About the Author 
Phillip Hoyle lives in Denver and spends his
time writing, painting, and socializing. In general, he keeps busy with groups
of writers and artists. Following thirty-two years in church work and fifteen
in a therapeutic massage practice, he now focuses on creating beauty. He
volunteers at The Center leading the SAGE program “Telling Your Story.”
He also blogs at artandmorebyphilhoyle.blogspot.com
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Point of View by Ricky

If one were to confine this topic to politics and politicians, there really is no such thing as “point of view” but only points of contention or disagreement. One only has to look at our present Congress to see the truth of this statement, which just happens to be my point of view on the subject of politics.

But leaving politics behind and moving to religion, a similar situation arises. Ephesians 4:5 states, “One Lord, one faith, one baptism …” but different Christian denominations baptize members using non-standardized methods and (in the case of children) at different ages. Some even claim that baptism is not even necessary. Wars have started over such points of contention.

So, leaving both politics and religion out of any further consideration I can limit my thoughts to points of view between common citizens. Obviously, disagreements between people can also escalate into confrontations which may or may not become violent. After all, points of view are dangerous in the wrong minds attached to uncontrollable mouths or a word processor. Therefore, I will continue to shrink the viewing of my points to the times I served in the U.S. Air Force.

I first served from December 1967 to September 1971 when I was released early to attend college as the Vietnam non-war was ending. I enjoyed my time in the service mostly because I was stationed in Florida after basic training and my Commander and First Sergeant were good and decent people who treated all the enlisted personnel under their authority very well. This I can contrast with my next period of service which began in May of 1978 when I graduated college.

The only thing I did not like about my enlisted time was being told where and when I could live somewhere. Between the end of my enlistment and my graduation, I had married and now where ever I lived my family would be with me so that particular peeve no longer applied. I returned to the Air Force as an officer in the Security Police career field. I spent the next 12-years supervising the enlisted force guarding nuclear missiles, nuclear armed bombers, and nuclear weapons in storage and the base law enforcement personnel, and also as a nuclear weapons convoy commander.

I was assigned to units of the Strategic Air Command (SAC). The military officer culture of SAC is tightly structured and controlled because SAC was always one-step closer to going to war than all other units of the Air Force. SAC’s official motto was “Peace is Our Profession.” The unofficial version was, “Peace is Our Profession—War is Our Hobby.” This is probably the last point where our points of view coincided.

POINT OF VIEW #1—Training – My View: Training activities are to be used to teach and improve performance of personnel. Their View: Any mistake in training is to be severely criticized and appropriate punishment inflicted. There are too many examples in my military life to even try to pick one, so I won’t.

POINT OF VIEW #2—Suggestions – My View: When a senior officer asks for comments, suggestions, or opinions, the person asking wants an answer, so respond. Their View: “I did not mean it. If you choose to answer, give me the answer I want to hear. Be a ‘Yes-man’.” (It took me way too long to realize this truth.)

I once reminded my colonel (the Security Police Group Commander) of a commitment he made to the personnel in my squadron. (I did this at the morning briefing with all the intermediate commanders in attendance. I was still a lieutenant.) He had told our personnel that he was going to visit each flight on the midnight-shift. I reminded him that he had done this for the other three flights but not my flight and the men had asked me about it. As a result, he came out and visited that very night. I took the opportunity to suggest that he ride with me and I gave him a tour of the nuclear weapons storage area and demonstrated a “starlight scope.”

The men had been complaining about the bag lunches delivered to them. The colonel just happened to be there when the lunches arrived and got to see them first hand. The men wanted to know why they could not have hot lunches delivered like the aircraft maintenance personnel who were brought hot lunches in specially insulated cabinets. Back-office personnel had known about this issue for over a year but had done nothing to make it happen. As a result of that visit and my suggestions, within a week hot meals were delivered and the starlight scopes were posted with the security patrols and not just kept locked up in the armory

Also, as a result, my commander and the back-office personnel took a strong dislike to me. My commander because in his point of view, I had jumped the chain-of-command and made him look bad or ineffective. The back-office personnel because in their point of view, I made them look lazy and uncaring. In my point of view, I had taken care of my men and enhanced the security of the base.

POINT OF VIEW #3—Disposition of Personnel – My View: The right person in the right position. Their View: Reward the “team-players” with positions on the day-shift.

In peace-time how do you evaluate the readiness and effectiveness of military personnel? There are perhaps several different methods, but the one I saw most often would be called dramaturgical behaviors—how well do personnel march; are their uniforms clean, starched, and shoes and metal parts shiny; is their military “bearing” above reproach; is all paperwork perfect in every way; and are their equipment or weapons clean and in good repair? In other words, does everything and everyone look good?

One variation of this concept I saw consistently throughout my career. The most knowledgeable and experienced officers and enlisted personnel were assigned to the day-shift where they could impress all commanders on base, who almost to the man, only worked day-shift hours. All the less knowledgeable officers and enlisted personnel worked the rotating swing and mid-shifts out of sight, while those who are responsible for training and observing performance sleep. My view point is that you should put the most experienced and knowledgeable personnel on shifts where they need little or no supervision while everyone else sleeps at night.

These are a few of the reasons why the Air Force decided we need to part company. Our points of view were never really compatible.

© 25 November 2013

About the Author

I was born in June of 1948 in Los
Angeles, living first in Lawndale and then in Redondo Beach. Just prior to
turning 8 years old in 1956, I began living with my grandparents on their farm
in Isanti County, Minnesota for two years during which time my parents
divorced.
When united with my mother and
stepfather two years later in 1958, I lived first at Emerald Bay and then at
South Lake Tahoe, California, graduating from South Tahoe High School in 1966.
After three tours of duty with the Air Force, I moved to Denver, Colorado where
I lived with my wife and four children until her passing away from
complications of breast cancer four days after the 9-11 terrorist attack.

I came out as a gay man in the
summer of 2010. I find writing these memories to be therapeutic.

My story blog is TheTahoeBoy.Blogspot.com

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Point of View by Lewis

This is a subject with so many ramifications that I hardly know where to begin. So, I will start from the only “point of view” that I can possibly defend–how I see the world through a lens that is mine and mine alone.

As I see it, “point of view” is somewhat misleading in that what matters is not what the eyes see–that is, one’s environment–but how that image is deconstructed in the mind of the observer.

I will not attempt to expound upon the reasons that one person might look upon an image of President Obama and see the Messiah and another Evil Incarnate. Still, it is nearly impossible to come up with a story that explains my truth on this question. I didn’t just wake up one morning and decide to be a liberal. No; one’s political “point of view”–the only one that truly matters to me–is derived from the sum of decades of living, learning and being loved…or not.

My father was born in 1911. The only time I saw him cry was when he was describing how his parents had lost their farm–their four sons’ legacy–to foreclosure during the Great Depression. He was an ardent admirer of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and spent most of his adult life assisting farmers to obtain loans from the insurance company he worked for so they wouldn’t lose theirs. His work helped him to feel of use to society and he understood the important role that government can play in lifting people out of despair. Despite having been dealt a bad hand himself as a victim of polio at the age of 20, he was a lifelong Democrat.

Mother, on the other hand, usually played the role of victim. I don’t want to say too much about her, since “Mom” is the subject for next week. Suffice it for now to know that she was never comfortable in the role of mother and housewife and felt that Opportunity had walked right past her door without so much as a nod in her direction. She could never share in the joy of my little successes, nor could she even stand to hug or be hugged. She was racist and took no particular interest in politics, though I’m fairly certain that she usually voted Republican.

Theories abound as to why liberals and conservatives are the way they are. I agree with people like George Lakoff who think it has something to do with early home life. He believes that conservatives tend to have grown up in homes that are dominated by a strict, disciplinarian father, where punishment for nonconformance is swift and painful. Liberals, in contrast, are raised by nurturing parents who believe that honorable behavior can be modeled and taught through example.

I grew up in a household with one nurturing but passive parent and one who was strict but also passive. How I turned out to be an activist lefty I cannot explain other than to observe that I identified with my dad’s sense of compassion and general love for people. He, at least, could hold me on his lap and read the Sunday comics to me while pointing to the words so that I could learn many of them by the age of four. I admired him. I feared her.

My point-of-view most likely comes from my assimilation of my dad’s politics through association. As I have aged, my politics has evolved far to the left of anything my father could imagine, even as the politics of the Right has moved just as far in the opposite direction. Perhaps if he had not succumbed to a stroke in 1990, he and I would still agree on most political issues. At the very least, I would like to be able to tell him how much he had influenced my point-of-view. I think he would take some satisfaction from knowing that.

© 25 November 2013

About
the Author

I came to the beautiful state of Colorado out of my native Kansas by way of Michigan, the state where I married and I came to the beautiful state of Colorado out of my native Kansas by way of Michigan, the state where I married and had two children while working as an engineer for the Ford Motor Company. I was married to a wonderful woman for 26 happy years and suddenly realized that life was passing me by. I figured that I should make a change, as our offspring were basically on their own and I wasn’t getting any younger. Luckily, a very attractive and personable man just happened to be crossing my path at that time, so the change-over was both fortuitous and smooth.

Soon after, I retired and we moved to Denver, my husband’s home town. He passed away after 13 blissful years together in October of 2012. I am left to find a new path to fulfillment. One possibility is through writing. Thank goodness, the SAGE Creative Writing Group was there to light the way.

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Point of View by Will Stanton

When many people think of the so-called “gay lifestyle,” they very often have a stereotypical picture of gays frequently hanging out for hours in gay bars, drinking, and picking up tricks, one-night stands just for sex and without much regard for getting to know the person any better. At least, that may be the more visible aspect of some gays’ lives, but I know that this is not true with many others. Some have dinners and parties in their homes rather than going to bars. I found this to be especially true in cities that were less tolerant, such as Cincinnati at the times I visited there. That community was in some ways rather southern and conservative, and they did not tolerate gays very well. Many other gays spend more time in activities such as going to movies, plays, or concerts. Some engage in active pursuits such as sports or hiking in the mountains, just like many other people. Still, the bar scene seems to be one image that often comes first to some people’s minds.

The idea of going to bars as a major means of having fun never has been my point of view. My tastes always have been very different. I occasionally can enjoy an alcoholic drink just for the taste, but I don’t need more than one to enjoy that taste. I never have needed to get an alcoholic buzz, either. Plus, I did not care to lose more brain cells than I already was losing from the toxins in our water, food, and air.

And speaking of toxic air, that went for heavy cigarette smoke, too, the usual atmosphere of bars when I was young. The few times that I ventured into bars at the request of friends, my lungs felt as though I had sand in them by next morning.

I never went to bars looking for anonymous sex in basements. I also never cared to dress up either in drag or butch-drag. My point of view is that genuineness is preferable to affectation.

I also have a very different point of view when it comes to choosing music to listen to. I never cared for ear-splitting pounding drums and screaming. I know that many people seem to enjoy loud noise, but I now feel vindicated by all the medical studies that document the physical and mental harm from exposure to atavistic drivel foisted upon us by rock-noisicians. I realize that more civilized music is regarded by many to be boring, and they would complain if that were played in bars.

Still, when I was young and first met some gay people, I was persuaded to go to a few bars just for the camaraderie. A few of the places were relatively civilized. The only gay bar in my hometown had been made out of a small garage some distance from the downtown. It was run by a couple of older, friendly guys who tried to keep the prices of all the drinks, hard or soft, very low. They never made much money, and eventually the bar had to close.

The most comfortable bar that I remember was one that two friends of mine and I found as we traveled through Allentown, Pennsylvania. The bar was unusual because it had been a small branch-library and was situated in a pleasant, residential area rather than, as happens so often, in a less desirable location. It had ample parking in a large lot where cars were safe. The building was in the shape of an “H” with the entrance facing the middle reference desk, which had been turned into the bar. To the right in one end of the “H” was a large dance floor with dancing music. At the opposite end of the building was a large, quiet lounge with comfortable chairs and couches where friends could talk with each other without having to shout.

And finally, the spookiest experience that I had at a bar was when my friend Jim drove me many miles to a bar in a town in central Ohio. It was located in an older, urban area, and originally had been built for some other kind of business. There was a small entrance room, which was not lit very brightly, then a hall that led past restrooms and storage, and then finally a long area in back where the barroom was located.

The time was around twelve-thirty that night when Jim and I decided to leave. As we started to pass through the empty, front room, a lone figure approached out of the shadows. We saw that he appeared to be much too young to have been permitted into the bar, and he had not ventured farther back into the barroom. He appeared to be about fifteen. He spoke to Jim, but in a tone of voice that actually surprised us because it sounded angry and bitter. He said, “I’m chicken!” He seemed to glare at us with that announcement. Jim and I looked at each other somewhat confused by the intensity of his voice. I noted that he was good-looking, but I also was startled by the apparent fury and bitterness in his eyes. He seemed to be a very stressed and unhappy person. The intensity of his look stunned me.

Jim got over his initial surprise and said, “What?” The boy repeated his angry statement, “I’m chicken!” And then he added, looking only at Jim, “I have a hotel room nearby.” Jim, who always was the far more adventuresome person than I, turned and looked at me, seeming to communicate that he was attracted to this good-looking kid, would like to go with him, but at the same time, realized I that I would have no transportation. So, Jim, perhaps regretfully, declined the offer and said that we had a long way to drive and needed to leave now. As we left, I still was amazed and mystified by that very strange encounter.

It was some years later that I saw that face again, those intense eyes. I saw that face in newspaper photographs and on the TV. The image was immediately recognizable. Ever since then, I never could forget what a bizarre encounter Jim and I had had with this person and how close Jim possibly came to learning more about this strange kid than Jim would have wished to learn, even though what the kid became noted for began three years later. I clearly remembered the pained expression on that face, the intense bitterness in those eyes. And when I learned his name, I never have forgotten that either…Jeffrey Dahmer. Now there was someone with a very different point of view.

© 13 October 2013

About the Author

I have had a life-long fascination with people and their life stories. I also realize that, although my own life has not brought me particular fame or fortune, I too have had some noteworthy experiences and, at times, unusual ones. Since I joined this Story Time group, I have derived pleasure and satisfaction participating in the group. I do put some thought and effort into my stories, and I hope that you find them interesting.

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Point of View by Betsy

There are those who work in Washington, D.C. who call themselves patriots simply because they religiously wear an American Flag lapel pin. They claim to be working toward a better U.S.A. I honestly believe there are many politicians, leaders of our nation, who do not comprehend the difference between what is good for the nation as a whole and what is good for their funders, their interests, and their own self aggrandizement.

For example I have to challenge those who believe that it is better for our society as a whole to build an empire and to increase our influence in the world. To cite a current issue I have to challenge those who believe that we should be a continuing presence in Afghanistan for an indefinite period of time. President Obama would like to end the longest war in our history and bring the troops home. In a rare public appearance recently, George W. Bush was asked the question “Why should we keep troops in Afghanistan indefinitely?” His answer was “So that we can ensure that young Afghan girls receive an education.” I do believe that young Afghan girls should have the opportunity for an education; but not at the expense of educating our own young girls and boys.

While we debate whether or not we should be a presence in Afghanistan, the United States continues to fall behind in quality of education. Especially in math and science we are constantly reminded of how far down the list of countries ours is in performance in these subjects in our schools.

Case in point: I just heard this on the radio, Exxon Mobile is always searching for young engineers. Presently they are not hiring American graduates. They are looking in other countries particularly Russia. Hiring Russians? No wonder we have high unemployment. Our graduates apparently are not qualified for many jobs because of our failing educational system. Falling behind in education of our youngsters is a huge threat to the future of the U.S. in my opinion.

And catching up takes decades if not generations.

While we’re on the subject of falling behind consider the status of women in our country today. According to a recent study the United States ranks 23rd in the number of women in positions of leadership and authority in politics and business. Twenty third behind the Phillipines and Nicaragua. Much work needs to be done here at home before we address the ills of other countries. It is my point of view that leaders who are patriots recognize this and work to develop and implement policies to address the issues that directly relate to the well being of the whole nation.

This past Friday being the fiftieth anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, we have been reminded of his legacy and who he was as a man. My point of view is that John Kennedy was a true patriot. I believe that he tried to do what was best for the country, not what was best only for himself, his party, or his friends and associates. It happens that he lost his life because of what he believed was best for the country and because he was effective in implementing policies which were beneficial to all the people. He was the People’s President. He exemplified the all so familiar words “ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.”

In spite of the momentum of the civil rights movement at the time of his presidency, Kennedy took a heroic risk of his political career when he fought for equal rights. He fought the corporate culture and the military establishment. He was considered a socialist by some, certainly an over-regulator at best.

Kennedy was dedicated to bringing lasting peace to his country in spite of the pressure from the military industrial complex and the horrible war in Viet Nam. He was terrified of the threat of nuclear war and was known as the peace president. This in itself takes great courage. The political establishment usually does not embrace the idea of lasting peace. Peace is not profitable.

Had Kennedy survived and had a longer tenure as the leader of the free world, our country, perhaps the whole world, might look a lot different today. Now fifty years after he was shot there is doubt around his assassination and who did it. There is speculation that the murder was a conspiracy of the CIA or the FBI or, certain people in the pentagon, and certain business interests. I do not have a point of view about that. I suppose we, the public, may never know the truth. Perhaps the truth is as it stands as the accepted truth.

So what makes a patriot, anyway? I do not wish to imply that a public servant or any citizen must give his or her life to be considered a patriot. Certainly those who go off to war and pay the ultimate price, or simply risk life and limb–they have to be considered patriots. Maybe they go off to war because they have no choice; it is required of them. Does that mean that they or those who elect not to go to war because they choose not to kill–does that mean they are not patriots? No.

Had John Kennedy not been assassinated would he still be considered a great patriot? Certainly not by those who did and do not share his point of view about what is best for the country. But the reality is that he gave his life while serving his country and in the line of duty. This alone does not make him a patriot. His policies that were implemented were designed to benefit the entire country not just one faction or another.

He WAS a patriot insofar as he sacrificed personal benefit and personal gain for the sake of the entire nation.

That’s my point of view.

11/25/13

About the Author

Betsy has been active in the GLBT community including PFLAG, the Denver women’s chorus, OLOC (Old Lesbians Organizing for Change). She has been retired from the Human Services field for about 15 years. Since her retirement, her major activities include tennis, camping, traveling, teaching skiing as a volunteer instructor with National Sports Center for the Disabled, and learning. Betsy came out as a lesbian after 25 years of marriage. She has a close relationship with her three children and enjoys spending time with her four grandchildren. Betsy says her greatest and most meaningful enjoyment comes from sharing her life with her partner of 25 years, Gillian Edwards.

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It Was Worth It by Nicholas

Now, I suppose, the pain will just go away. My back that has been actively aching for two weeks will quiet down. Now that I have humbled myself, or even humiliated myself, to go to the doctor, pay the copay, explain my little discomfiture, have him ask his questions, poke his pokes, squeeze here and squeeze there, and listen to my insides, all to tell me nothing seemed to be amiss. I know what’s going through his mind: why are you again bothering me with your imaginary complaints? He must think I’m just a whiner. It’s just one of those pains, after all.

I knew that. My diagnosis coincided exactly with the doctor’s. My aches were not threatening my life. My joints aren’t crumbling, my vital organs are not rotting with disease, and whatever needs to function, seems to be functioning. It’s not cancer, it’s not kidney stones, it’s not cirrhosis of the liver. I am not going to die—not soon and not from anything I presently know, anyway. But I had to hear it from the doctor because he’s the one, not me, who spent thousands of dollars and many years to get the MD. I guess it’s a matter of point of view. His point of view is what counted, not my aching back or side or whatever.

Most times that’s why I’ve gone to the doctor—to be told I am OK, never mind how shitty I’m feeling. Like I once told a friend who was under some kind of weather: you’re really doing better than you feel. It’s all a matter of point of view. I walked out of the office feeling much better than I did walking in. Maybe it’s the benefit of humility. It was worth the copay.

And, by the way, the mysterious, persistent ache seemed to later be cured by a prolonged soak in a hot pool at the Lake Steam Baths where the swirling jets of hot water gently pummeled my stiff muscles and ligaments or whatever into quietude. Next time I’ll just go there.

Point of View: Denver, 2013

About the Author

Nicholas grew up in Cleveland, then grew up in San Francisco, and is now growing up in Denver. He retired from work with non-profits in 2009 and now bicycles, gardens, cooks, does yoga, writes stories, and loves to go out for coffee.