The day the Japanese sank the fleet in Pearl Harbor is one of my earliest memories. I was five years old. We were living in New London at the time. It was a Sunday morning, and my entire family was – for reasons I cannot recall – standing in the front yard of our small house. A black car passing our house slowed down and the driver, a naval officer, rolled down his window and shouted, “Jack, the Japs have bombed Pearl Harbor.” My father left for the base immediately. I saw very little of him for the next four years. ~John McCain
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As a two year old, I went off in a mad frenzy at the smallest of provocations, and then, suddenly, I would crash to the floor unconscious. My parents consulted a Navy physician for an explanation. The doctor said it was self-induced… when I got angry I held my breath until I blacked out. He instructed my parents to fill a bathtub with cold water whenever I commenced a tantrum, and when I appeared to be holding my breath to drop me, fully clothed, into it.
When I worked myself into a tiny rage, my mother shouted to my father, “Get the water!” Moments later I found myself thrashing, wide-eyed and gasping for breath, in a tub of icy-cold water. Eventually I received a satisfactory (if only temporary) control over my emotions.
When I worked myself into a tiny rage, my mother shouted to my father, “Get the water!” Moments later I found myself thrashing, wide-eyed and gasping for breath, in a tub of icy-cold water. Eventually I received a satisfactory (if only temporary) control over my emotions.
~John McCain
~~~
Please vote for your choice of a worldview in the poll to the right*. Select from the following choices:
1. War disrupts.(23%)
2. Anger empowers.(46%)
3. Life is surprising.(23%)
4. Cold water runs deep.(1%)
(NOTE: This poll is now closed - results are in blue.)
7 comments:
I'm trying to find one of the worldviews that's in both childhood memories. "Anger empowers" is evident in one, "war disrupts" is in the first memory, cold water runs deep is found in the second. So, I voted for "Life is surprising" which shows up twice.
I'm thinking McCain's prisoner of war experience falls under this heading. And how surprising is it that he is running for president at his age and starting out with less funding than the others?
However, "cold water runs deep" has that kind of obscure meaning that often shows up in worldviews. Hmm.
I voted for cold water runs deep.This was more difficult for each and every one of them fit.
Anonymous, how does "cold water runs deep" show up in the first memory? Is it that his father's sudden absence is as shocking as being thrown in cold water? Or something else? If this is his worldview, I wonder how that would apply to his life?
It is helpful, perhaps, to recognize that each of us remembers a few single events from childhood that illustrate and confirm the validity of the general principles on which we base all our efforts. When we know how to "read" our own memories, we know incredibly more about ourselves than we did when we thought early memories were simply interesting stories from childhood. Few people fully appreciate the gold in their early memories (and BTW, gold was $945.80/oz on 3/28/08!!) In reflecting on McCain's two earliest memories recorded here, what must we confirm about him? Considering that these two memories represent the starting point for his system of orientation, which selection best represents his worldview?
I voted for war disrupts. In each memory there is mention of war being disrupting. The first memory of course with the Pearl Harbor attack and the second his own personal war of rage within himself. I hate to admit but with all my attention focused on the democratic race, I have paid little or no attention to John McCain, what he stands for, how much money he's raised, and so forth.
"Considering that these two memories represent the starting point for his system of orientation, which selection best represents his worldview?"
Thank you, Candis, for that explanation. I'm going to change my vote. It seems to me that in his earliest memory, when he was so tiny, McCain found that anger brought him a lot of attention (power). That must have made a big impression! A little later, he found that group anger in the form of war had the power to take away his father.
It is well-known that McCain still has temper tantrums, so that icy water didn't cool him down, and he supports a 100 year war in Iraq. So it seems to me that "anger empowers" is how he views the world. Now, after all that analysing, I hope I finally got it!
Good point Nienna
Makes me almost want to change my vote.
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