Ricology: an introduction

I was born into a military family, and traveled hither and … yawn, what was my dad’s story, not mine, even though I wrote a book about it. Although, his career choice influenced who I am and what I believe today. Conversely, and inversely, it also impacted my education, or lack thereof, with every transfer manifesting about mid-school year. Start, stop, uproot, move, settle, begin anew, in a new unknown world. Not the best of systems for me learning anything. Example: A reading comprehension test. I sat with the teacher, read a segment, then verbally relayed content back. When I’d finished, the teacher looked astounded: “Wow! You have a vivid imagination, but no idea what you just read. How’d you make it to 10th grade?” Every teacher along the way passed me knowing a transfer was forthcoming. Trust me, he did too.     

But none the less, I still graduated, last in class after attending four separate high schools, all due to moving. And my chosen path afterwards, the Navy. I’d watched Gilligan’s Island somewhere in youth, fell in love with his pants, saw a poster of a sailor in dungarees, and connected the dots. I took the ASVAB, qualified for any rate I wanted, including nuclear. Mix that with my high school failure and ponder someone putting launch codes in my hands! So, at seventeen I enlisted under President Ford, served under Carter, and after four years, I learned NAVY was an acronym: Never Again Volunteer Yourself. Except, I do believe military service should be compulsory, with a caveat. Our government must stop putting the nation in wars it has no business being in. Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq, three perfect examples of our government failing the people, but I digress, as I could go on.

In early life, I wasn’t a reader, but a daydreamer, no focus on the future, or the past, just what’s next, until age thirty-five, and the first time I picked up a book and read, The Journals of Lewis and Clark. I was instantly hooked on reading and our history. As I cracked open the pages while listening to a CD – Vagabundos, the fourth song was playing – Arles. The music, for whatever reason, carried me back to the Corps of Discovery expeditions adventures. While playing the song on repeat, I devoured Lewis and Clark’s words, vicariously experiencing their emprise, albeit almost two-hundred-years after they returned.

My first read was over twenty-plus-years back, making it hard to fathom the number of books I’ve now read; they’re stacked all over the place. Yet by academia standards, I’m uneducated, having only completed one year of junior college before exiting. Although, based on what I see, hear, and read about in politics today, the jury should be out on whether I’m truly the dumbest, as my American perspective appears the antithesis of what’s being proposed, bought, and paid for by a financially broke, morally corrupted, and politically deceived nation. So, I present my thoughts, based on words of the nation’s Framer’s and my life walk. If my perspectives are in line with theirs, maybe another reading comprehension test is in order, but not necessarily for myself. Just be nice. Regards!