Happy Father's day 2016

"I do not aim with my hand; he who aims with his hand has forgotten the face of his father.

I aim with my eye.

I do not shoot with my hand; he who shoots with his hand has forgotten the face of his father.

I shoot with my mind.

I do not kill with my gun; he who kills with his gun has forgotten the face of his father.

I kill with my heart." 

- The Gun Slinger by Stephen King 

Happy Father's day dad. Going to a double feature with him of A Fistful Of Dollars and For A Few Dollars More at Astor Theatre.

The man with no name was the main inspiration for Stephen King's character of Roland Deschain in the Dark Tower series, which are now being made into films themselves, with Roland being played by Idris Elba. The wheel of Ka keeps turning doesn't it sai?

The books have a reoccurring phrase "remember the face of your father". It can be interpreted a few ways but most commonly i'd say it has to do with remembered and respecting the patriarch and tradition passed down to you. Remember that what raised you into the man or woman you are today. I remember and will never forget the time dad first taught me how to ride a bicycle, or when we gave mum a night off and saw 3 movies in a row (one being Dennis The Menace). I'll remember the stern talks of responsibility, honesty, and respect, of women, of family, and of friends.

One memory that correlates directly with the Dark Tower quote was one time Dad saw me abreviating my family name like "Timothy C." He set me straight, that it's not just my name, it's my family's name, and my father's father's name. From then on i only abreviated my first or mostly my middle names. With today being less patriarchal, with people not necessarily taking the name of their male partner, it's important we remember to still hold that respect and love for family dear. The family name is one symbol of that. Whatever symbolizes your family unit for you, respect it, as it will reenforce your respect for your actual family. 

As we pass lessons on we learn we have to break them down and find the truth within them, the reason and value of the tradition, and help it fit new culture and new paradigms. But we should always remember where we came from. I am not a father, i'm a very happy uncle with a beautiful partner, but i know my attitudes and actions in both of these roles have been informed by my father.

Felt the tangentially related films, book, and quote quite serendipitous and apropos of Father's Day.