Personal Page 2
Steve Hodgin
Personal Page 2
Steve Hodgin
Topics of interest
As a young person my thoughts were mostly filled with inquiry. Our home was located near an interstate highway and the E,J,& E railroad track, both of which could be seen from across the fields. Each day I could see the cars and trains go by, and wished that I could be travelling along and seeing the rest of the world. I would hear the train whistles at night and wished that I knew enough about where they were headed so that I could hop into a box car and ride along. One of my favorite stories as a child was "The Boxcar Children", so it seemed natural to want to travel that way.
When I was a freshman in high school I got a job working for a local dog kennel owned by a vetinarian. He was not a kind person but quite rude and very sadistic. His 7th grade son was far worse and took it upon himself to make my life a living hell. Each kennel had to be cleaned out with a shovel after lifting the wire grates which allowed droppings to fall through. The vetinarian insisted that the wire grates be held up with my head, while doing the clean up work with the shovel. By the end of each day I was tired and sore and covered from head to toe with fresh dog dung. I earned 50 cents per hour for doing this work and so when the 7th grade son decided to give me a particularly hard time one day by hurling insults, it was not difficult at all to quit that job on the spot! It is a particular tribute to my self control that that young fella did not end up with a bent nose that day!
My next job was an education in itself. I worked as a bus boy washing dishes at a local truck stop, The B&B Restaurant was owned by a couple of Greeks and managed by Maude Watson. She was firm and hard to work for since she never had a smile to show, but she was fair. The waitresses there adopted me as a kid brother. They sent me on errands at night to pick up booze they would order from the local liquor store. They would usually let me keep all of their tips each evening as long as I would help them clean tables and wait on customers while they were away. I did not immediately realize why they would be so willing to give up their tips since that was their primary income. Eventually I figured it out. The time they spent outside with the truck drivers provided a much better income than waiting tables did. While working at the truck stop I had an opportunity to study people. Since the restaurant was open 24 hours, it was fairly common for me to work double shifts over a weekend. I waited tables for drunks, Gypsies, hippies, upper classed businessmen, tramps, and rock bands. I particularly remember a band coming through called tha "Vanilla Fudge". They had a blonde girl with hair to her waist traveling with them who I believed was truly the most beautiful girl I had ever seen!
I had crushes on girls once in a while as a boy. I have always been a lover of beauty. I have always enjoyed the company of women more than men, because I found the fairer gender to be more in touch with their feelings than guys are. Guys are seldom willing to talk about their feelings so much as I am. Yes, I can talk about cars, and jobs, and computer stuff, but these things become mundane after a while. Communication requires much deeper conversation than those things allow. The reason I enjoy science fiction is because science fiction typically involves philosophies uncommon to normal thinking. I am a fairly deep thinker. I am very much in touch with my emotions and am honest with my feelings. I am a person who studies something with a tenacious attitude for discovery until I get it fully figured out. I hear many people brag that they are quick learners. I am not. I am a slow learner, for I am not interested in learning how to drive the (figurative) car until I figure out how it operates. When I do get it all figured out, I drive it better than anyone else. (This does not actually apply to driving a car though)
I have a competive spirit but I do not like competition among business people. I own a sign business and have always made my supplies and resources available to my competitors whenever they had a need. I would prefer to have friends than competition, especially among colleagues. There is an old adage that I often quote by John Ruskin. His prophetic words used to adorn every "Baskin Robbins" ice cream parlor in the country.
"There is no thing in this world
which some man can not make a little worse
and sell a little cheaper, and those who regard price alone
are this mans lawful prey"
With my sense of humor being what it is, I have often wondered if "Baskin Robbins" took these signs down as a professional courtesy to Sam Walton!
Influences on my life
My Grandma Luckey has had the most profound influence on my life of any other person for she taught me the meaning of unconditional love. My fondest childhood memories all revolve around her in some way.
My father would probably be next in terms of influence although it defies logical explaination how someone so removed from our family life could have influenced me so much. Dad was a builder and a creator of things made fom wood or metal. Although he never perfected the art of making things look fine in a decorative way, many of the things he built have lasted a lifetime. The important thing to me is that he instilled in me the confidence in knowing that I could tackle almost any type of building project. I watched him build things from nothing. Unlike other kids whose parents went out and bought everything, my family had things which came from Dad's handiwork. As I grew older the attitude I developed was "if Dad could build it... I can build it" It is very rewarding to build or to repair things without having to call in a professional. The biggest differences between me and my dad is that I will stop and ask for directions, I generally believe the sign that says the "bridge is out", I usually can decorate things I build so that others can not see how ugly they could have been, and I usually (eventually) actually finish most of the projects I start.
Geraldine Lingle was my high school art teacher. She taught me more in high school than I would eventually learn in college. She introduced me to screen printing, oil painting, watercolor, ceramics, clay sculpture, block printing but most importantly to the five elements of a good design. I will discuss that more later for it has become a vital part of my philosophy of life. It was in my sophomore year of high school that I realized I had a natural talent for art. For the first time in my school history I found something that I could consistently get an "A" in, but more importantly, that I was better than anyone else at! Better than all but one. Phern Asapunth was a foreign exchange student from Thailand who I befriended. Though short in stature, he loomed head and shoulders over all students in the area of art ability. Equally impressive to me was his sensitive nature and cooperative spirit. He quickly became my best friend in high school. I corresponded with him for many years after we graduated and after he had gone back to Bankok. Eventually I lost touch with him. I have continued to search for my old friend, even to this day, but to no avail.
The five elements of a good design include:
Center of Interest
Balance
Contrast
Harmony
Rythm
These elements will determine the overall effectiveness of any composition. I have often pondered that my life (and yours) is in and of itself a composition.
Center of Interest
It did not take me a very long time to discover in my observations of people that everyone lives for someone or something. It is also fairly obvious that the people who live only for themselves are seldom happy. Those who live their lives for others are often more so. There are many who live for money, carnal pleasure, power, and a myriad of other pursuits. Those who are deeply spiritual live for higher powers such as God, Allah, Christ, Mohammed, Budda, etc.
I believe there is one God, who is the creator of matter and all living things. I believe the Bible is a divinely inspired book written by many authors yet having the one central purpose of revealing the person and character of a living creator.
I believe that an exhaustive study of the lives of all of the "prophets" of God or Allah will reveal only one who is bold enough to introduce himself as God incarnate. I agree with C. S. Lewis in that Jesus Christ can only be considered God or a lunatic. If we consider the center of interest of Christ's life we will find that Love for
Humanity was his sole purpose, and that includes you and I.
It is not reasonable to accept any religious or spiritual doctrine without first closely studying the personal lives and declared motives of its authors or proponents. I have in many cases done just this and have found only one person in whom I would dare to trust my faith. Surprisingly there are millions of people today who place their entire destinies in the hands and philosophies of so called spiritual leaders who have been among the worst examples of moral character.
Balance
Eastern philosophies have at their core many central truths. Balance is an important aspect of life and happiness. We materialistic Americans tend to become engulfed in our work or financial pursuits to the exclusion of family and friends. I am guilty of this as well. I find I am most satisfied with my life when I am balancing:
work with play
financial gain with charitable work
emotional highs with emotional lows
life for myself with life for others
emotional love against physical passion
(Romance is the catalyst which brings these two together)
carnal pursuits with spiritual pursuits
Think about this in terms of your own life and I think you will agree. Balance is a vital characteristic for a fulfilling life. I almost hesitated including that last one, (carnal/spiritual) except I can remember something I heard said of someone I knew, with which I heartily agree..." "He was so spiritual as to be little earthly good". Perhaps he was not accurately described. It might be more accurate to have substituted the word "religious" for "spiritual". True spirituality might not have elicited the same observation.
Contrast
Our society is composed of many different types of individuals. You and I are unique among them. Why is it then that so many people tend to dress alike, drive similar types of automobiles, build similar houses? As a society we strive for acceptance of our siblings and peers. We do this by doing things the same...no contrast! Fortunately for me I was not accepted by others as a child. I was compelled to live a solitary life in some ways. I have no regrets. I did not learn how to copy myself to others to be accepted. I tried unsuccessfully for a while but eventually gave up. I am me! I am like no other!. You are you! You are like no other! Be happy with who you are. Develop the person you are into the best that you can be. Dare to contrast, but be wise enough to harmonize...
Harmony
People are universally the same, even in their uniqueness. Shakespeare wrote of this as he described the things common to all men. We all bleed when we are cut and feel pain when we are hurt. We are capable of a huge variety of feelings and attitudes. One of the biggest problems I see in people in our society is the inability to forgive others. There are many people who I could blame for things they have done to me, but it avails me nothing to dwell on these thoughts. I am better served by getting on with my life. Humanity is better served when I learn to forgive others daily for the things they do and say, either deliberately or in ignorance. This is a very difficult thing for me to do. It does not come easy. When we live our lives only for ourselves, all of humanity suffers. When we live outwardly for others, all humanity gains. "Karma" is very little more than the fulfillment of the "Golden Rule" and the law of "Sowing and Reaping". JC Penney incorporated this philosophy into his business plan and made a fortune. I worked for Penneys in the early 70's. I had to commit the philosophies to memory. Sam Walton studied the success of JC Penney and duplicated it and made a much larger fortune. Living in this great land of opportunity, who knows what you and I might do?
Rythm
Anyone who has ever sat by a river bank will understand the meaning of rythm. Our lives tend to develop into patterns. Do not be content with the status quo! Live an adventurous life. Do not be afraid to "push the envelope" of life's confinements. I like to be spontaneous. I do not like set hours, although from time to time I am required to keep them. I like to live my life in such a way that I can travel when I want. If you stay very still by the river bank you will see a great many things pass you by. Life is the exact same way. The river of time is constantly passing. It is far more enjoyable when one learns to swim! (Even against the current!)
