Charlie was the fifth of six children born into a German Catholic family. They were farmers, like most people in western Kansas at the time. They practiced Catholicism, as some family members were in the priesthood and nuns lived in convents and taught in Catholic schools. I seem to remember a cousin of his mother who eventually became Bishop of the Wichita Diocese. Despite their religious beliefs, there were clearly issues passed down to the siblings that they carry with them for life, not before passing them on to their children and grandchildren.

I have memories of my childhood walking home from Catholic school, always needing to stay alert for the Protestant bullies who would wait to attack us on our way home in the afternoons. Being the oldest in the family, I was the apparent target. As a good kid, I didn’t understand the behavior directed at me. Was it because I looked odd in my school uniform, or was it due to being a Catholic kid in the minority facing racist behavior? I didn’t know why they wanted to be so cruel to me!

The Way, the Truth, the Life

In an earlier conversation today with a friend, I stated how we are neurologically compromised; we are clearly at a disadvantage as postmoderns. We are not doing well as a people, we Westerners. Our culture was created for us to influence the way we operate and behave.