Archive for Thomas Franklin
Thomas Franklin is new (11-17) to thefiresidepost.com. He has no experience with being published as an author. He has a fondness for reading and an appreciation of words. His curiosity is insatiable. He carries the burdens of his youth like Marley dragging his chains of bad deeds. The difference is that Marley's burdens were a result of his behavior. Life just happened to Mr. Franklin. These life burdens shall be the topic of Mr. Franklin's writing. Be kind for he is quite sensitive.
I Wrote My Own Story
This whole series of essays has explored the nurture and nature of my life. Some attempt to sort out nature and nurture necessarily meant writing less than favorable events in my family. All has been true. Which brings us to a sticking point, a conflict of philosophy – that of individual accountability and responsibility. There […]
20Feb2018 | Thomas Franklin | 2 comments | Continued
Letting Go
Anyone following this trail of essays on mental health might find themselves feeling sorry for this old fool. That is not my intention. About ninety-eight percent of my troubles have been the consequences of my own decisions. Does that make them less painful? No. Becoming aware of consequences directly related to one’s own decisions relieves […]
17Feb2018 | Thomas Franklin | 2 comments | Continued
Not The Good Guy
This chain of essays about behavioral health and mental health is exhausting. Am I talking in circles? Are there any conclusions? The best we can say, based only on these essays, is that we are governed by both nature and nurture. About fifteen years ago I began an intense journey seeking sanity and serenity. A […]
16Feb2018 | Thomas Franklin | 29 comments | Continued
Immature, or Mentally Ill?
Anyone following this string of articles about my mental health might be growing weary. I struggle to find the correct words. I am generally fond of words and know how to use them, but exploring mental health is difficult terrain to cross. It finally comes down to this: I am a senior citizen – what […]
8Feb2018 | Thomas Franklin | 2 comments | Continued
The Individual, Mental Health, and Maturity
Previous posts have explored my personal mental health from both nature and nurture. Clearly it is difficult to sort out cause and effect. How might we look at any adult and determine cause of poor behavior? Individual humans throw a curve ball at stereotypes. We do not know why two soldiers experiencing the same trauma […]
7Feb2018 | Thomas Franklin | 1 comment | Continued
Family As A Barometer – The Highs and Lows of Life
Most of us do not like to talk publicly about our families. When we do we are praising someone for a public accomplishment, like being on the honor role at school or getting a promotion at work. The underbelly of family life generally is taboo. And why not? It is nobody’s business what our family […]
1Feb2018 | Thomas Franklin | 1 comment | Continued
Chemical Changes To Behavior
Mental health is a concern to many. In our modern world we see acts of unstable mental wellness often. These episodes come in the form of mass shootings, the killing of innocent children, tent cities of homeless people along river banks, road rage, and other acts of humanity that are less than humane. Even so, […]
14Jan2018 | Thomas Franklin | 1 comment | Continued
Serenity and Social Justice
I like the idea of social justice. Probably because there are many opportunities to challenge society, to fight with others, to maintain the moral high ground, to bask in the righteousness of being right all the time. Social Justice has been a ball and chain in my life. Check this out: I just googled who […]
6Jan2018 | Thomas Franklin | 2 comments | Continued
When We Are Filled With Hate And Fear
What are the common denominators with people who are filled with hate and fear? What are the symptoms? What are their political views? What is wrong with them??? They were abused as children. That is the one common feature of the hateful and fearful. Their parents tried to beat them into respectful adults. Or the […]
27Dec2017 | Thomas Franklin | 2 comments | Continued
Name Your Demons – Remove Their Power
The title of this article is not an original thought. My understanding of the concept is new, fresh, and enlightening. It took a horrendously emotional event to break the barrier of denial that held my life captive. Denial is not a bad thing. Denial is an emotional regulator – denying reality the power to destroy. […]
18Dec2017 | Thomas Franklin | 1 comment | Continued
Feelings! Legitimate Or Not
In cognitive behavioral treatment we learn to think, then feel, then act. Some folks get into trouble when they feel, act, then think. My personal notion is that we always think first; the question is why do we think such negative thoughts that result in hurt feelings and thus bad behavior? I did four years […]
15Dec2017 | Thomas Franklin | 2 comments | Continued
Life Lessons, Set In Concrete
The ‘twoness’ of humanity is all around us. The good and the bad, the yin and the yang, the frailty of human character. My father, as I have said before, was both a great man and a monstrous brute. I do not know if his greatness won the final battle – but I suspect it […]
13Dec2017 | Thomas Franklin | 1 comment | Continued
Poverty And No Birth Control
I have written about the ‘twoness’ of parenthood. The paradox of love versus stress. My parents were not different than other parents. They loved us even when they were unable to express the love overtly. When my father came home from the War in Europe he reunited with my mother, they were promptly married, and […]
9Dec2017 | Thomas Franklin | 1 comment | Continued
Twoness, The Paradox of Parenthood
I am a young Senior citizen. As such one might deduce that my parents were part of “the greatest generation”. That would be correct. My parents grew up during the depression. My father fought in World War Two. Have I mentioned that there were seven children in my family? My mother stayed home to raise […]
7Dec2017 | Thomas Franklin | 0 comments | Continued
No Yellow Ribbons Here
What are some words used to describe me? Intense, forceful, resolute, aggressive, difficult, stubborn, unyielding, Aries – You get the idea – My history is one of confrontation and unforgiving in-your-face anger. There are regular videos on facebook of soldiers returning home unannounced to reunite with their families. The families choke up and well with […]
5Dec2017 | Thomas Franklin | 1 comment | Continued
Baseball Rebellion
I did not play baseball as a child. I hardly knew such a thing existed. One Spring day, long ago, I was wandering the St. Joseph, Missouri, streets with my brothers. As we passed the Noyes Baseball Field I noticed several of my school mates dressed in uniform and playing baseball on the well manicured […]
26Nov2017 | Thomas Franklin | 3 comments | Continued