Bremerton
Bremerton, Washington was a navy town some 44 years ago. I was born in a hospital there on the navy base, 2nd of what would eventually be 6 children. I have little if any memories of that time, just that the apartment was small and cramped. My mother told me that I did sleep the first night home, something that I am proud of, but it bears no relevance today.
The navy base has since been severely shrunk and the once thriving city has collapsed. Most of those employed by the government have moved on and the town consists of either new construction (apartments built over pre-existing ones) or abandoned and decaying houses. But 44 years ago, it was a vibrant and active city.
I return there every few years as I have family buried in the Miller-Woodlawn Memorial Cemetery. I go to make sure that they are still remembered, as they were people that lived through much change and strife. Bremerton is also listed as my birthplace on my passport, so even when I am thousands of miles away, there is an invisible connection to the place that I cannot quite escape. This humble beginning I do not think had much personally to define me, but it did define the career and path of my parents, and as such was extremely influential in my formative years.
The first chapter in the 43Things book, "Dream It. List It. Do It." is understand yourself. I didn't grasp much about myself until I was 26, as till then life was regimented, controlled, and organized by choices my parents had years prior to my birth that set a structure in place. I often wonder if the choices had been different while I was growing up, if some of the opinions or understanding of myself would be different. Hindsight is 20/20 except in this case.
The list item today that I will write on, is "Define Core Values". Those values were almost all set in stone before I was 26 and so they are inherited from my parents, my childhood, before I understood much about myself. I could revisit them I guess, but I think it not worth my while at my age. I will list the core values below, but not in any specific order:
- Integrity
- Do unto others as you would have them do unto you
- Frugality (and where relevant Stoicism)
- Do no harm, leave no trace, make things only better
- Do not compromise your values
I am not perfect, and I cannot estimate my success at following any of these, but I would say that the majority of the time this is how I am. I look at these as different than personality traits, but instead governing principles of how I operate. This is challenging at times as I do think that some personality traits that I have conflict at times with these principles. For example, speaking up when needed - or required by integrity. I do not like public speaking, confrontation, or attention. Sometimes it is required though, and so I make do, even though it will stress me out.
As for where the principles are from, as noted above these are largely a product of my childhood, as these same principles are ones that my parents have, even though their belief system is much different.