Commentary

Son Of A Preacher Man

By Eric Kennedy

Staff Writer

omehow I doubt that I was the only one who could reach that special girl in my life like the song says. Could it really be true, that I, the son of a preacher man, could be that powerful? What is it that I do that could be that different from any other guy out there on the street?
I know, maybe it is that innocence that is portrayed to be an attribute of all those associated with the church. Well, I doubt that is it. All the people I know are actually quite the same as normal people, actually they are a little bit skewed on their perspective of the real world. They see things through a slightly blue tinted shades like they wore in the '60's. Maybe that is it: my great take on life. No.
I was raised in a family that was, well, basically the church. My grandfather was the Bishop of the Episcopal church in Hawaii. My father had become a priest and the rest of his brothers were somehow associated with the church as well. Yes it had its benefits. I was the son of a priest. What could I do wrong? It also got me out of many bad situations and kept me on the good side of many of my superiors. I guess the nickname that said it all was the one I received from my boss at my first job. "Devil boy with an angel face." I could do something wrong but people would consider who I was and say, "No, how could he do it? His father is a priest."
Then again, I always had to think, for my dad's sake, of how I presented myself. I never really did this very well. I was always thinking of myself and what I wanted to do. I was good at getting him mad at me. But I did get a little smarter in a twisted way, since I had to put up with an angel image that was thrown on me from birth. And maybe that is what attracts that special girl in my life.
Well, maybe not. Actually, that is definitely not it, since she tries to untwist my psyche at all times. Then what could it be? I am the exact opposite of my father in almost everything he does. I have rebelled against him and some would say I won, for I have created and retained my ideas and perspectives on life despite his constant attempt to convert me to follow his way. From my tattoos to my earrings, I have led a life that is the opposite of what he and maybe the rest of the world has expected of me. Sure, I go to church and respect my father but the fact is that I am so different than he is. That is the reason she is attracted to me: not my individuality per se, for I doubt that there is any such thing in this world, but my ability to strike out on a path that is different than what I have known all my life.