NB:  This is something I wrote on my inauguration of my Dad’s website just a few minutes ago.  I figure I’d post it on my website as well.

Greetings!  I will be the first person to admit that this website should have come out years ago, but there’s no time like the present to start something (albeit late.)

I welcome you to my father’s website.  I guess I could refer to him as Arthur, but that would just make it down-right awkward for me since I’ve never called Dad by his given name; after all, a proper well-educated Catholic child would never commit such atrocity.

Since I’ve had a sense of recollection there has been three persons in my life I could always somehow find my true-north with; it goes without saying that Dad is one of them.  Mom and my grandfather Francisco complete the triad but their stories are best left on my website.  Today, I’ll focus on Dad and the mission of this, his little space on the web.

Past the essentials – love, affection, sustenance, and rides when I couldn’t drive – I could always count on Dad for two other gifts which most people tend to take for granted from their father-figures.  Dad has this amazing sense of logic that always seems to destroy mental clutter and bleach the stains of insolvency; in a way, I would like to think that a lot of my own logical development and profundity is borne from this irreplaceable font.  The other gift which Dad has never ceased to provide is his amazing narrative prowess.  It is this gift of his which will provide most of the power for this website.

If someone were to ask me what is Dad’s trick to his mastering this narrative ability, I could honestly answer that it is not just one thing.  You see, if there is something that I have learned from my father is that there are a few ground rules that must be observed when it comes to the art of narrating and the science of interpreting.

1. The first rule is respect.  If you cannot respect your audience, then you should not expect your audience to respect you.  There are many intellectuals and pundits out there who have great panache and rhetoric, but at the end of the day, their strength is diluted by this weakness.  There is no need to point out examples: all you have to do is watch your favorite hard-news program or read your preferred news source, be it online or  in its traditional, dying paper format.
2. The second rule is honesty, and not just intellectual and factual honesty, but honesty from the narrator’s perspective.  Anyone can proclaim to tell you the truth, and odds are that at the instance of proclamation few will doubt and question your statement; however, later when a “truth” is subject to subconscious examination, that is where we find the greatest trap we could set ourselves with: the quicksand of inaccuracy, inconsistency, and – yes, at times – malice.
3. The last rule is humility.  This might be the hardest rule to follow.  Everyone – from the most junior scribe to the Pulitzer-winning journalist – at one time or another will be afflicted with need to stand above the masses and bask in the perceived excellence of their work.  There is nothing wrong with being proud of a product that you commit yourself to, however, it should never remove the most significant aspect of the product: the message which it conveys.  This is where humility is required; after all, we are all just messengers: the narrative should speak for itself.

Those of us who know my father know that he is a rather humble man.  Humility, however should never be interpreted as the lack or inability to be bright, bold, and unwavering in any and all matters.  Narrative and interpretations need not be boring, but they must not lack respect, honesty, or humility.

From the sublime to the ridiculous, Dad has always had great insight into how to explain the nature of events and the interpretation of anecdotes.  He will be the first person to tell you that his interpretation is not the ultimate presentation in any topic; having said that, I would at least venture far enough to tell you that you probably would be pushing your luck in finding a more palatable or summary explanation of whatever topic you may engage him in, be it societal or theological.

Dad is not a stranger to humor; trust me: he can be outrageously funny and quite daring in his colored commentary… But even that has its own time and place.  Once again, that “humility” theme is kicking and screaming.  You could say that its one of my father’s greatest traits that I’ve yet to master.  Then again, I find it sad when a son cannot find the ability to gush to others about his parents.  (Note to self: tell Mom’s story soon!)

In his future musings you will become a witness to someone who follows those three rules that I mentioned earlier.  They are not hard to follow if you can be objective, but I’ve only been able to find few other people who could match or surpass Dad’s gift for oratory.  I might be biased and I make no apologies, but I know I can set this bar high because I am not the one who has set it there: Dad has, and continues to do so.

It is with this these words that I welcome you to his website.  Yes, it will always be a work in progress, but dare I say progress might never have been this froth with great narrative as the one I am certain you will find here.

Happy Father’s Day, Dad!

ian!