Otto is a Ghost from the Past

I mean, really?

Do I have to rehash all the garbage from the past?

I hear groans, see rolling eyes. Because my guts are churning, too. Otto reels against introspection.

Which brings me to the stickiest of questions: whose voice rumbles in your head? Mommy? Daddy? A teacher? Maybe a sibling? What messages did they plant in those tender, impressionable years of childhood?

Otto loves collecting them and picking the cream of the crop. Customize the best of the best, disguising the most effective nuggets as your own thoughts.

We all have favourites. Here are a few gems laid down by my dear ‘ole dad (pictured above, just before heading off to WW II). I’m not picking on him. Just that when I think of the classics, he’s the first to pop into my mind.

1.    “Somebody’s gonna knock you off your high horse”

Translation: Be small. If you try, you will fail. Being bold, being confident, equals arrogance.

2.   “If you want a job done right, do it yourself.”

Translation: Handle it, Roy! Never ask for help. You are alone. This is a real killer for working cooperatively with others.

3.   I was a bright kid in school. I’d come home with 90%. Then this: “What happened to the other 10%?” Ha, ha, ha. Innocent enough, right?

Translation: Be perfect. You’ll never measure up. Not good enough. This is the assassin of the creative spirit. It says, if you’re not perfect, you’ve failed. Start nothing unless it’s guaranteed 100%. Or if you have started, and its less than perfect, quit.

What Otto does not want me to know is I have a choice. He endorses ignorance.

Otto abhors curiosity. Because curiosity leads to questions. And questions—especially well-formed questions—lead to answers.

Questions like—are these messages true?