Author Archives: journeysofabentmind

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About journeysofabentmind

Gordon is a Nisei, a second generation American of Japanese descent born in 1938 whose family owned a farm outside of Atwater, California in the San Joaquin Valley. His world was abruptly changed when on December 7, 1941 Japan’s Imperial Navy launched an early morning attack on Pearl Harbor. Thus began a chain of events that resulted in his family’s forced evacuation and internment in a “relocation center” in Colorado during the war. After the war Gordon spent his teenage years in school and working on the family farm. He attended U.C. Berkeley and graduated in 1960 and went on to the Graduate School of Social Welfare at Berkeley earning a Masters in Social Welfare in 1963. He worked in a number of social service settings and last worked as a case manager for developmentally challenged clients in San Mateo, San Francisco, and Marin Counties until he retired in 2000. When his wife Barbara retired in 2007 they moved to Eugene, Oregon following their children and grandchildren. Gordon lives with his wife of 55 years and close to the four grandchildren and life is just good.

George Floyd II

Posted on June 2, 2020 by journeysofabentmind

I recently read a post of the granddaughter of a 79-year old Civil Rights veteran who lamented, “They used teargas on us back in the day! And they used it again last night!” It does seem as though it was … Continue reading →

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Let’s Talk Oppression

Posted on June 1, 2020 by journeysofabentmind

Here’s the thing: I’m totally fine with having to wear a mask. I don’t even consider it an inconvenience, but a necessary measure to protect myself AND to protect others, including you, from the Coronavirus pandemic. I know that ONLY … Continue reading →

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George Floyd I

Posted on May 31, 2020 by journeysofabentmind

RE: George Floyd Many years ago, I heard of an ancient cannon minted somewhere in the 1700s in a museum somewhere in Europe. It was part of a display of military hardware, in this case the artillery belonging to the … Continue reading →

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“Oh beautiful for spacious skies…”

Posted on April 5, 2020 by journeysofabentmind

Growing up as an ethnic minority in America I remember the phrase “American melting pot.” It sounded like a beautiful concept and description of the experiment that is America. But underneath that surface impression I felt an unsettling stillness, a … Continue reading →

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VI. End Notes

Posted on March 15, 2020 by journeysofabentmind

I’ve revised a  book I self-published several years ago of the internment talk I give about my family’s experiences surrounding the evacuation and internment in a concentration camp during WWII – This is the final section giving my thoughts about … Continue reading →

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History of Prejudice and Racism In My Life

Posted on February 15, 2020 by journeysofabentmind

Overall, my life has been mostly free of racial assaults and attacks, certainly nothing physical. Of those that did happen, only a few were direct confrontations. Most of them were side swipes. There was nothing of any kind that I … Continue reading →

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A Wordsmith’s Fancy

Posted on February 13, 2020 by journeysofabentmind

I love words that sound the same, but are spelled differently, e.g. – your,  you’re, and yore; and those that are spelled the same, but have different  meanings, e.g. – lead the metal, and lead the verb.

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Breezes of an Introvert

Posted on January 17, 2020 by journeysofabentmind

What do I know about being an introvert, and when did I know it? When did it occur to me I was one? What did it mean when it dawned on me? How did I know?

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Journeys of a Bent Mind

Posted on January 10, 2020 by journeysofabentmind

I have just self-published a new work, the purpose of which is to give explanation to how my introvert mind works, and if I am successful in this, it should give some clues as to how the minds of most … Continue reading →

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Ponderings of an Introvert

Posted on December 24, 2019 by journeysofabentmind

Paleolithic artists spent the greater part of 17,000 to 15,000 BCE affixing colored dyes and charcoal to the walls of Lascaux Cave depicting horses, deer, bison, aurochs, birds, and much more, in a display of exceptional artistry. Their depictions are … Continue reading →

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