Navigating the Father/Son Relationship Without Drowning
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Paul McDonald and Wailer Giles engage in a detailed discussion about the film On A Clear Day, which tells a profound story of a man who is earnestly trying to figure out how to live his life better and find deeper meaning in a world that often feels broken. At the center of this narrative, a son longs deeply for his father’s approval, desperately seeking validation and recognition. Conversely, a father yearns for his son’s admiration and appreciation, creating a complex dynamic between them. Frank and Rob are both learning how to navigate and cope with their individual grief, yet they find themselves unable to give each other the support they truly need. Ultimately, transformation emerges as the pivotal miracle of the story, symbolizing hope and renewal amidst their struggles.
The Quotes
Some stories are left open to interpretation.
The fuse to my trauma bomb is very long and comes out in a variety of places.
I see a lot of people that are consigned to complacency, and it hasn’t stopped disappointing me.
A son desperately needs his dad’s approval and affirmation. A dad desperately wants his son’s admiration.
We want more for Frank and Rob, because we want more for ourselves.
I can handle awkward at the beginning. What I’m not going to suffer is never engaging.
What keeps us from having the hard conversations is that we put our own stuff in the other person’s head.
Rob didn’t care about the presents, but he longed for his dad’s presence.
Rob was never able to translate dad’s work into dad’s affection.
Transformation is the miracle.
Themes
The story of a man figuring out how to live his life better and find meaning
He has trauma triggers (and so does his son)
Refuses to resign to complacency
Did everything he could, the best he could do, and still failed
Lives with the sense that he disappointed the people that matter most
Doesn’t know how to say the hard things
Working through a reorientation of relationships
Frank needed someone to speak the hard truth to him
This takes courage
It’s about seeing the best in the other person
Resources
Many men die at 25, but aren't buried until 75. - Benjamin Franklin
We cannot create what we cannot imagine. - Lucille Clifton
Questions
What are the moments that trigger you? What is the common bond between them?
Where do you feel the pull to be resigned to complacency?
How have you refused to be pulled into complacency?
How are you different from when you were in high school/college?
When did you do everything you could do, and still failed?
When has someone spoken the hard truths to you? How did you receive it?
When have you spoken hard truths to others? How did that go?
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Edited and mixed by Grayson Foster
Logo and episode templates by Ian Johnston
Audio quotes performed by Britt Mooney, Paul McDonald, and Tim Willard, taken from Epic (written by John Eldredge) and Song of Albion (written by Stephen Lawhead).
Southerly Change performed by Zane Dickinson, used under license from Shutterstock.
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