Worrisome Harvests

What could be more traditional than father-son farmers feeling pleasure and relief as the harvest is gathered? Unfortunately, whatever comfort is offered by the familiar, much more anxiety seems to be produced by the world of dadding existing in a state of flux.

Admittedly, fatherhood has probably always been changing. It just feels somehow that things are speeding up and getting more complicated. Not necessarily for the worse: after all, who doesn't like the idea of dads and daughters blowing up rockets as a Girl Scout exercise? And the change is not necessarily without entertainment value, as suggested by the Phillippine television Koreanovella "Three Dads with One Mommy" (think Mamma Mia, but with less music and more melodrama).

The change and complexity certainly has its good points — allowing the late Brit Bob Salisbury to become the "old man" at age 72. And it is also intriguing, as in the case of mogul Shari Redstone getting a chance to kick daddy Sumner out of parts of the empire they share, thanks to the current worldwide economic blustering. [Earlier: Daddy Dreary]

Ultimately though, change and complexity are manufacturing agents of anxiety. Unfortunately — and in spite of the good and entertaining and intriguing aspects of it all — in today's world almost every father has his fields seeded with worry and doubt ... which is not likely to lead to a harvest of pleasure and relief.