Universal Atom

What’s in a Name: Universal Atom

I’d love to say that I spent a huge amount of time deciding on the name “Universal Atom” but, quite honestly, I didn’t spend much time at all. What I wanted to convey with the name is that this site is about my thoughts on fundamental aspects of life and living that I’d like to think are universal. Some would guess that the use of atom is for my love of science, and physics in general, however, the use of the word atom is based on the Greek adjective atomos, meaning indivisible or fundamental. So, … there you go. (My Big Fat Greek Wedding reference).

Who am I? I’m a relatively private, GenX male living in San Diego and grew up in Northern California. I’m closer to the end of my life than the beginning and I have two kids that are over the age of 16. Those who know my association with this website will be chosen because I trust they will maintain my privacy and anonymity. There are many reasons for remaining anonymous that I will not detail here, but if one was really interested my identity could be uncovered quite easily from the various stories and places I will detail.

Why am I writing? I’m at the time and place in my life where I can look back and tell my story. I’m past the typical mid-life crisis stage but before I have any serious health issues. My kids are just heading off to college with my daughter at a University of California campus and my son attending a small private high school in North San Diego County. My father passed away after a long battle with ALS and spend most of his time researching the family ancestry, writing his memoir, and spending quality time with his family and friends. I’m not at that point, but I feel it’s never too late to write about the various lessons I’ve learned over the years so that my family and future generations can understand what I was all about. I took over my father’s ancestry research as I feel a strong connection to my past, but the stories of my ancestors trials and tribulations are foggy at best. I do believe, as Jon Meacham has eloquently stated, that history may not repeat itself but it does rhyme. My research over the years has uncovered great stories of hardship, resilience, and perseverance that has seemed to project into my experience. So, what I intend to do with this blog is to write in vignettes to illuminate examples of these features both in my life and my ancestral past with the goal of identifying fundamental truths about the human experience and the unseen connections to our past that seem to be that invisible hand pushing us forward. I owe a lot to my ancestors, both good and bad, and these writings will be somewhat of an ode to them while setting up the basis for my descendants to possibly understand their plight within their own time.