BY CURT KOVENER
High school senior classes in the Times circulation area will begin graduating over the next couple of weeks. Austin and Crothersville seniors graduate this Friday, May 21, while Scottsburg seniors are set to hold graduation on Sunday, June 6. And seniors are to be congratulated for completing this educational milestone.
But soon-to-be graduates need to be aware that high school graduation means the easiest time of their life is just about to draw to a close. I admit I did not feel that way five decades ago at my CHS graduation day. Quite the contrary, I felt a couple of teachers made it intentionally difficult for me. But high school, it turns out, was the easiest ride of my life.
With the benefit of some living and now gray hair & wrinkles, I find the advice proffered then by those who I thought were over the hill and out of touch still rings true.
The Statler Brothers were right: “Things get complicated when you get past eighteen.”
But even though throughout the complicated times in store for you graduates, always remember the Golden Rule: “Treat others they way you want to be treated.” Admittedly, the simple Scriptural based philosophy is difficult when the alligators seem to be snapping all around you, but in the longer scheme of life, you, your family and your community will be better for it.
While we live in a world of instant gratification and don’t tread on my rights attitude, always remember that the things of true value and quality take time. Diamonds are just chunks of coal put under pressure for a long time. Whether it be your job or your community, stay with it for the long haul.
And remember through those tough times, metal gets stronger when it is tempered by fire. The same is true for the human spirit. While the difficult times are never pleasant, seeing them through helps develop character.
When things seem to be at their blackest, remember “Tough times never last; tough people do.”
Grandpa used to tell me the story of a farmer who took his potato crop to market. Rather then drive his horse and wagon over the well-used, smooth path, this farmer went over the roughest washboard roads on his way to town and got top price for his crop of large potatoes. “In rough times the big potatoes rise to the top,” he would say. And it is true in more than just the farming sense.
But do not become so tough that your heart is callused to the needs and concerns of others. There will always be folks less fortunate than you. Do not turn your head and heart from them. Consider what it might be like to walk in their shoes and remember the Golden Rule.
We were put on this earth for a reason and that reason is not to be a bunch of takers and collect as much of life’s “stuff” as we can. Giving of our time and ourselves is much more important.
Remember to do what you can to make your family and your community better than how you found it.
“Live simply so others can simply live” is a good philosophy to govern your life.
Stand up for that which you believe is right. Speak out against injustice. Do not accept at face value that “we do it this way because we’re always done it this way.” See if your can figure out a better way.
Keep up with new, emerging technology but do not allow it to force you to sacrifice the simple joys of walks in the woods with nature. Those times are therapeutic breaths of fresh air for the soul to better prepare you to deal with the continually hectic, continually advancing workplace technologies.
I remember a story told by one of the speakers at one of the graduations I have attended over the years. It seems a recent college graduate runs to the top of a campus hill, thrusts his arts diploma toward the sky, and loudly & proudly proclaims “Look, world, I earned my BA degree!” To which the world replies, “Then pay attention my child, and I’ll teach you the rest of the alphabet.”
So, Seniors, this column may not mean much to you today. But place if in your scrapbook or high school annual for future reference. You will find that it gains wisdom over the next decade or two.
And remember the Golden Rule.