One day, back in 1965, I projected my age into the future, decade by decade. Let’s see, I thought…I’ll be 15 in 1970, 25 in 1980, 35 in 1990, 45 in the year 2000…that’s a new century, if I make it that far…I thought 45 was “old” at the time…55 in 2010…and now I’m 65…as Forrest Gump would say, “just like that.” The decades have gone clicking by, like the baseball cards I used to clip to my bicycle to hear them flap against the spokes. I reflect that so far, I’ve had a pretty good life.
I was raised by two caring, supportive parents who tried to teach me right from wrong. I was fortunate to have married a wonderful woman, without whom I’d probably be living in a van down by the river by now. I’ve been blessed with two intelligent, capable children who have made me very proud and continue to amaze me. I had a long career in higher education. I was fortunate to conclude my teaching career working with a group of students who helped make my last year much more enjoyable than it would have been otherwise. They reminded me why I chose the profession in the first place. I hope and pray that they, and all my former students, are doing well.
As I join the Medicare set, I also reflect that in another decade or two I’ll likely be gone. Now, I’m not trying to be a merchant of gloom here, but we all need to reflect that this life isn’t forever. Life is short, the saying goes. Time flies. Time and tide wait for no one. So, how should we deal with that knowledge? Because my birthday coincides with the time of New Year’s resolutions, it seems to me we all need to think about how our choices might affect others. How we can find ways to help and not harm. How the other person is certainly not “evil” or “wrong” just because they don’t agree with us or our tribe on everything. How so many of the problems we face on this Earth transcend politics and party affiliation. How it’s each person’s responsibility to search for the truth even if social media sites are unable to fact-check every claim posted. How we are all in this together and we don’t have time to become so “hard of heart” we are unwilling to consider other points of view and if necessary, change our minds.
I’m optimistic many of the college students I’ve taught will step up and help make the world a better place. Over the years I noticed little indications that upcoming generations value certain things more than money – relationships, working together, taking care of one another – and are perhaps less interested in simply “getting ahead by any means possible” than some who came before them. I used to tell my classes I had faith that they would help fix the mistakes and clean up the messes made by previous generations. “Like it or not,” I said, “the job will fall to you. Those who are my age and older have had their chance, and some of them have failed miserably.”
Ronald Reagan once said, “The person who agrees with you 80 percent of the time is a friend and an ally – not a 20 percent traitor.” My New Year’s wish is that we all look for the good in each other, not seek reasons to tear each other down. Let’s all try to save our outrage for things that really deserve it and not belittle or attack people just because we don’t agree with them. May we see what we need to do in 2020 with 20-20 vision, even if it means suspending judgement, really listening to one another, and giving up a few of our long-held preconceptions. We must find common ground. We must not let division, fear, and hatred overwhelm us. I like to think our children and grandchildren will be able to contemplate their future decades, just as I did when I was 10. I hope everyone who reads this thinks so too. I wish you all an excellent year, and I’m confident it will be, if we can follow the advice of the great moral philosophers, Bill and Ted, and find ways to “be excellent to each other.” Thank you for reading this.
MurrayWorks 