By Andy Brack
Dear Ellie,
It seems like just yesterday when you donned a navy school shirt and tan skort to head to school. Now, years later, you’re among 3.9 million American high school graduates.
Congratulations to you and students across the country. It’s a big milestone, much like your decision to attend a particular college was your first big life-impacting choice.
Now you’ll face new challenges and opportunities. It will bring fun, heartbreak, frustration and sheer joy.
The big world you are entering is far different from when I crossed the stage decades ago. Back then, there were no cell phones or personal computers. The internet was a dozen years away. Social media was in newspaper classified pages. People used the Yellow Pages to find businesses and bought vinyl rock ‘n’ roll albums.
Today’s world is meaner, coarser and faster. The United States of America has lost some of its luster. We’re still strong, but the world is looking at us in new ways as our freedoms seem to shift. Your class is not in competition with other Americans as much as it is with the world.
And that means you and your generation are going to use your well-educated brains to compete in new ways to build more opportunities for your lives. You’re going to have to be faster, smarter and more strategic. You’re going to have to connect in new ways – just like my generation adapted to the deluge of information now available compared to the four national television networks during boyhood.
So as you proceed in college and through your life, here are a few things you may want to keep in mind:
Think. Don’t be rushed into doing something you don’t want to do. If you are unsure, call a personal time-out and think about what’s right. In your heart of hearts, you will know what to do.
Have fun. You’re only here once. Make the most of it. Enjoy each day.
Try new things. Explore our world. Taste different foods. Smell roses in English gardens. Make art. Live beyond South Carolina — and then come back and make it better.
Fall forward. Don’t be scared to fail. Through failure, you learn. Through learning, you find new paths forward. If you don’t fail every now and then, you won’t grow.
Question. Don’t accept everything at face value. Question authority — and then question those questioning authority.
Listen. Slow down and really hear what other people say. You’ll be surprised how much you can learn — and grow — just by listening.
Use common sense. Too many people seem oblivious about too many things. Whenever you are at a decision point, examine it practically and use common sense to figure out the best choice. Listen to your gut and ask for advice.
Laugh. Don’t take things too seriously. Some drama you have today probably will be forgotten by next year. Enjoy life. Laugh at it and yourself. A good sense of humor will take you a long way.
Cultivate deep friendships. Some of the best friends I ever made came from daily interactions in an intense college environment. Find good people throughout your life and learn from their perspectives. Make sure to keep up with them.
Honor your past. Too many people these days don’t have the manners and courtesy that come from being raised in the South. Don’t forget your roots.
Seek truth and justice. People and our country are at their best when they pursue truth and justice. Incorporate those values into your daily living and don’t follow whatever dramatic shiny ball is in the moment.
Read. Turn off the TV and social media as much as you can. Your brain will grow more from reading than it will by being glued to an idiot box or screen.
What’s ahead is exciting and a little scary. But if you follow the core values and beliefs you’ve grown up with, you’ll do just fine. Live large every day.
Love, Dad
Andy Brack is editor and publisher of the Charleston City Paper and Statehouse Report. Have a comment? Send it to feedback@statehousereport.com.
