If you have ever been at Westminster College after 6 p.m. you know in advance that you will find people in one of four places. Those include the library, the field house, the residence halls, or the Titan Club. Ordinarily it takes the typical person about 5-10 minutes to walk in and order, grab a snack, and leave. However, no matter how hard I try what should be a ten minute task easily traverses into thirty minutes to an hour all because I can’t learn to shut my mouth. I have my Dad’s and both my Grandfathers’ gift (or curse depending on your point of view) to have to say hello to absolutely everyone I know.

I’ve done this thousands of times but there is one conversation that I have had on my mind for some time now. As usual I walked in to the Titan Club when I ran into a group of friends and someone I had never met before. After a decent and lengthy conversation she said something to me I have heard a thousand time by my friends, fraternity brothers, and even my own mother. I’m told I am old fashioned, a throwback, and that I was born in the wrong time period.

In truth, I don’t think this is a bad thing and more importantly I disagree that I was born in the wrong time, rather I think the present needs to hear more voices from the past. I think the world needs more “old-fashioned” people.

After all, there was a time when people took pride in what they did, how they dressed, and the people they called family and friends. It once was that people mattered more than things, men knew how to treat a lady, and above all respect, trust, and faith were the keys to getting ahead.

To be honest, this does not mean to say that I don’t want anything to change because life itself is a sequence of change. Mankind will never starve for change but rather for the yearning for change. However, I think there are somethings that just should stay in the mainstream culture, and I would be just fine with being remembered as someone who was remembered not only for not only what I said but what I did and thought. For example, yes it would not bother me to be remembered as someone who was always well dressed and polished. But if I could choose, I would like to be thought of as someone whose words were graceful, style was noted, and whose actions spoke volumes about his beliefs.

There are many values which we can hope to retain, and retaining them can seem like a daunting task, but in truth Ronald Reagan said it best. “Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly, leave the rest to God.”