I am a member of the “Boomer” demographic. That term means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. One of the things a lot people associate with the term is an “old school” way of living and looking at life. I want to talk a bit about old school…because I am a true believer in that segment of our population. I am old school and proud of it. I may be insufficiently self-aware, but I do realize that in this case, deniability is pointless. I am what I am. I would love for my children and grandchildren to continue that philosophy. I think the world could use some more “old school”.
As I mentioned in the
title, old school is not really just a descriptive term; it is a way of
life. It is a noun. It defines not only how we think or
emote. When combined with our faith, it
is set of principles that guides the way we live. It is a code of behavior in which we feel
comfortable and through our actions in careers and family, we try to live in a
way that not only reflects that thinking, but actually honors that
thinking.
If we are going to have
this discussion, I suppose it is useful to try and define exactly what old
school means. Let me take a stab at
that.
·
Old school
demands that if you are able, you have a job and work for a living. It demands that you show up for work on time;
which is at least 5 to 10 minutes before your scheduled start time. It means that you work until quitting time;
not 30 minutes before quitting time where you take the last half hour to get
ready to quit for the day. It means
that if you are paid for 8 or 10 hours of work for the day, then you deliver 8 or
10 hours of work. Whatever your lunch
break is, you factor that into the goal of delivering that full portion of work
for the full portion of pay. It simply
means that you appreciate the opportunity that your job presents and you honor
that opportunity by doing what you are being paid to do. If you are not satisfied with your job, you
look for another one. You stay with what
you have until you find another one and then, if you are moving on, you give
your current employer a reasonable notice as consideration for having had you
as an employee. You do this because you
need…and want…a paycheck. You
take pride in your self-sufficiency and your independence…and you celebrate
your freedom.
·
Old school
demands that you pay your debts. If you
are applying old school principles, you are as much concerned with equity
as you are with cash flow. You read
the fine print, you research the terms of a loan, you realistically consider
the wisdom of the debt, and then you make damn sure you are able and willing to
make the payments. If that repayment
requires sacrifice, then you are ready to make the sacrifice. Payment of debts is a matter of honor and
character. You balance the notions of wants
and needs when you make the commitment and you understand the trade-off of giving
up something today for the gains of the future.
Your retirement is something that you provide for yourself; not
something that is gifted to you. The old
school goal is not to have a bunch of things at your disposal to use;
it is to own a bunch of things that you need or desire. The goal is to be a loaner; not a borrower. The primary question you consider when facing
the financial obligation of debt is not your ability to make the monthly
payment; even though that is certainly part of the equation. The larger question is “how long will it
take me to pay this debt and what conditions will exist when the debt is
satisfied”. If I am committing to 5
years of car payments and the car is used up after 3…then how does that make
sense? If I am settled in a job and a
location and I am making rent payments every month that are equal to or exceed
a house payment plus home ownership costs…then why not buy and own a home
rather than pay for someone else’s?
·
Old school
considers education as an obligation of the individual. It is incumbent upon each of us to gain the
ability to provide for ourselves and our families, and that requires a sound,
fundamental education. Where we go from
there is up to the individual and their ambitions. Some consider education a chore while others
consider education a challenge and privilege.
Either way, it is a necessity for life and is an obligation of each individual
citizen to accomplish for themselves.
The people who offer that education…academia and all it encompasses from
kindergarten through advanced and specialized degrees…are in turn obligated to
deliver the education for which they are paid.
In “K through 12” public schools, that means the obligation is to
the student and the parents who finance that education through their tax
dollars at the local level. It means
teaching the fundamental tenants of the skills needed to function as a
successful citizen. It does not mean
advocating for certain ideas or philosophies.
It does not mean substituting teachers for parents. It does not mean trying to shape a student’s
view of the world in a social or personal sense based on the teacher’s
beliefs. It simply means doing the job
you are paid to do in an open and sincere fashion; teaching the fundamental
principles of reading, writing, and arithmetic while practically
blending in the new and evolving technical skills and abilities necessary for
young adults in today’s world. It means
telling the whole truth in an unvarnished fashion. For “post high school education”, it
means delivering what you promise. It
means being clear and transparent about how much it costs, what the education
will consist of, and how that education might benefit the student. Is the benefit practical in that it will
deliver more in future earnings and employment opportunities than the cost of
the education? Is it simply an exercise
in expanding the student’s knowledge and universe and will not really translate
to future success in employment? In
other words, is it a “ways to a means” or is it simply “more
education for the sake of education”?
Both of these purposes have value; but the essential element here is
understanding the value before committing to the process. Education beyond high school requires that
you know who and what is doing the teaching, how that teaching will pay off in
your future, and is that education worth what it will cost you. And of course…can you afford it?
·
Old school
means that while being true to yourself and what you believe, you do not make a
spectacle of those beliefs through your actions and behavior. Rather, you understand that your actions and
your behavior are the true test of your character and worth. Quiet strength is admired; public displays
are abhorred. You acknowledge the fact
that there is a greater authority than that of government and law and that some
things are best left to that consideration.
You be who you are, but you don’t shove it in everyone’s face. You may believe that life is precious, even
in the womb, but you appreciate that there are conditions such as rape or
incest that demand a greater understanding of the choices we make. You might believe that the commission of
certain crimes justifiably requires the forfeiture of one’s life on this earth;
but you also factor in the reality that our justice system is imperfect and
that true justice is not always the end result of the process. It means that you live your life according to
the rules of God, the rules of the government, and the rules of common decency
and consideration. And while you are
living under those rules, you leave room for the fact that there is a
reasonable space within those rules that must allow other people to have
different ideas about how they should be interpreted. It means…that while being ourselves, we
leave plenty of room for others to be themselves. Like the plaque in our kitchen reads… “God,
Family, Country”.
·
Old school
demands that you keep score and you keep score for a reason. Any process that breeds mediocrity and
submission to the norm is one that suppresses individual accomplishment and
ambition…and that is wrong. We
should not hold some folks back for the benefit of those who strive for
less. While reaching down to help bring
up those among us who face challenges beyond their control, we must embrace and
encourage those among us who choose to pursue greater accomplishment and
greater goals. It means excellence and
achievement should be recognized and rewards should be commensurate with that
accomplishment. It means we are
accountable for our actions and that we have the integrity to admit mistakes
that we make. It means that we accept
the consequences of our actions and realize that others too will make mistakes
and those mistakes must be forgiven. At the end of the day…it means that living
right is hard to do, we are all going to stumble along the way, and that we
must forgive if we expect to be forgiven.
We should all be very cautious in our certitude.
·
Old school
means that you understand the true vastness and wonder of the universe; that we
are each but a speck of dust in that never-ending expanse. It means that the nature around us is far too
wondrous to write down to happenstance; that there is a source and a reason to
this world. You can call it whatever you
wish, but an honest look around you is a clear reminder of your insignificance
and should be an anchor for your humility.
Whether you stand on an empty beach and stare out over the ocean; walk
through an old-growth forest and look all around you…including up; pause
in the wide-open spaces of the west and marvel at the fantastic landscapes; or
just be still for a moment and consider how much you have received versus how
much you have given…. all of these things tell you that the world around
us is far too perfect to be accidental.
Look into the face of a new child.
Look deeply into the eyes of a horse.
Watch you grandchildren playing with abandon and laughter. Feel the rain fall from the sky and the earth
between your fingers. Life is a gift…a
precious gift. It is not ours to take,
nor to give…but to cherish and honor with our lives. As with life, this world is also a gift and
we are but stewards upon it. Our
arrogance might lead us to think that we somehow control this earth with our
actions, but that is not right. Of
course, we impact the environment with our behavior and have every reason to
respect it and maintain it. But we are
not the sole proprietors of our environment and we must understand that there
are forces far greater than us at work.
They were here long before us and they will be here long after us.
· Old school
demands that every individual has God-given rights to freedom and dignity. Each person should be presented with equal
opportunity to achieve and improve their quality of life. Having said that, the amount of respect that
a person receives is commensurate with the amount of respect a person
earns. Simple decency requires equal
treatment for all; whether it be justice, employment, education, or simple
social interaction. But respect is not a
commodity to be equitably distributed. What
each of us does with our own equal opportunity and treatment is entirely up to
us. We reap what we sow. Old school recognizes that while some
past transgressions might be corrected, there are some wrongs that just cannot
be righted. There are times when we must
simply acknowledge guilt and error, change things in hopes of preventing those
same mistakes from reoccurring, and move on to the future. It is tricky business determining what can
and cannot be fixed…and perhaps even trickier determining exactly how to fix
it. But people of good faith and
character can come together and understand that the future is far more
important than the past.
·
Old school
is wary of government. This nation has a
blueprint for government and it is our Constitution. It is a brilliant and eternal document whose
relevance is timeless. It makes
provision for itself to be amended and allows for a type of evolution to
accommodate the inevitable changes in nation and people. It does not provide a pencil and eraser to be
used in the deletion of chosen passages and the alteration of existing
language. It’s evolution capacity lies
in the amendment process; not in some expansive, cherry-picking interpretation
of its content. Government was meant to
do the things for us that we somehow cannot do for ourselves; a vehicle to make
us greater as a nation than we are as individuals. It was never intended to supplant us as
parents or to tell us how to think. It
was never intended to take more of our earnings than we can keep for
ourselves. While requiring us to
maintain civil behavior within the law, it was never intended to tell us how to
behave. We are citizens; we are not
sheep. Our lives and the joys therein
belong to us; not to our elected officials.
The explosive expansion of government is an abomination of our
Constitution and it is way past time that it should be reined in.
·
Our country was born not solely of itself,
but through the support of other nations that aided and abetted our
revolution. It behooves us as a people
to keep that fact in mind. There are
many in the world who are suffering under the same conditions that led our
founders to their declaration of independence.
While there are certainly circumstances where the reckless ambitions and
cruelty of some merit the intrusion of American resources…even our precious
youth, those times are few and far between and must be approached with resolute
clarity, transparency, reluctance, and obvious majority support. Barring an attack of extreme barbarity or
craven heinousness, we cannot fight their fights. What we can do is help to enable them to
fight for themselves. We can supply the
same support that made our nation possible.
Far too often in our history, the precious blood of our young men and
women has been shed on foreign lands for reasons that were never clearly
understood. Our elected officials have
been far too cavalier in their rush to foreign conflicts. Also,
while reflecting on our birth as a country, we must never forget that we are a nation
of immigrants and we should never deny that gift to others who seek asylum
within our borders. However, borders
exist for a reason and those who join America should do so legally,
responsibly, and with a sincere willingness to live as other American citizens
do.
·
And while this piece will certainly not address
all the aspects of old school thinking, I would be remiss in
leaving this one out. Old school
demands that we appreciate, acknowledge, and respect those men and women who do
the work that is necessary for everyone else to live their lives in peace,
safety, and fulfillment. I’m talking
about the builders…the carpenters, the electricians, the plumbers, the masons, the
steel-workers, the railroaders, the heavy equipment operators, the truckers…the
ones who we take for granted just as we take for granted the mechanisms they
maintain. I’m talking about the
front-line defenders of law and freedom…the police, the fire departments,
emergency personnel of all types. These
folks literally put their lives on the line every day so that we can go about
our daily routines. I’m talking about
all the military veterans, both past and present…the men and women who have
given all they had (and have) and made the ultimate sacrifice so that
our nation might continue and we might enjoy the liberties we now possess. I’m talking about the quiet heroes…the single
mothers and fathers, the resource-limited, the elderly living alone, the people living in the shadows…the
ones who fight every single day simply to survive until the next. I’m talking about this nation’s farmers…the
men and women who feed this country and many others across the planet. The ones who go to work before sunrise and
quit after dark; who borrow money on the wings and a prayer of a good season
and reasonable weather; who go into crippling debt on the hope of a good yield
and good prices; who live a life of underappreciated hard work, brutal physical
demands, and overwhelming emotional challenges…mainly because they love what
they are doing and know that someone, somehow must step into that breach. All of these folks…from every fundamental
vocation and walk of life…provide for others the opportunities to prosper and
thrive. They create the space for the
bureaucrats, the bankers, the tech industry, the factories, and the
administrators to work and produce. The fruits
of their labor make it possible for the rest of us to enjoy the fruits
of our labor. There is honor to be
found in every profession. We are, each
and every one of us, a thread in the great American fabric. We are woven together in a tapestry that
binds us as one.
·
Speaking of the farmers, there is no one
on this planet “greener” than they are.
When your very survival and subsistence depends on the land, you cherish
it, nurture it, and respect it. People
need to realize that there are far more insecticides and pesticides flowing
into our ground waters from urban America than there are from rural
America. Old school folks
sometimes border on a hoarder philosophy, because old school folks
believe in using something up until it is worn out. We have become a disposable society and
culture, but old school values the common-sense philosophy of
maintenance and repair. Old school
folks are the original recyclers. We
take care of what we’ve got and if at all possible, we fix it when it breaks
down. We don’t throw it away because it
develops a minor glitch or is no longer the “flavor du jour”. In fact, most old school folks will
have a closet, garage, shed, barn, or shop full of worn-out stuff that might…just
might…have a piece or two that could come in handy down the road. Old school folks are uncommonly
aggravated by today’s manufacturing tendency to create products that are
designed to be thrown away when they stop working. We like to seek out those items that are
quality-made, supported by a reputable manufacturer, have replacement parts
available, and can be readily repaired. And…we don’t mind a paying a bit extra
for them.
·
Old school
treasures family. Blood is stronger than
any rope, chain, or legal obligation. We
may fall out with our kin. We may battle
with our kin. We may even walk away from
our kin. But at the end of the line…they
remain our kin. We are not always the
fathers, mothers, brothers, and sisters that we should be; but we inwardly
realize when we are falling short and bear the shame of that failure. Old school knows that a child has a
father and a mother and both have an obligation to that child that exceeds even
their obligation to each other. Old
school acknowledges that walking away from that obligation is one of the
most despicable acts of humanity. Old
school requires that all parents should strive to leave more to their
children than they had left to them. And
most of all….old school mandates that no matter how far astray their
child my wander, a parent will always forgive.
To me, this is some of
what old school is all about. Some
might call it old-fashioned. Some might
call it backward and regressive. Some
might call it outdated and small-minded.
We’ve been told we are deplorables and that we cling to our guns or
religion. Heck…some might even call it
red-neck. But here are the things people
must understand about old school folks:
We don’t really care what you think about us. We respect your right to think that way…it
just doesn’t really matter too much to us.
As long as you stay out of our face, respect our rights, judge us on our
actions, and understand that government is by the people and for the people…well,
we can be the best friends you ever had.
And trust me on this…if you ever have to crawl into a foxhole during a
conflict, you want to be in one occupied by an old school individual.
