2000-03-08 - 01:03:33

In the last few days I received some very kind words,

some compliments even. And yunno, I go back into early

first and second grade elementary school - - - running

home waving in my grubby hand my paper with a gold star

on it. The little boy's Medal of Honor . . . . "Look ma,

look what I did and look what I got, I got a 100 . . . .

Isn't it neat huh ma ?" I don't try to belittle the

person or persons giving the compliment by belittling it.

I am truly thankful for their compliment, grateful for

their assessment and plan on trying to really deserve the

next one. I do as my raising and intelligence mandate

and modestly, gratefully and graciously thank them from

the inmost depths of me............

..........................................................

I don't think the trophy and medal makers and the

organizations who purchase the products quite get the

point, a symbol of praise to me is modest praise from

someone I respect. The little, paper gold star merely

was a quick indication that I, by my own efforts, single

handedly made the 100 on that paper. The euphemistic

practice today seems to be that each child comes away a

winner, each day, every time. It dosn't take long for

a kid to tumble to the scam . . . . . . the whole thing is

totally devalued in his mind, and really gives him no

incentive to do much at all. If you are automatically

declared a winner for doing not much of anything, where

is the incentive to learn, to excel ? ? ? ? ?

..........................................................

Oh well, I guess that is a typical old fogey's idea. My

philosophy may be a bit off the wall and carom like a ball

off the cushion of a pool table, but my idea of the whole

thing is I believe every person knows when they have done

something good and their reward is already in their soul.

I don't think that what I write here is the supreme

literary effort of the top man in the whole world. What is

known to me is that I have put out my best idea, worded

and constructed as well as I am capable of doing - - - - -

- and I am satisfied with a job I am proud of.

..........................................................

Praises are valuable, they show that other people care

enough to listen and even sometimes appreciate what you

have done. That is the polish on the points of the

star. This dude is happy that some think something I

say is good. That is much greater and more gratifying

than the treatment most of us get from the world whichever

way we turn. Your family pats you on the back as a

matter of dipomacy. My family will never pat me on the

back for my efforts here.......they will never know the

contents of these things. This is equivalent of the

coroner's big "Y" incision . . . . my insides are bare to

the world's inspection. Possibly what I am doing will

develop my communication skills enough to turn out a book

for my family telling them them the story of a boy who

came into the world shortly after World War One, relating

what it was like then and his feelings and reactions as he

grew. Maybe Kinko's wont charge me too much to run off

enough copies for my family. After that, who knows.

There are many thing knocking on the inner door of my

brain wanting out - - - whether I can do any good - - - -

I'll see. But, for once this little boy ran home with a

gold star with polished points on his 100 paper. Thanks

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