The Goodness Of Our Youth Far Outweighs The Bad

Last Saturday I attended the basketball games at the Nashua School. When the school band started playing the national anthem, three elementary students – I'm guessing third or fourth grade – began singing the words. How wonderful, I thought, that they not only know the words but sing them with such sincerity.

Part way through the girls' game, a girl ... possibly 9 or 10 years old ... was telling the teacher who was selling admission tickets that she is already saving up her money so she can go to college. She said she knew there were a couple of scholarships she could probably get, but they wouldn't pay all her expenses.

Her matter-of-fact tone of voice caused me to silently congratulate her parents on how well they were raising her. Then the thought came that this child, young as she is, was showing a great deal of common sense and practicality.

On Monday of last week, I had gone to the courthouse to take care of some business. I had just gotten my walker out of the car and was almost to the sidewalk when a young man approached and asked if I need help. I replied I was fine. But he walked beside me up to the courthouse door and held it open for me. As I entered the courthouse, he asked if I was okay or needed any more assistance.

I've watched the entire student body in several schools pull together to help other young folks who have been faced with catastrophic medical expenses. There have been many instances where high school students have joined together to work on community projects.

Last summer an 8-year-old girl had her long hair cut which was donated to Locks of Love to provide a wig for a child fighting cancer.

These are just a very few examples of the goodness in the young people not only in our community, but in our nation. While there are times negative actions of some young folks can be seen, they are far, far outweighed by the goodness in the majority of our youth.