186th Edition
Go right on being nothin’
One my favorite old movies is Boys Town, starring Spencer Tracy as the street tough, but kind-hearted Father Flanagan. The real star of the movie is a child actor named Mickey Rooney who plays a young orphan named Whitey Marsh. The movie is based on the true story of Father Edward J. Flanagan and his home for wayward boys near Omaha, Nebraska. In one memorable scene, the boys’ leader, Tony Ponessa, explains to Whitey that there are all kinds of boys in Boys Town. Here is their conversation:
Tony Ponessa: If you’re a Catholic or a Protestant, you can go right on being one.
Whitey Marsh: Well, I’m nothin’.
Tony Ponessa: Then, you can go right on being nothin’, and nobody cares.
It’s a short dialogue between two very different young boys, but it’s powerful. Over a hundred years since Boys Town was founded, the principle still stands. In our country you can be, or at least attempt to be, anything you want to be. You can accept any label that has been assigned to you or that you have chosen for yourself. If you want to try to be great or extraordinary, you can. If you choose to be nothin’, nobody cares. Is it really that simple? I’m not so sure.
Everything is more difficult today. Is that a true statement? Let’s dig into that a bit. Today, compared to a generation ago, it is more difficult to start a business, buy a house, pay for an education, maintain the same standard of living as your parents, and discuss religion or politics respectfully with people holding different viewpoints. That’s only a partial list, but I think it covers some of today’s major challenges. How have we gotten here and what can we do about it?
First, how we got here…
The massive growth in government spending, regulation, and overreach has led to a harmful inflationary spiral. Everything costs more than it should and it is slowly squeezing the middle class and those on fixed incomes (retirees). The current generation, those age 18 – 35, have almost no chance, on average, of achieving the same standard of living as their parents. If that is accurate, it will be the first time it has ever happened in our country. The remedy is less government spending and intervention and more free-market capitalism, as I have stated numerous times in my previous blogs. Long-term, the key to breaking the inflationary spiral is innovation and free-market competition. Innovation depends on a healthy entrepreneurial spirit, which is in direct opposition to government overreach.
Does anyone care…
In an age where we are reminded constantly to be tolerant, is there anything we should not tolerate? If your sixteen-year-old son or daughter comes to you and says, “I’m nothing and I would like to go right on being nothing,” how would you respond?
For those who have never set a goal in their life, for whatever reason, do we have the responsibility to help them set goals? For those who have no aspirations, do we have the responsibility to help them dream? How high should we raise the bar of expectations for ourselves and for young people? Should we be tolerant of underachievers or challenge them to rethink their future?
The crux of the Boys Town story is Father Flanagan’s core belief as expressed in the movie – “There is no such thing as a bad boy. There is only bad environment, bad training, bad example, bad thinking.”
Father Flanagan wasn’t tolerant of bad behavior, nor was he tolerant of low expectations. He helped Whitey see what was possible for his future. That is what we can all do, and the impact of doing so can change everything.
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Michael Kayes
*These views are my personal opinions and are not the viewpoints of any company or organization.