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June Youth 2007 Issue
Guarding the trust
by Darrell Anderson
As I prepare to write this editorial, my mind is racing. First of all, I’m 10 days past the deadline given to me by Megan, so I’m feeling some pressure. In addition, this special youth issue is very important to me, and I feel obligated to address issues that I believe have value for our greatest asset – our young people.
And yet, as I sit at my desk to write my thoughts, our country has just experienced the worst massacre ever on a college campus. Suddenly, anything I might say pales in comparison to the suffering and loss of so many families at Virginia Tech.
This experience should remind each of us to take better care of the loved ones that we hold so dearly and to enjoy each and every day the good Lord gives to us, as we never know how many more we might enjoy.
None of those victims had any idea that when they went to class that fateful day, it would be their last. Thirty-two lives so senselessly wasted – it makes you question so many things, while we all feel so helpless to assist in any way. So how should we react to this tragedy?
We are a blessed generation living in a special time in the history of this great nation. Do we have some unresolved problems? You bet. But the opportunities and abundance that most of us enjoy is a blessing we should not take for granted.
I just came back from our NJSA National Youth Leadership Conference in Indianapolis, Ind. I wish all of you could have been there to witness the NJSA’s cream of the crop in action and to experience their talent, enthusiasm and commitment to improve our industry, and ultimately their life skills.
As I observed our youth, I was reminded of the charge that each of us in the “older generation” has been given. We must maintain the integrity and trust that has been handed down to us by our fathers and mothers. We must set the example and not only talk the talk, but also walk the walk. There is too much at stake for us not to guard the trust.
So how does that relate to our daily lives in the purebred swine industry? That’s a great question, and I’m so glad you asked.
We are all standing on someone else’s shoulders. Someone has helped us achieve success and satisfaction, and now it is our responsibility to let someone else stand on our shoulders. We need to help our young people make decisions based on convictions and not on situational ethics.
You see, the statistics are pretty staggering. Our young people as a whole have been making some bad decisions. Compared to young people of the past, youth today are twice as likely to drink, three times as likely to use drugs and six times more likely to consider suicide. As a generation, we haven’t done a very good job of leading by example.
Do I think our young people who are involved in the swine industry are better than those statistics? Absolutely. But, I also know there is still room for improvement.
Each of us holds the key to successfully guarding the trust for the next generation, and it is critical that we succeed in those efforts. Young people want to be able to look up from the battlefields of their daily lives, and they hope to find someone who believes in them and sets an example they can follow.
I’m a huge fan of former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden. In fact, I have a personally autographed copy of his famous “pyramid of success” hanging on my office wall.
Wooden defines success as the “peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming.”
I can’t say it any better than that.
If we can influence those young people around us and cause them to become the best they are capable of becoming, we will have succeeded in guarding the trust of the next generation.
There will be a plethora of opportunities over the next few months to positively influence the young people around you.
The county fair experience is still one of the greatest Americana activities available today, and there are so many life skills that can be learned through the youth swine project.
Make sure you are prepared to set an example that will bring you pride.
Create the lasting impact that you will want to be remembered by, as you guard the trust for this next and greatest generation yet.
