January 06, 2005
Thursday

It seems like the discussion about "nothing to do" in Ketchikan was just brought up several months ago on sitnews. It's an age old problem, but Ketchikan is not the only place there are complaints about nothing to do. You create things to do. I drive home from work through Lakeside past El Capitan High School (about 2500 students enrolled) through the residential section of this small suburb of El Cajon/San Diego. Everyday I see kids just milling around the steps of the apartment buildings, standing around at the corners, and most doing nothing. Maybe a few skate boarders here and there. So you see, even here younger people seemingly "don't have things to do."

The attitude that "society owes me a living" prevails. Whether it's for recreation, or on the job. I run into that everyday as I train newly hired personnel and give them an orientation on good work ethic. Congratulations to Joseph Branco for recognizing the problem, and coming forth with the initiative to do something about the problem of "nothing to do." I hope the community supports his efforts. I'll reiterate what I wrote months ago about the issue.

Teaching values and incentive needs to start from family members, peers, friends, and even concerned community members. Don't wait for the handout to come to you, go out and grab a little gusto. The attitudes learned in the youth years will carry over into the "real world" so beware! I guess I could have summed up this in a few short words: Don't expect handouts. Present a solution to the problem, and encourage others to do the same. I raised three boys in Ketchikan and they never seemed to be lacking for things to do.

Neil Gray
E-mail: ngray@barona.com
Lakeside, CA - USA

 

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