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By Corby Patay

In a few weeks, finals are over, and almost all graduations include a great pep talk on your future. I still remember mine my first time through. It was a lot of crap.

So, I thought I would share a couple of things I discovered after graduation that might have a little more relevance than the speech I heard.

1. Vow to become part of the informed electorate. Every year, in the state of Illinois alone, somewhere between 5-7,000 bills are introduced in Springfield, most of which will affect your wallet in one way or another. Most people don’t know and don’t care unless the bite gets really big suddenly like the gas prices. If the federal government got rid of withholding and all of you had to sit and write a check for your social security, Medicare, state and federal taxes, there would be a revolution tomorrow. Many don’t vote because they don’t think it affects them. Look in your wallet, do you want to keep what you have or more?---Then become educated and vote. Most folks are like the frog in the kettle. The heat goes up so slow, that you don’t know you are being cooked until it is too late. Be informed. You owe it to yourself.

2. Try to get informed before speaking. Abraham Lincoln once said, "It is better to remain silent and be thought stupid, than to speak up and remove all doubt." Many times as a reporter I covered meetings where people would speak passionately. Then when they got it all out, they discovered they didn’t have their facts straight. They were repeating what they heard from Uncle Joe, at the coffee shop or the latest tabloid. Believe all of what you know for sure, half of what you see and none of what you hear. And as most journalism professors can tell you, "If your mother says she loves you, check it out." People exaggerate, spin, twist and downright lie. Learn to check things out for yourself before making a decision and be ready to stand alone if necessary. Many of the most powerful changes came about in history because one person had the courage to think for himself or herself.

3. Keep it in perspective. These days the DINKS(dual-income, no kids) and others are working more and more, especially in the technology fields where 80 hour work weeks are becoming the norm. The stress can be tremendous and life can get pretty skewed.

I think everyone would do well to work one year as a reporter someplace on the police beat. There is something very sobering about witnessing a father identify his child at the morgue after a drunk has stolen her away at age 16 or a mother with burns all over her arms and face from crawling back into a house fire until she pulls her last child out. If your family is alive and well and you have food, clothing and shelter, you have a lot to be grateful for . If you don’t think so, take a missionary trip to Haiti where even aspirins and soap are luxury items few can afford. Go to the beach with loved ones while you still can. It is unbelievable how much stress people are under because of possessions and not people.

4. Strive to become a more genteel society. I was driving the other day when a motorist ran a stop sign, causing me to brake suddenly. I waved her on. This middle-aged, well-dressed woman gave me the middle-finger salute. Every year, flowerpots and signs in my yard has been smashed, defaced or destroyed. I have gone out to my car to find a drunk sleeping in the back seat I didn’t know. And all of this was local, not in Chicago or Peoria.

There is this little pocket in Illinois I lived in once and it ruined me. People there still use please and thank you. You almost never heard swearing (not even in the newsroom). If you dropped your wallet full of cash on your front lawn, five motorists would immediately stop and rush to get it and give it back to you. When people moved or had fires or deaths, the entire community would turn out in support. The people (of all races and religions) were amazing in what they accomplished in both business and academics. The crime rate was surprisingly low. Maybe there is something to be said for treating everyone the way you want to be treated.

5. Learn to appreciate the best of everything, even when it isn’t something you would normally seek out. If you are in to rock or rap, take time to listen to the "Three Tenors." If you are a basketball or tennis buff, learn to appreciate the skills of Tiger Woods. I am a CIS major, but really enjoyed the plays and the art that is currently on display. I look forward to the MIMIC sale every year. There seems to be something about being around the genius of others that will help you bring out the best in yourself.

6. Learn that some people are professional jerks and accept the fact you will never change them. I went to Chicago recently to interview for a job and ran into a former colleague who suggested that a woman my age should be married and settled or a secretary or something, but certainly not back in college studying computer programming/MIS. It reminded me of something the late President John F. Kennedy said when Chairman Khrushchev said that the United States was like a tired, worn out runner, "…I do suggest that he reminds me of the tiger hunter who picked a place on the wall to hang the tiger’s skin long before he has caught the tiger. This tiger has other ideas…"(Presidential news conference June 28, 1961.)

7. Success in life is truly a journey and not a destination. If you are 60 years old and want to go back to school to study computers or art history, but worry about the two to four years it will take, do it. You are probably going to get a few years older anyway; you might as well be a few years older with a degree.

If you can still feel a pulse, you can still make changes in whatever direction your life is taking you. At any moment, you can find yourself at the crossroads…

May the paths you choose bring you peace that makes a difference.