HAROLD KELLER

Good character remains vital Last week, a good friend of mine shared a story about one of his son’s experiences as a quarterback of a local high school football team. It happened a few years ago, but as he related the incident, you could still feel the pride he had at the time. It so happened that after his son’s first game as a starter, his team suffered defeat. Immediately after the game, he entered the players’ locker room and spotted his son in a corner, crying. No dad likes to see his child hurt, or feeling defeated. His first thoughts were: “I hope we don’t have to go through this after every loss. If we do, it’s going to be a long year.” He approached his son and, trying to comfort him as much as he could, said, “It’s only a game. You did your best and you don’t have to feel bad.” “Dad,” the son replied, “I’m not crying because we lost. I can handle that. I’m crying because many of the players on the team are not committed. They drink, smoke, break all the training rules, and still expect to win.” My friend told me it was then that he knew the type of character his son had. His son’s team never made it to the Superdome. Is his son doing OK today? Yes. He’s now a college graduate, living in another state, focusing on a career, and still playing by the rules. I wonder what happened to all the rule breakers? Are they still breaking the rules, living a dream, but not dedicated to what it takes to make that dream a reality? We all want our children to learn and get ahead in life. The bottom line is that they’ve learned well. They see many of us breaking the rules, so they just follow our example. We talk about character, but worry more about reputation. We look for the short cut to success and in the process, we do not succeed. Recently, I was talking to a young high school football player and asked if any of the team used drugs or alcohol? “I don’t think any use drugs,” he said, “but many drink a lot.” (Keep in mind, we’re still talking about high school athletes who are 15, 16, 17 and 18-year-olds.) If you want to know the real leaders of tomorrow, just keep your eyes on the young men who stick to the rules and have character. To the rule breakers: You many win a few games of football, but in the game of life, you’re conditioning yourself to be a loser. Coach Tom Landry of the Dallas Cowboys, now deceased, one ofthe greatest coaches of all times, was a gentlmen, on and off the field. He once said, “Give me a team stacked with men of good moral character, and I will win championships!” He did! HAROLD KELLER writes this column as part of his affiliation with the Get High on Life religious motivational group. Call him at (985) 652-8477, or write to P.O. Drawer U, Reserve, LA 70084