'If I said that I would do something, then I'd better do it'
Sam Claussen

Associate Professor of Theatre

I couldn't believe it. I heard it said, but I couldn't believe it! My mind couldn't comprehend what I'd just heard, and I swore to myself that I'd let my thoughts be known, as soon as I had the chance - and now, I have the chance.

Here it was a college student who had just received an honor for which many strive. He was going to work in his chosen field as an intern. Excitedly, he prepared for that day, got on the job, lasted one day, and quit. I thought, "Perhaps this is a fluke." I continued to observe. This string of quitting, of not holding up to one's commitment continued. Other students soon followed suit. I watched as high school students graduated and signed on the dotted line with the military service of their choice and quit. Not giving a care of the consequences to their future lives, they quit. To make matters worse, others who were friends of those military dropouts were heard commenting, "They should be allowed to quit. The military is stupid." Another student accepted a position on a new venture. It was a once in a lifetime experience. She was heard to exclaim, "I quit!" She did!

At the risk of being labeled "The Old Geezer," I wasn't brought up that way. My dad told me on several occasions,  If a man's word is no good, then he is no good!" I think that he adapted it from a higher literary source. I learned quickly, that if I said that I would do something, then by golly, I'd better do it. It doesn't matter what happens. I couldn't make excuses. I've heard many excuses as people quit. "I quit because God told me to!" Did you ask God before you committed? "I quit because I don't have enough time." So why are you partying? "I quit because it takes too much effort." So does breathing. "I quit because I shouldn't have to do what they ask me." Why accept the position to start with?

Commitment is a human core value. Commitment means you uphold the virtues of of the human race to which you belong. When you accept a job, a position, an enrollment in college, or an enlistment in the military, have the gumption to carry it through. As we face the challenges the world today faces, we don't need a nation of quitters.