On Becoming Qualified

There is something George Eliot said that has overtones for all of us: “What is opportunity to the man who can’t use it?” ¹ These words have special meaning for those who are young, and are or should be, in a period of preparation. Life goes swiftly. Opportunities for education decrease as responsibilities increase. And one can scarcely conceive of a young person’s turning down an opportunity to develop a talent or skill, or to prepare for a trade, or profession, to prepare to play a larger role in life.

One would wonder why anyone with opportunity to learn would ever choose to drop out, just to drift, and leave himself open for frustration and disappointment for the future. Life is all we have _ life, our hands, our minds, our muscles, our spirit our willingness to prepare, our willingness to work. Oh, if only we could convince all young people of the need of an education, the need for choosing some good goal and becoming qualified, and avoiding the disappointments that come later in life, when the demand for untrained people shrinks, as the economic cycle shifts.

Life, mind, time, talents _ these are tools that should be sharpened as soon as possible for enduring and increasing and satisfying service. “The secret of success…” said Disraeli, “is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes.” ²

If there are any whom we could reach and touch at this time, we would plead with every young person to pursue his education, to acquire competence, to qualify for life, for learning, for living; to know something well, to do something well, to have something to offer; to avoid being a marginal person, to become more useful to family, community, country and also to serve himself, and have the great satisfaction that comes with being needed, wanted, appreciated, compensated. “What is opportunity to the man who can’t use it?”