What we all need is more class

We often hear it said of another that he or she has class, but have your ever thought about what the word class really means when it is used in reference to an individual? The word used in this context is entirely different than what many folks would think. As you read this think about how it relates to your life.

Class never runs scared. It is sure-footed and confident that you can meet life head-on and handle whatever comes along. Class never makes excuses. It takes its lumps and learns from past mistakes. Class is considerate of others. It knows that good manners are nothing more than a series of petty sacrifices.

Class sometimes has nothing to do with ancestors or money. The most affluent blueblood can be totally without class, while the descendant of a Welsh miner may ooze class from every pore. Class never tries to build itself up by tearing others down. Class is already up and need not strive to look better by making others looks worse.

Class can walk with kings and keep its virtue and talk with crowds and keep the common touch. Everyone is comfortable with the person who has class because he is comfortable with himself. If you do not have it, no matter what else you have, it does not make much difference.

To me, this column is as rich as a malt with four eggs for a thinking person. The thought “class never makes excuses, it takes its lumps and learns from past mistakes” would make us better persons if we could learn to do that.

Many times, when we fail to do something, we usually will find a way to justify our actions. Then we say, “We did it because.” In some cases, we might say to ourselves, “We would not have done that if it had not been for so and so.” All we were doing was trying to transfer the blame for our own failure to someone else.

We all think that we should never be too hard on ourselves because if we do that on a regular basis, we are putting ourselves down and the result will surely be low self-esteem. We do, however, need high standards because it is the only way to improve. For example where would pole-vaulters be if they did not have someone to raise the bar?

When it comes to personal accountability and establishing a standard for personal behavior, we do not believe that we can improve on the qualities mentioned in this column on class. We should ask ourselves if we have class. If we do not, would we like to have it? Of course, it will take much more than just saying it to make it so, but the first step is to start acting like a person who has class because it could become a wonderful habit.

The Hall of Fame and Who’s Who contain few portraits of men and women who were content with things as they were.

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