I too was bored when I was a youngster. I did not get good grades in high school. In fact, I received better grades in college. I was probably a late bloomer as they say. I hung around the bank corner and the parking lot when I was in high school and even afterwards. I spent so much time reading magazines off the rack in the Princess Sweet Shop that Herc Paloumpis would come up and ask me if the library was closed.

I sometimes think that I was bored when I was young because I didn't have enough confidence in myself and, therefore, was afraid to try to do something. I had no goals or direction. The result was a vacuum in my life that I was unable to fill. Deep down I probably knew I was dissastified with myself and that is why I probably goofed off and drank more than I should - to hide what was really bugging me.

A 100 years ago expectations were much less. Young men were most likely going to do what their father did and young women were expected to get married and have a family. There weren't many options in those days and, therefore, less chance for conflict and indecision.

Kids nowdays are faced with a multitude of options but the kicker is that they must not only decide what options to take but also how to achieve the goals they set. Sometimes it becomes too much. We are inundated with television commercials on things to buy or things to do or people to become. We all are exposed to the good life but how do we go about getting it?

So here is my advice to youngsters that are bored. Do not think it is such a terrible thing being bored, it is common among young people. Look at it as a wake-up call to do something about it. Do not think that by having a swimming pool to go to or a place to dance and listen to music that your problems will be solved. As you get older you will realize how short life really is. Do not squander it. There is so much to learn and do in this world. At this stage of my life I know that I will die before I get to do all the things I want to do.

I urge all young people to take their studies seriously and learn as much as you can. You will find that the more you are exposed to the more likely it is that you will find something that will seize your imagination and compel you to learn as much as you can on the subject. To me, that is the secret to eliminating boredom - find something that you really want to do and focus on it. Boredom is only a vacuum waiting to be filled by actualizing your dreams and imagination.

Take responsibility for yourself. Do not wait for someone to give you the answer. I think many kids today seek instant gratification by pressing a button on the remote. When I was a kid we had to organize our own games. Nothing was organized for us. We had to be innovative. I was taught at an early age that if I wanted to have something to do I had to go find it, nobody was going to bring it to me.

Do not be afraid to take chances. There are things that I wished I had tried to do when I was young but was too afraid to try. I will never know if I could have succeeded. It is not a disgrace to try and then fail. It is more of a disgrace to not try at all.

Develop discipline and a good work ethic. A hard worker who is disciplined will achieve more than the so-called genius. Many times I have noticed that it was the hard worker who got the promotion rather than the genius. Because things come easy to a genius they often fail as good employees because they have not developed good work habits.

Maturation involves becoming less self-centered and getting outside of your own interests and showing concern for other people. Volunteerism is an excellent way to get rid of boredom and at the same time feel good about yourself. Helping keep Minonk free of litter, visiting the nursing homes, or just helping other people in general are worthwhile projects. Your sense of self-worth increases when you feel that you can make a difference in someone's life.

Because I feel that my generation could have done more in the way of community involvement, I feel it is very important to encourage volunteerism in young people. By stressing the importance of getting involved in community affairs we will not only produce a better community we will also produce people who will feel better about themselves.

Lastly, I don't know if fixing up a downtown building for a teen center would be successful. It is my feeling that young people would rather hang out in their own way rather than be formally corralled into a place sanctioned by the authorities. Rather, I think it better for parents and teachers to encourage young people to develop interests that they can pursue on their own without the need to have a public assembly or other participants.

As one who has survived the boredom of youth I hope that our young people will realize that boredom is a passing thing and can be eliminated by setting goals and then focusing on accomplishing them. Then young people can go to a community center for getting exercise to improve their health rather than to cure boredom.

End of sermon.