The Millennials are our hope

I had a few minutes left to kill in my college class. Professors can only talk so long before they run out of steam ... especially the old ones. I had imparted all my words of wisdom and kernels of knowledge.

On those occasions, I usually ask my students something like “Do you have a 401(k)?” I figure that long after they forget the principles of oratory, they’ll remember investment principles — they can save pre-tax and tax-deferred with a 401(k).

Other times I’ll ask, “What’s the meaning of life?” My theory is you have to get the youngsters thinking, so they don’t believe the purpose of life is sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll.

Sometimes I get the feeling they’re thinking, “What can this bald geezer teach us anyway? He doesn’t even listen to Beyoncé or have an Instagram account.”

This time I asked, “What one thing would you do to make the world a better place?”

Can an ordinary person change the world? Or do you have to be Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton or Elon Musk?

I vote for the ordinary person because one person’s good deeds have a ripple effect that go far beyond what we can imagine. The people who make the headlines generally tend to mess things up; to prove my theory, I encourage you to read the headlines.

I’ve long believed that despite our talk of peace and love, my generation didn’t do so well. Now, I don’t want to get emails from every Baby Boomer from Bill Clinton to Whoopi Goldberg and Sarah Palin and anyone who marched to end Vietnam — or legalize marijuana.

It’s obvious the world is in sad shape, and at this point, the Millennials are our hope. They just have to rise to the challenge. Here are some of their ideas.

One young woman said she’d turn all the vacant buildings into residences for the homeless to solve a national crisis, particularly in cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco.

A young man said we have to listen to one another’s opinions no matter how offensive they seem and stop trying to shout each other down. My opinion is there are too many opinions and not enough acts of kindness. The page where my column appears is labeled “Opinion.” But I believe an act of kindness will change more people than my opinion. And for the record, that’s my opinion.

Another student said we should smile more. We should even smile at strangers. Does that sound simplistic? Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who spent her life caring for the sick and the dying and working with the poorest of the poor, once said, “We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do.” So smile more.

Another said we should reach into our pockets and give change to people on the street who ask for money — the veterans, the homeless and the unemployed.

On the mornings I walked to the train station, there would usually be someone at the platform asking for a dollar. I heard a lot of different stories … they lost a wallet, they needed to buy a ticket or they had to pay the rent.

I don’t know whether any of it was true. I just reached into my pocket and gave them a buck. When I got on the platform, there was an outcry from my friends, who said I was stupid to give cash to someone who probably had more money than I did. To which I responded, “So what?”

My mother always told us: “There are two kinds of people in the world. There are givers and there are takers … and it’s better to be a giver.” That having been said, it doesn’t mean I’m accepting solicitations, so don’t send any, even if you’re a 501(c)(3).

Another student’s advice was “Be kind.” It reminded me of what Abraham Lincoln said 150 years ago: “Kindness is the only service that will stand the storm of life and not wash out. It will wear well and will be remembered long after the prism of politeness or the complexion of courtesy has faded away.” Remember what I said about the ripple effect?

They gave me great ideas, and their generosity of spirit gave me hope.

They may not become politicians or corporate CEOs, but that’s a good thing because those people often aren’t the ones making the world a better place. It’s the ordinary people who do it, one person at a time.

My mother always asked, “What’s this world coming to?” I think I know. We have reasons to be hopeful. So what one thing would you do to make the world a better place? Do it.