“Old School College vs. New School Hustle”

Has college gotten better… or just busier?

Today, we’re diving into the culture shift—

The freedom, the pressure, the relationships, the faith, the distractions—And what it really means to grow up in two completely different college worlds.  So whether you’re a 90s graduate, a current student, or somewhere in between…

This conversation is for you.

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:00

Welcome to Practical Living Podcast, well, real conversations meet real life. I'm Craig Johnson, and today we're taking a trip through time. Back to the 90s, that 90s college experience, before Wi-Fi, before smartphones, before everything was just one click away. Think about it. No online classes, no Google Docs, no texting your group project at 2 a.m. If you needed information, you went to the library. And if you liked someone, you actually had to walk up and talk to them. And if you missed class, you really missed class. But go ahead and fast forward to today. College life now is fully digital, always connected and moving at lightning speed. And students are balancing online lectures, side hustles, social media, constant notifications, and all are trying to figure out who they are and where they're going. But here's the real question: Has college gotten better or just busier? Today we're diving into the culture shift, the freedom, the pressure, the relationships, the faith, the distractions, and what it really means to grow up in two completely different college worlds. So whether you're a 90s graduate, a current student, or somewhere in between, this conversation is for you. And here's that huge difference. My daughter, my second oldest baby, Jassity Johnson, is here with me. Hello. How are you, dear?

SPEAKER_01 1:47

I'm good. I'm doing well.

SPEAKER_03 1:49

It is a gap, and I'm talking about a huge gap between this. I know the difference because I was a 90s college baby. I was a college student in the 90s. We didn't have all this stuff we have now.

SPEAKER_05 2:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 2:10

Then we fast forward to just what, four years ago? What was it three years ago that I received my master's from Old Miss. And that huge difference was stuff was just like this. I mean, popping off. It may have to do with my ADHD with this stuff, you know, it was just too much. Because you're, I had, I mean, when you have a sign of it's coming to you, and those emails popping off, you're like, wait a minute, he changed something in this? If you change something in something, you didn't find out about it until the next class in the dynasty. Well, hey, we're gonna do this a different way. But you getting ready, literally, to get receive your master's, have received your master's, but you're getting ready to walk the floor and receive your master's at the University of Mississippi. How do you do that? When I couldn't take it. My age, I couldn't take it when I was getting my master's. I mean, compared to how it was when I got my going into undergraduate, it's totally different.

SPEAKER_01 3:20

It is. Like, even with undergrad, when I was an undergrad, it still was a bit of a faster pace because they were kind of really getting more into making assignments visible online and things like that. Like, we still had those times where we would have to go to the computer lab and do different projects. But as far as when I was getting my master's, that's one benefit of everything going online is that people have like better opportunity to get higher education because some people may not have the schedule to, you know, be in class every single day. But with me and working a full-time job on top of getting my master's, same here. Same here with a deal with that. You have you were actually responsible for people.

SPEAKER_04 4:08

Jesus.

SPEAKER_00 4:08

I can't imagine.

SPEAKER_01 4:10

But getting my master's and working a full-time job, it was you have it was more so to do with time management. Like, if you were not actually on that computer every single night, then you were gonna miss at least a good five to ten assignments.

SPEAKER_03 4:28

And that was the thing. This one professor, God bless his soul and hope he finds another. He changed stuff every two weeks. Something was not according to the objective.

SPEAKER_01 4:44

Right.

SPEAKER_03 4:45

You have an objective when you first come into class, but this this particular professor just kept changing stuff. I could not keep up because so much was changing until I went to the dean. And I don't think people know students, you got somebody you can go and talk with too when you're in school, when you're in trying to get stuff done, if you're getting confused and the and and something is not fair, right? That's happening, that's what I had to do.

SPEAKER_01 5:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 5:19

I I tell people Because I was, I was out, and not just that, I asked the other classmates, uh, what's going on here? That was not in my age group. But they were obtaining their masters at that time. They were like, oh, this is not right. For him to change what was in the course objectives constantly like this, you couldn't keep up with how to respond to what was being put out there. So it that flipped me out bad.

SPEAKER_01 5:52

Right, having a good professor made a big difference. Um, I told anybody if you don't have a prayer life, that'll make you develop one because you're constantly praying, like, please let me get let me get it. Someone that's understanding, someone that communication with emailing and everything like that, and nothing prep it really prepares you just for honestly working in life. I I'm a big candidate and pusher for people to go to get as much school and learning experience as you can because it really prepares you, those types of experiences prepare you to learn how to deal with many different types of people. Um, because I know some people think, oh, I'm in school, I haven't worked a job, or I haven't gotten that experience yet, but that will come. But the way that the I guess the colleges, the universities, and different types of schools are changing is in a way to mimic what you will deal with when you do get into a job. A lot is more email communication because of technology, um, how to have the correct etiquette when emailing a professor and things like that. But yeah, it you have to keep up with it.

SPEAKER_03 7:08

The way you say it that to keep up with it is um uh a friend of ours. She and she's a she's actually older than I am. And she was in the class, and she remembered, we were laughing so hard, she said, I typed my stuff out, had it ready, neat, all of the what is it, rubric, what is it?

SPEAKER_01 7:32

The syllabus.

SPEAKER_03 7:33

The syllabus, how it's supposed to be. And the professor said that we saw each other at the grocery store. The rubric. Yeah. She she had typed hers out. She had it together, you know, and I she said, I don't know how I missed that. I was supposed to submit it online. She said, So I had it ready and happened to see the professor at the grocery store. No, me and my husband were there. She said it out, was talking, and the professor said, Yeah, he said, You are a great student. He said, Um, but I noticed you hadn't submitted your paper yet. She said, Oh, I have it ready. I was gonna turn it in. And she said, Oh, I have it in the car, actually. He actually said, We were standing outside of the grocery store. So he was like, Oh, she runs to the car, gets it, bring it to him. He said, Oh. He looked at it, he said, This is great. He said, But if you keep reading, he said, I asked you all to submit it online. There's a place you submit it online. She said, I was used to submitting the paper.

SPEAKER_02 8:39

Right.

SPEAKER_03 8:39

Just so it's that kind of gap in thinking that happens with my age group. And I understand I'm not that old. But it shows you how much technology has advanced. And I literally had to catch up.

SPEAKER_01 9:01

Right. And I think technology has advanced, but and people, you know, people have changed a lot, but I think if you're a student or just anybody, always remember that it's never too much to like put that extra step forward to communicate with your professor to show that you're trying to, you know, that you actually care about what you're doing. Um, some I was looking at this one thing and said profess one professor was talking, he was like, People don't realize how much we don't get those emails from students who are like, I really enjoy your class, it helped me, da-da-da. That's how you get the brownie points. That's how you get that reference letter when you start that job, and because that professor is going to remember you. But technology has changed a lot, but human decency has not.

SPEAKER_03 9:53

But that's the that's the difference in my generation and your generation. It was really, truth be told, socializing required you to show up.

SPEAKER_01 10:04

Right. And that's another thing.

SPEAKER_03 10:06

That was one of the things I taught you all, even when you got in college. I said, get in the professor's face. Because that's gonna always win. Because when you don't understand something, that that eye-to-eye contact talking to the professor instead of texting and emailing, get in their face. You gotta have you gotta go to them and say, hey, what when is your schedule? When is this? And that's the missing piece. I believe that's the missing piece with your generation is you gotta show up.

SPEAKER_01 10:42

You have to show up. And so helps. Right. Stories sell too. When someone can see that you are an actual human being, it's easier for them to have compassion on you. Because even though technology is great, I I fully believe to work with technology, but when you don't have that middle thing to disconnect and you're face to face, and that professor's seeing you, they're like, Okay, this is a person, this person has a story, they have things going on, they're actually trying. Case in point, I took a class in undergrad, organic chemistry. Took that class over the summer. My professor, he was like, You can do this. I was like, I don't know. Like, every everybody I know has failed like three or four times. I can't, I'm not failing this class. And so um I got in there and the girl, I asked the girl, I was like, How many times have you taken this class? And she was like, This is my third time. I lord literally said literally said devil is alive. I said, I'm sorry, I don't mean any offense to you. I was like, but I will not be taking this class in four times. But what helped was I would go to the professor and I would say, I am really trying. He's like, I know. He said, I was like, I just do not have time or want to fail this class. And he's like, You are not gonna fail. I would go to him after every test to see what I was doing wrong, and he was like, I can tell you know this, but you keep second guessing. But at the end of it all, I got out of there and I did really well, and it was by the grace of God. But it pays when they see you're trying. It pays, and that's just not with school, that's just in life. Learn to communicate with people. It teaches you how not to take things personally, it teaches you just it so much.

SPEAKER_03 12:37

But I'm just gonna give my opinion on this. I just believe that showing up makes a difference. It does. The texting and the email is good, but face-to-face communication will always be the prize because it just shows a person how to communicate face to face, showing up face-to-face, you can get the person's energy.

SPEAKER_01 13:06

Right. Because the most language is the body language, like are they comfortable, you know? That that's the yeah, I do I agree, yes, sir.

SPEAKER_03 13:17

And and I I guess it's because that is where, and and being in marketing and sales for years and years and years, training me to take them out. Let's go to dinner, let's talk about it. That's because then you get in that space, and again, I say you get the energy, you feel where they are, you kind of can see what the real need is, help them to get comfortable in their space. Same way in school. Get in a professor's face, see what's going on, see what they're really required. Let them see you are a real person.

SPEAKER_01 13:59

Exactly.

SPEAKER_03 14:01

I even did that even in working on my master's, I would take off literally, drive to Oxford, set up the meeting with the professor. Because when it got to a point that I didn't understand something, I needed him to see, hey, I work in this field. What you're trying to explain to me, I already do. You're just giving me more terminology and insight on how to get it done.

SPEAKER_05 14:27

Right.

SPEAKER_03 14:28

And showing up, letting them see me, opened up a whole different avenue. Not just that, it brought in more relationships.

SPEAKER_01 14:39

Right.

SPEAKER_03 14:39

It developed more relationships and those connections. So man.

SPEAKER_01 14:42

I think we just get so so caught in, and I'm I'm guilty.

SPEAKER_03 14:46

And that's the difference in my generation and you all's generation.

SPEAKER_01 14:48

Right. And we get so caught up in what makes us comfortable. I am not usually a big face-to-face person, but I'm good at it, if that makes any sense. I enjoy, I actually enjoy talking to people, but then I need like two, three days to not talk to people. I enjoy just text, certainly text when I'm ready or whatever, but that's how you build those connections and you really honestly just personally grow. That's how that happens.

SPEAKER_03 15:21

So well, when those relationships grow too, that brings on new opportunities. At that point, I want to rewind, rewind all the way back to high school.

SPEAKER_00 15:37

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 15:39

Let's go to high school. Let's let's go back there and add some things that started before we got to college.

SPEAKER_01 15:47

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 15:49

My story. I'm six foot four. And so many pounds.

SPEAKER_01 15:56

I knew you were about to say. I knew you were about to say that.

SPEAKER_03 16:02

Which is probably yet the same thing in this time and era, probably would be something that's similar. And one of the things I did not like is just because of my height, all the coaches would want you to just thought you should either play basketball.

SPEAKER_01 16:20

Yeah, put you in a box, or be on the football team.

SPEAKER_03 16:27

Number one, I never it it it I just never had the mind to do that. That never was my train of thought. And I will never forget my senior year drum major of the high school band going to the football field. And the coach, they were getting, they were coming off the field practicing. We were going on the field getting ready to practice. And the coach stood next to me, pulled his shades off, looked up at me, and said, Golly, who was that? Somebody was telling me, but before I got this, somebody was saying he was asking, who is that big boy coming back? Because I was tall. And literally, I was ticked. I was ticked simply because you see a big guy, you think he needs to be on the football field.

SPEAKER_04 17:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 17:32

And I'm like, when he asked me, I wasn't quite delivered during that time. My mouth was more not filled with the spirit, but filled with I'm gonna get you told. I know that's right. And I literally told him, I'll never forget it, when he said, Do you play football? I said, No, don't you see I'm in the van? You need to play football. I said, No, I need to do what I'm doing right now. And walked past him to get ready to practice because it ticked me off. Because that train of thought, let me just say it, was still in most folks' mind of seeing a black man. Is that all he could do?

SPEAKER_01 18:25

Right.

SPEAKER_03 18:26

But my mind was not in that type of box. Exactly. Not because of just me, because of my parents.

SPEAKER_00 18:33

Right.

SPEAKER_03 18:34

They trained us to know that, hey, you can do more than this, this, this, and this. You can be this, this, and this. One of the first books I ever read was by Dr. Ben Carson, who is one of the most celebrated neurosurgeons there is in this world. That was the first book I ever read in high school back to back. That's not counting the other books that we read, but that was the first book I sat and paid attention to, to a person, a black man, right, who went to that level as far as in college.

SPEAKER_05 19:21

Right.

SPEAKER_03 19:23

In high school is where I wanted. Where my mind changed to actually want to be in marketing and sales.

SPEAKER_04 19:36

Doesn't matter.

SPEAKER_03 19:37

Because before that time I wanted to be a funeral home, I wanted to be a mortician. I did, but because I was open to mind to other things, my mind went to that. Right. Did that happen to you too?

SPEAKER_01 19:49

No.

SPEAKER_03 19:50

How the chores go.

SPEAKER_01 19:51

I and and just back to what you were saying about um the mindset that is placed into a lot of black males, like there's nothing wrong with going pro football, basketball, track, whatever it is. Just don't limit yourself to that space. And the way that you can see what more is out there for you is have different experiences. Go to a pottery class, go paint something, go to sewing class, go do something outside of what you're comfortable with.

SPEAKER_03 20:28

The norm.

SPEAKER_01 20:28

But for me in high school, don't you think we expose you to more? No, that part, yes. Okay. That part, yes, sir. I do agree with. I agree with that part. But as far as as far as um my mind has changed over time, just with the things I've experienced in life and just coming into knowing who I am more. But of course, you all had us everywhere doing stuff all the time. Mom, she there was a lot of people. And a mom is sitting in here, yeah. Yeah, mom's over there. But there was no watching television. There was no watching television all day.

SPEAKER_03 21:08

Oh no, no, no.

SPEAKER_01 21:09

You all gave us so much balance, and I am very grateful. It's like when you grow up to a certain age, you're like, I'm so grateful for the way my parents raised me because you see what's in the world. But you guys, television, that was rare. I cannot remember just watching TV. There was not one day where we watched TV all day.

SPEAKER_03 21:29

We didn't want your and your mom was intentional with that. She wasn't gonna, she wasn't gonna let television raise.

SPEAKER_01 21:36

She took us to, and of course, we were with you a lot too. Um, from church to your job. We would be sitting with you at your job. But we all we took vacations, we we had different experiences, anything free that was educational. Mom had us, you had us at it. We were at the library almost every day.

unknown 21:59

Telling

SPEAKER_01 22:00

Television, she monitored what we watched on television when we did watch television, which was like I repeat again, it was so rare. No Spongebob, no curb, just a cowardly talk, no rug rats. People now like, you know, this person like, no, I didn't want that girl and have a mother. But it does make a big difference. People don't think those little things make a difference, and they do. They really, really do. If we weren't somewhere for education, we were outside. So that that really molded us and kept a lot of things just from being in our minds.

SPEAKER_03 22:38

What made you choose the career? Or did the career choose you?

SPEAKER_01 22:45

The career chose me.

SPEAKER_03 22:46

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 22:47

Because up in high school, I thought I wanted medical school. But there was just something that just wasn't not saying I I never say never, but it was just something that wasn't clicking with it. But now the path that I'm on, it clicks. Path that I'm going down. And what helped me really realize that, aside from just, you know talking to God about it, what helped me more even realize that was, you know, getting my master's. It really helped me to see, okay, this really is what you want to do. And honestly, it was a bit in the back of my head for years, even before this, but I kind of put it off because like I can't, that's not me. I'm not doing that. But what's in me, it's like what you what angers you, like not an ugly anger, but just like a that really gets me. That's what you're supposed to be doing. If it's done wrong, if it makes you just uh more than other people or more than most, that's what it is that you need to be.

SPEAKER_03 24:02

So you feel comfortable, you comfortable and confident in what you on the path you're on.

SPEAKER_01 24:07

I do, I do.

SPEAKER_03 24:08

That's great.

SPEAKER_01 24:09

And I'm excited for it too.

SPEAKER_03 24:11

I know you are. You've shown it. And it and it shows in your attitude, it shows in how you've been diligent in in handling it. My path, I I just, you know, it in comparison, I I I was head on literally from elementary school, y'all. I'm serious. I was head on to be a mortician. Let me just tell you how bad it was, because because you you were the same way with the the shadowing and things that you did and what you wanted to do. I went to funeral homes, I would disappear with my grandmother and it'd be in the caskets. In the casket show, the casket showroom, not in the casket shop.

SPEAKER_04 24:54

Nothing is a lie.

SPEAKER_03 24:57

I would have been in a casket showroom because it fascinated me. I was like, okay, this is this, this is this. And I remember one distinct time at NJ Ford funeral home in Memphis, Tennessee on South Parkway.

SPEAKER_01 25:10

Okay, memory.

SPEAKER_03 25:12

We went, I was in there, and one of the one of the Fords came in and just started showing me things. He just he saw my interest, and I was probably 10 or 11 years old. And they just took their time, walked me through there, showed me what was, what, what to expect and all that. I was ready for it. But my senior year in high school, I got more and more involved with the with the newspaper. I was the editor of the newspaper. Even became involved at Alcorn State University with one of our student papers there, and my interest changed. I saw sales. I saw, I just, I mean, my total mindset changed during that time. And I just went in that vein.

SPEAKER_01 26:02

Yeah, and I I'm a firm believer that you can do it all. Because I mean, I've seen people, it's there are too many people in the world that have done so many different things at one time. It may not be their main thing and they may not do it all the time. But I'm a firm believer if you have the desire and it's a good desire, you can do it. It can happen. And you just have to not worry about how it will happen.

SPEAKER_03 26:33

And don't waste time.

SPEAKER_01 26:34

Right.

SPEAKER_03 26:35

I didn't waste time. Even in doing it, you're not waiting when you're bettering yourself, when you're educating yourself, you are not wasting time.

SPEAKER_00 26:45

Not wasting time.

SPEAKER_03 26:46

I tell people that all the time. You are making yourself better, you're opening yourself up to a totally different world and helping yourself and others. You're helping others because you're meeting others. So don't waste time. Especially when you're yet pushing to what you want to do in life.

SPEAKER_01 27:08

Right. So so what would what would uh meet the criteria of wasting time?

SPEAKER_03 27:14

Um stop it and going, stop it and going, stop it and going, stop it and going. I see some say, well, I'm gonna I'm gonna take a sabbatical to do what? Sabbaticals for a year, that's a waste of time to me. Because time is so short. I want to be productive in everything that I do. When a person is especially well, some people are gonna argue with me on this. Well, sabbatical is going to educate yourself and blah, blah, blah, and do this, do, do, do that. No, what is the purpose?

SPEAKER_01 28:06

Right. Okay, so you're saying like things without purpose.

SPEAKER_03 28:09

You don't have a purpose and you don't have the goal because even when you shoot an arrow, you gotta shoot it at a target. Right. But if you're just shooting in the air, you're wasting arrows and tearing up stuff. And you'll probably hit anything and and and mess up something. But at least when you have a target, when you have a goal, when you have a purpose, I'm gonna move at it. And I'm and I am that is one of the things I wish the your generation and and those the generation behind you would really know what's my purpose. What do I want to do? Find that out early.

SPEAKER_01 28:51

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 28:51

That way you don't waste time.

SPEAKER_01 28:53

Right. And with the with the life is short. Even when you know your purpose, you even know where to schedule in moments of rest. Thank you.

SPEAKER_03 29:03

Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 29:04

You know how much time you can rest.

SPEAKER_03 29:06

Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 29:07

You know when you need to rest.

SPEAKER_03 29:08

You know what to say.

SPEAKER_01 29:11

It's not agreement. But listen.

SPEAKER_02 29:14

Why y'all out here laughing? Y'all it's folks, it's people. But you can I don't want you to shoot the camera today.

SPEAKER_01 29:25

But you know when the schedule that ends. Exactly.

SPEAKER_03 29:28

You will know when you have a prep. Even Jesus said, come outside and rest around. He didn't mean a whole year. Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 29:37

He's specific. So instead of while that means according to the circumstance.

SPEAKER_03 29:42

Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 29:43

But I mean, 20s, I've there are things that I wanted in my early 20s that I look at now and I'm like, oh God, I'm so glad that didn't happen. Because it's just like, I would have been, oh if I would have changed my mind in that in the situation that I wanted in my early 20s, if I would have changed my mind now and had that situation, it wouldn't have worked. So I'm glad. Give yourself time to change your mind.

SPEAKER_03 30:18

Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 30:19

But there are some people who are like, they know what they want to do and they stick to it, but don't limit your whole life to one thing, you know.

SPEAKER_03 30:29

And in order to be that way, you have to be around the right people. Some people can look back and say, I've wasted my time because I was around the wrong folk. I wasn't guided in the right direction. And that is why, as you say it, you gotta have, you gotta just pray and say, God, what what what would you have me to do? What which wait which our job is to really know what we're here for. I know I've been called to where I am. If you're a doctor, if you're a lawyer, if you're a dentist, if you're a janitor, whatever you have been called to, that's your ministry.

SPEAKER_04 31:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 31:24

I can't get people to understand that. Well, how do you say that, Craig? I got scripture to even bag me up. All that you do, do as unto the Lord. Do it for his glory.

SPEAKER_01 31:36

For his glory.

SPEAKER_03 31:37

Whatever he's assigned to your hand, do it to his glory.

SPEAKER_01 31:41

Right, because our biggest purpose is to spread the gospel. Literally.

SPEAKER_03 31:45

So whatever you do, yeah, we bear the bare with this conversation.

SPEAKER_01 31:50

Because I mean, you can't have practical living without the person that made the living. Like, I mean, it goes hand in hand.

SPEAKER_04 31:59

It does.

SPEAKER_01 32:00

We talk so freely about what people do in the world and in going drinking and partying. It's not judgmental, but it's to say, why can't we freely speak about God the same way?

SPEAKER_03 32:12

Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 32:13

But I think that our whole purpose, I know our whole purpose is to spread God's word. So, whatever you do, if you're doing it with like the purpose of wanting God to get the glory, he's gonna prosper it. And if you do it well.

SPEAKER_03 32:28

In whatever you do.

SPEAKER_01 32:29

In whatever you do.

SPEAKER_03 32:30

In whatever you do. How do we get here and we're talking about the difference between we still talked about it.

SPEAKER_01 32:37

We still talked about it. Conversations, they they don't have one stay on one topic. Conversation goes everywhere. You start with something and you go somewhere else.

SPEAKER_03 32:48

I like this part where we this this juncture that we're at. I really want our audience to understand. Don't waste time.

SPEAKER_01 32:59

Right. And I do have one more question, though. Go ahead. So how people ask for guidance or what is my purpose? I will say for me, the best confirmation and guidance I got was when I prayed and I asked God to show me what he wanted me to do, to confirm me what he wanted me to do. And then I read his word, and that's where the confirmation came. Exactly. So do you ag do you feel that that's how you or believe that's how you get the confirmation that you're looking for is in God's word?

SPEAKER_03 33:43

It is, and and the Spirit of the Lord will give you which direction to go, that discernment that you will have. That's why I say you have to be around the right people also, because when you're around the right people, you hear the right thing. Reading his word, being in prayer, seeking his will, and knowing when he speaks. And he will confirm, you will have that, you will know it. He said, My sheep know my voice, and a stranger, they won't even hear. We know when God speaks to us. We know when God speaks to us when we get up in the morning and and he tells us, go in a different direction. Go, go, go and go this direction today. I'll never forget the time that I got up one morning, had a meeting in another city. Spirit of the Lord told me that morning when I was getting ready to leave the house, don't stop by the office. They already know where you gotta go. You have a point this morning, go straight to that meeting. This is just a simple thing I'm giving you all. I driving, I don't know why in the crazy I turned and just went to the office. Let me stop. And I won't ever forget it. I still see it in my mind. I walked in the office, walked into my office, picked up my phone, and immediately the Spirit of the Lord said, I told you, don't stop. Go straight to your meeting in the next city. I had to go to Grenada, Mississippi. I put the phone down, walked at the door, got in my car, in the midst of backing out, looking both ways, somebody came zooming, ran into me. Wasn't a hard bump, wasn't a hard thing. It was just a fender bender that I had to stop, get stuff done, made me 20 minutes late for my meeting. And when that car hit me, again the Spirit of the Lord said, I told you.

SPEAKER_05 35:52

Yeah. Don't stop.

SPEAKER_03 35:55

And I'm like, man. So even in our life and making choices and walking with God and finding our purpose, God will give you that. When you want to know the direction you need to go in life, as far as school, as far as career. Have an open ear to hear the Spirit of the Lord, and He'll give you which direction to go. Do we sometimes mess it up? Yes, we do.

SPEAKER_01 36:31

Human.

SPEAKER_03 36:32

Life happens.

SPEAKER_01 36:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 36:34

Just because we have Christ don't mean that life ain't gonna happen. He said, in this life, you will have trouble.

SPEAKER_01 36:46

If he had it, we're gonna have it.

SPEAKER_03 36:47

Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 36:48

What makes us so special?

SPEAKER_03 36:49

Exactly. Wanna be like Jesus.

SPEAKER_01 36:51

Oh Lord.

SPEAKER_03 36:52

He said it wanna be like Jesus. Well, how long to be like him? He had trouble. But he was delivered out of the trouble. And that's what makes it good. So I hope I hope people really not waste time. The big divide, I would say. What would you say the big divide is between my generation and your generation?

SPEAKER_01 37:25

That's a good question. I that's a packed question. It has so many answers. Um is it in regards to a specific area or just in general?

SPEAKER_03 37:37

I would say it's technology. I just say as far as what we did what we're discussing, I'd say it's technology because I like to communicate verbally and face to face. Y'all like texting. I will say I'm in time, but I tell you, don't y'all text me. I ain't gonna answer. I mean, I see it. Don't text me. Call me if you need such because I may see this two or three hours from now.

SPEAKER_01 38:00

Specifically for my generation, I I'm pretty flexible with it. There is one that I'm more comfortable than the other. But I think the biggest divide is that with the technology, I don't really think there is one personally, because your generation, a lot of you are willing to learn the technology and everything. Um, but my generation, we're we work with it and and stuff like that, but we're adaptable. Like if you want me to call you, I'll call you.

SPEAKER_03 38:36

But your generation won't talk, though. Yes, but yeah, you said just go ahead and say it.

SPEAKER_01 38:40

I'm not gonna call you if I I'm not gonna call you at your time. I'm gonna call you when I'm ready to.

SPEAKER_03 38:48

And the reason why I say you all generation won't talk or communicate. I was I had to lecture at one of the as a guest person at Delta State University. And that was one of the first things the professor told me. Sit down. This is generation that don't talk.

SPEAKER_01 39:05

We're listeners. I'll put it that way. I I will say that we are big listeners. We are.

SPEAKER_00 39:11

You're standing up for y'all, ain't you?

SPEAKER_01 39:13

I am because I feel like if we focus more on the good, we'll deal with the bad a little bit better. Because just because you see some something or someone's characters this way or that way, doesn't mean it's all of who they are. And if you focus too much on the on the ways in which they don't meet your ex personal expectations, you can focus on the good a little bit better. So I just think with your generation, you all are really good at having pretty good grace with us. And we're just listeners, we're big listeners. Because we grew up being told, don't you talk packing?

SPEAKER_02 39:56

What are you talking about us as parents, then? You're the top.

SPEAKER_01 39:59

I'm talking about y'all generation, period. I've worked under y'all. You all do not like when someone gives an opinion, honey. It's disrespect. Oh my god. We try to formulate the question. We try to manipulate the questions to where it sounds like we're dumb.

SPEAKER_02 40:21

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_01 40:21

So y'all won't be offended. Not you all personally, but you know. Wait, wait. Wait a minute.

SPEAKER_02 40:29

I'm offended now.

SPEAKER_00 40:31

Don't be offended. Don't be offended.

SPEAKER_03 40:36

Well, oh well. You said it. You said it.

SPEAKER_01 40:40

But yeah, I think people should get all the education they could. That teaches you good communications.

SPEAKER_03 40:46

And it does.

SPEAKER_01 40:47

It challenges your the your brain. Your brain is neuroplastic, has neuroplasticity. So it can make those connections even more connections. It can grow. It can see that one connection didn't work this way, and the more you learn, you learn there's a better connection.

SPEAKER_03 41:05

I hope that your generation continues to push push to go to college. The generation behind you, I hope they continue to push to go. Although they're trying to make it harder, more difficult. Um taking different things away. One of the things as we get ready to close the segment out, I want the generations behind me to continue to push to do better.

SPEAKER_01 41:31

Right.

SPEAKER_03 41:32

Continue to push to continue to grow. To grow.

SPEAKER_01 41:36

Put yourself in those uncomfortable situations.

SPEAKER_03 41:38

All day long. Don't let anybody tell you you don't need a college education. Yes, you do. It helps you.

SPEAKER_01 41:43

Okay, no one can take it from you.

SPEAKER_03 41:45

No one can take that from you. Push to go to college. Push to be better. Because that is something that our people fought for to have. And I have the best of both worlds. I went to an HBCU undergraduate, and I went to a predominantly white university for my master's. I have the balance of it both. And I enjoyed being at the HBCU. They didn't just teach you the books, they taught you life.

SPEAKER_01 42:26

You, you, you went there when it was in prime time, too. Yes.

SPEAKER_03 42:31

Yes. Literally. Literally. My age group, that that was the time that it was the professors were royal. It was royal. And it still is. It still is. I love visiting Alcorn State University.

SPEAKER_01 42:47

Yes, not Alcorn.

SPEAKER_03 42:48

Not Alcorn. You bet I say Alcorn nowhere. I would that that's that's when we were into faith choir, we would go to different churches and places. If you anywhere, if you said Alcorn, the whole place would roar, Alcorn.

SPEAKER_01 43:05

I know that's right.

SPEAKER_03 43:08

So push. Push to do better. Push to be your best.

unknown 43:16

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 43:17

Thank you so much, Chastity. You're so welcome. You're a good conversation. Thank you. I know, right? Conversationalist.

SPEAKER_01 43:24

Got it from you.

SPEAKER_03 43:26

Uh uh. That's good. That's good.