I would like to tell you about my friend, Tony.

Tony hails from the Neoga/Mattoon area (if you are unaware with the region, consult a map). A graduate of Mattoon High School, Tony joined the Navy when he was 18.

He spent a few years living in Hawaii, and later made his way across the Philippines and South East Asia.

Tony has countless stories, few of them appropriate for anyone to hear, let alone children, but all are absolutely hilarious.

He is the type of person who will rattle off any tale about being chased halfway across an island by Vanuatuan construction workers, being forced to travel the circumference of a Hawaiian island on foot, or riding a tandem bicycle and finding a hard landing by way of a telephone pole after having just a few too many adult beverages.

Tony does not force these stories down one’s throat. He’s not the type of person who will go out of his way to impress.

The simple fact is that Tony has no shame. None.

He has asked me before if I’ve ever woke up in the morning and asked myself how I can be more like him. He also often refers to his own feats as “magic” or simply “outstanding.”

Too often in society when we say someone has no shame, it comes as a cause to look down upon that person. Someone having a lack of shame is seen as a shortcoming in our culture.

After having known him for a few years, I submit that Tony, in fact, has the leg up.

You see, Tony may have no shame but I’ve also never seen him down in the dumps or depressed. I’ve never once heard him complain about his life or himself. He is too enthralled with living the next mischievous adventure.

Tony is not constrained by feeling forced to conform to societal politeness. To be honest, many people would do well to act a little more like Tony.

Now, I know he will see this last sentence and laugh and say no one can live totally like him. This is true. Nor should you try. Far too many times has he narrowly escaped a predicament with his life, and memory, totally intact.

Truth be told, I think luck has a lot to do with that.

However, far too many people walk around this world feeling awkward and acting as though they are uncomfortable in their own skin simply because they fear what people will think of them. They fear some invisible retribution that never comes.

On the other side, people like Tony walk around with a sense of complete comfort, knowing their friends are their friends and anybody else doesn’t really matter if they see fit to pass judgment based on a single story or misdeed.

There is nothing at all wrong with showing basic human respect and being polite. But there is something wrong when people fear to be who they truly are because of what others think.

We talk, dress, think, and act according to what other people think when the only thing that really matters is how we think of ourselves.

And if you ask Tony what he thinks of himself, I guarantee he’ll tell you he’s “outstanding!”

David Thill is a senior journalism major. He can be reached at 581-7942 or at [email protected].