The other night, I met up with some friends of mine at the local bar Mulready’s.

We had a great time talking and sharing stories and laughs. We talked about simple things like our favorite books, things we did over the weekend and lightning smiting one of my friend’s cable modems.

As I walk about campus, I often hear the complaint that there is a lack of entertainment in Emporia. Little comments like, “There’s nothing to do here,” or “Emporia is too small. I need the city,” are what really get to me.

I admit it, Emporia doesn’t have a lot of in-your-face activities or places to go to like a bigger town may have, but it doesn’t need them. As long as you have other people around, you have all the fun you could ever need. A good conversation with good people is the best entertainment in the world.

We are all so wrapped up in our phones, movies, shows and games that we forget to look away and notice the person sitting across or next to us. We want to be immediately and constantly entertained by everything we do, yet we don’t take the time to slow down and talk to each other. This prevents us from seeing the truth – a simple conversation is the best way to spend your time and have fun.

The best times of our lives evolve from interesting and exciting conversations. In the early 1900s, they didn’t have all of the distractions that we have today. They passed the time by talking to one another, engaging in thought-provoking dialogues and spending time with each other.

Be social, talk to people and never stop talking.