Cal Thomas: Redefining influence

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MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Myrna Brown.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard. Just a quick note before we wrap up today. 2025 is quickly coming to an end, and in preparation of next Friday’s Listener Feedback segment, we’d love to hear from you about some of your favorite moments from the program this year. Email your reflections to editor@wng.org and if you can, please record your comments. We’d love to hear from you! editor@wng.org

BROWN: And now, here’s WORLD commentator Cal Thomas with a list of people who’ve shaped his life.

CAL THOMAS: Time magazine does not have the influence it once has, but that doesn't stop it from publishing its annual list of—in its estimation—the “most influential people of 2025.”

The list includes “Artists, Innovators, Titans, Icons, Leaders, and Pioneers.”

Time's “Person of the Year" this year” Artificial Intelligence. That might also apply to Congress.

Most of the people Time considers influential I have never heard of, so they clearly haven’t influenced me. Maybe it’s a generational thing.

You may be wondering, as I was, how Time defines “influential”? Here it is: “The word influence is derived from an ancient astrological term describing the power of the stars to affect the destiny of human beings. The definition has changed a bit over the centuries, but influence remains a mysterious force and a difficult one to measure.”

Now might be the time for us to all sing together: “The Age of Aquarius.” May the Force be with you.

Time’s definition of influence begs the question: if the meaning keeps changing and is difficult to measure, what’s the point of publishing the list.

So I’ve put together my own partial list of categories and have included a few of the specific people who have influenced me throughout my life.

A teacher whose knowledge and enthusiasm for a subject creates that desire for knowledge in a student: my American University history professor, Bill Cromwell, and countless books...including those by David McCullough and Stephen Ambrose.

An artist who creates and shares beauty: Hands down…Julie Andrews. I had the privilege of interviewing her a few years ago and she was as delightful in person as she is on stage and screen.

A writer who, by the power of his or her argument, sometimes causes me to think differently or understand their reasoning: former New York Times opinion columnist Frank Rich and Maureen Dowd who’s still there. Also, Henry Louis Gates Jr. and his profound PBS series on race and reconstruction.

An orator who can speak without notes, but with deep convictions that causes even people who might disagree with his/her positions to respect them and the way they communicate: I have three I’d like to mention. The late Paul Harvey, Rush Limbaugh, and Margaret Thatcher.

A mother who chooses to stay home with her children while they are young rather than putting them in daycare. My own mom tops that list: Barbara.

A husband who is faithful to his wife and puts her needs before his own, thus getting what he couldn’t get by putting himself first. Sticking close to home once again, I point to my father, Clinton.

A few more categories of influential people who don’t usually make it into Time’s annual list…

The unsung, including volunteers, who go into prisons and build relationships with inmates to help them lead a better life when they are released.

The pregnancy help centers that tell women who have unplanned pregnancies the truth about their unborn children and persuade them to parent or place them in adoptive homes.

The organizations that offer scholarships for children in failing public schools to attend private schools where they will receive a real education.

The pastor who is not associated with a mega church but works tirelessly to lead his congregation with financial and moral integrity.

The list goes on.

So for the person who has “everything” and you don't know what to give them: give them a present this Christmas season that will never lose its value. Tell them how much they have meant to you and how they have positively influenced your life.

Make a list. And check it twice.

I’m Cal Thomas.

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