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`I am graduating in May; and, in lieu of anything philosophical or summative, I want to be practically honest with you—for I think that is my most significant contribution. Too many students graduate without having been honest about their concerns and hopes.
The following are two things I am concerned with from time to time and which I hope the next generation of students can do something to reconcile.
I would like my underclassmen to realize that something is deeply troubling about our culture of alcohol abuse.
Too many institutions have experienced tragedies related to this abuse. I ask that you do something to curb it. Involve yourself in an alcohol awareness organization.
Talk openly with your friends about nights they can’t remember. Drink less and less often.
There are people who have experienced loss in connection with supposed acts of “fun.”
The truth is smart people do stupid things when they’re too inebriated to know better—just like everybody else. Moderate your drinking.
You have a say in whether you put yourself in situations which you are aware may become out of your control.
Secondly, I hope my underclassmen appreciate that they are college students. If you graduate, you’ll be part of a minority of people even in the United States who have degrees.
Most of your fellow human beings don’t go to school. Even less read or write at all. Most live on less than a few dollars a day.
With a degree, you are suddenly endowed with a responsibility to contribute to the world. If you’re not seeking a degree in order to contribute to the world’s general well-being, it is my hope that you will.
Be a teacher. Be a professor. Be a writer. An artist. A musician. A politician. Do something that will contribute to the well-being of others; do something that will inspire people. Be an iconoclast.
Commit yourself to learning. Don’t be scared of speaking your mind in class, even if it aggravates the professor. That is precisely what education is for.
Deliberate with professors. Argue points of divergence. Force your instructors to justify their stances.
They shouldn’t mind justifying their opinions.
Be excited about learning. Do a quick Wikipedia search on new ideas. Pick up a paper once and a while. Read the opinion section. Get a feel for what intellectuals are thinking.
Be curious. Be overly curious. Be eccentrically curious.
I hope you remain open-minded, I hope you remain concerned, and, as a dear professor has recently told me, I hope you “shoot high.”
If you want the world to be a better place, start with yourself. Drink less and less often; be more curious; be more passionate.
Move on to your friends. Share your thoughts. Don’t be embarrassed to share your experiences. It is now you should figure out what true friends are. It is now you should be exactly who you are.
Move on to your community and your university. Be involved. Inspire other students to be more than what they currently are. Do something creative that leaves a mark on the history of the institution.
Write for the paper. Submit artwork to the university literary and art magazine. Take pride in sharing your vision and opinions and skills.
Keep moving. Don’t stop until you’ve reached the world.