For The Graduating Class Of 2016

"Let's just say, for the sake of argument, you've

just completed your education...that you'll never

have to go to school again!"

(cheer from the audience)

"Of course that won't be true for some of you that

intend to go straight on to graduate school... but,

what if it was true?  What's next for your lives?

What's next on the agenda? You want to have a

good life, I bet. We all do. That's why some of 

you want to continue your education...so you can 

get the good jobs...the big money. But maybe it's

time to ask a question at this point. You've been

growing up for a long time...you probably can't 

remember a time when you weren't going to 

school. Suddenly, it's over. You've had all this 

learning, all this preparation. For what? Have 

you ever taken a moment to even ask yourself 

that question? Has anyone ever asked you that 

question? 

There's a simple and obvious answer to this 

question you never asked yourself:  for life!

So, that leads to another question: has your

efforts, all your hard work in school prepared

you for life? Maybe you have some idea in your 

head of the life you want that you'll have as soon

as you get that job, start making the big money.

Others of you might already realize that that idea,

that fantasy, might just be another squirrel cage like

the one you are just getting out of. Do you know?

How could you until you see what happens?

Do you want to take that chance that your idea of

what life is will come true? Don't you know enough 

already, have enough skill at learning itself to just

explore the world, try things, experiment with 

a whole range of occupations and interests to find

what actually suits you, the kinds of things you want

to do rather than the golden rut so carefully placed 

in front of you? Don't you want to find your own
truth? Are you willing to keep on accepting what
you  are told is the best thing for you? 

You are adults now...or almost, anyway. We all
have to take responsibility for our own existence.
Even if we  do what someone else tells us to do
that would be the best thing, it's still ourselves
that make the choice to  do that.

What's wrong with the unknown? What's wrong
with having an open mind to explore all the
possibilities? Sure, it's scary...the unknown is scary.
The temptation is to opt for the most secure path.
Let me explain why that doesn't make sense.

Let's take the medical profession as an example. 

Doctors still have this image in society as being
close to gods...their opinions are holy script...
unchallenged by many people. And maybe fifty
years ago there was more of a reason for that.
Look at the statistics now.  Look at the way
doctors are being controlled by the  HMOs and
steered by pharmaceutical companies. Look

at statistics for addiction and suicide in that
profession. That particular golden rut, that sure
thing, seems to be pretty tarnished these days.
Of course, you have high standards and ethics
and won't be taken in by that...or, will you? You
won't really know until you're actually there.

I could cite other examples, but you get where
I'm going  with this.

What's the alternative? I don't know!! And, neither
do you. That's why you might consider that "I don't
know" alternative! Find out, explore, go into the
myriad of possibility...train your mind now. Your
intellect has had it's time to develop. It's a useful
tool for making shopping lists or getting to the
moon, but it knows nothing about the experience
of being alive! They even give credit in schools
now for life experience! Why? Because it's
important and useful! Get some! Take a leap into
the unknown, the rich variety of experience! It's
your life! Learn how to use it! You might find out
that what's important is not what the world can
do for you, but rather, what you can do in and
for the world!

.