B.W. COOK -- The Crowd

Today is graduation day. There will be hugs and tears. There will be

laughter and relief. There will be hope and fear. Speakers will talk of

endless future possibilities.

Mothers will cry. So will dads. For many, there will be no more

Saturdays on the soccer field watching the prodigy make the family proud.

The culmination of 18 years of love and angst, memories far too many to

ponder, a child raised to face the world.

There will also be talk about the world our children are about to

enter. That is, after all, an obligatory aspect of graduation, past and

present.

Some will lament the loss of national character, the social moral

abyss, the treacherous financial outlook, the ruthless competition at the

college level and beyond that our students will face. The words of

warning and preparation have not changed, only the dates are different.

Each generation faces a tough world.

Some have faced war, depression, revolution. Others have had an easier

entry into reality. Still, the dreams and the goals of young people

remain, to a great degree, universally constant.

Naturally, they wish to live and prosper, to find their particular

place on the human map. And while we think about our own children on this

graduation day, the children of this nation and this world all share the

dream to live a full and rewarding life. Not all will succeed. This too

is a fact of life that has not changed.

On this day, we can not help but wonder if we have prepared our

children to find that path to happiness and fulfillment. Have we taught

them the importance of analytical thinking, or have we just directed them

to follow the rules that result in the best grade or winning score?

Have we instilled in our children a curious mind capable of seeing

beyond the immediate circumstance? Or have we only guided them to follow

established paths of acceptable behavior? Do our children know true love?

Have they been encouraged to open their hearts, even at their tender and

still immature age, in an attempt to fully understand the depth of

emotion that exists in relationships of every description?

And, do they realize that work is its own reward, both financial,

intellectual and personal?

Some children are better prepared than others. This too is nothing new

or different in reference to the graduating class of 2001. Indeed the

valedictorian may end up dropping out of college in the age-old attempt

to “find” him or herself, while the average student may discover a cure

for cancer or build the next generation of computers.

The football hero may decide to become a choreographer and the

prettiest girl in the class may take up female mud wrestling and become

the voice of a powerful feminist lobby.

These exaggerations, meant to bring a chuckle, are not ridiculous. We

know that life delivers plenty of left turns. Many of them quite

unexpected.

So I say to the graduates today, do not worry about your future in

terms of what it may bring. Concern yourself with the much greater task

of learning to be a real person. A person in touch with both real

feelings and real ideas will come closer to attaining whatever goal or

dream exists in the soul, than the individual consumed only by the race

and the reward.

Golda Meir, the late prime minister of Israel, is credited with the

quote, “Don’t tell me what you do in life, tell me about who you are,

what you stand for.” How right she was. What we do is temporary,

vanishing with the evanescence of the morning mist meeting the light of

the sun.

Who we are is lasting and meaningful. And if we are people of

substance, we will be people of means. Opportunities will reward us with

the material pleasures of life.

I fear that we have raised many of our children in a model of

superficial goals. Many of them feel that they are entitled to success

and to the material rewards that financial attainment can bring. Many are

in for the proverbial rude awakening. And this too is part of the dream

of youth.

In a way, they are entitled to believe that they are entitled. In

fact, they will learn that entitlement is a fancy term that really means

work, perseverance attitude, character, luck, timing, talent and bravado.

It’s a great big important milkshake of human factors. Some mix the

ingredients just right and others will need practice. Some may practice

their entire lives and never get it just right. This too is reality.

In spite of this dose of real world examination, graduation time

remains such a positive, wonderful moment in life. It’s all about hope

and promise. These are not hollow, empty terms watered down by the cliche

speeches about uniting mankind and working for world peace. Youth must

seek world peace. Each generation takes mankind a step closer to this

lofty goal. There are setbacks.

The graduating class of 2001 is surely closer to realizing the

importance of world peace and tolerance than any generation before them.

Their collective contribution is yet to be realized.

Yet it is certain that these young people are more respecting of

differences of religion, political association, sexual orientation, race

and lifestyle. It is not a generation of “anything goes,” which some

lament as a road to ruin, but rather a generation of “anything is

possible.”

When anything is possible, great things can happen. We must allow

great things to happen by providing an atmosphere of intellectual,

spiritual and social freedom. We need to get in better touch with the

America founded by our ancestors. The America that was a beacon of

individual rights under a collective assemblage for the common good. A

common good that included the rights of the minority, however different.

Graduates, listen to your hearts. Your parents and teachers are well

meaning, not perfect. The world you are entering is as complex as it is

simple. Try to seek the truth in whatever you aspire to discover. Be

honest with yourself, that’s a very big advantage. And be honest with

others, it will take you much farther on your journey.

Concentrate on your dream. Put off your concern for material reward,

at least for awhile. Don’t just do what you are told to do, do what you

believe is right. Respect life. Treat it with care, including your own.

You are not invincible. Actions do have consequences.

You are not the first kid to drink too much and believe that you can

drive. You can’t. Don’t even go there. There are people who love you too

much, and they need you around for at least the next 100 years.

Above all, be easy on yourself. You are precious. You are original.

You are the promise of tomorrow. Today is your day. Carpe Diem. Grab life

by the throat and make a silent pledge to conquer the dragon. Remember

where you came from, the advantages you have enjoyed living in this

community, growing up here and now. Take those advantages, from whatever

is your own personal perspective on the scale of advantages in life,

knowing that we are not all equal, and try to make a positive difference

for yourself and others.

One last piece of advice. Time is precious. You do not have forever to

make your mark, to find your way, to realize the dream. Find your focus

and move forward in a proactive manner. Anything will be possible.

And finally, if you never find that focus, never find the dream, never

realize material success as defined by our society, it does not matter as

long as you are a person of character. The world needs human beings who

have loved and have been loved, worked and contributed in any way

possible, protected humanity and nature as people of good will.

Amazing differences are made each and every day by ordinary people

like you and me just doing the right thing over and over again, because

there is simply no other choice.

Remember to thank the important people in your life on this graduation

day. You may not know it now, but it is crucial that they know how much

you love them and appreciate them. Stay close graduates, you are in our

hearts forever.

* THE CROWD appears Thursdays and Saturdays.