'Tis the season for commencement addresses.
Most are unremarkable ramblings. Do you remember who spoke at your graduation? I sure don't. But maybe you were among the lucky few who heard a classic like Anna Quindlen's, A Short Guide To A Happy Life:
"Look at the fuzz on a baby's ear. Read in the backyard with the sun on your face."
Excellent advice.
Or how about this? According to Elliot Feldman, Famous (or Infamous) Commencement Speeches that Broke the Mold:
English Prime Minister Winston Churchill's commencement speech at
Harrow School … (Years
earlier, Churchill almost flunked out of this school.) His speech was
only three words long. He walked up to the podium and said "Never give
up." He paused and said "Never give up" again. Then he paused even
longer and said "Never give up." And he sat down.
Don't you wish you were there to witness all the parents go berserk?
Then there's Steve Jobs, addressing Stanford University's graduating class in 2005.
Everyone knows he runs Apple. What you might not know: He is a college drop out, he was adopted and he's a pancreatic cancer survivor. This January he took a leave of absence for health issues. Hopefully he is caring for himself away from the stress of work, something I wish more people could give themselves permission to do.
This video captures a time when the disease was in remission but like all chronic illness wranglers, I imagine he knew it could come back at any time. I find his speech moving and inspirational.
"Sometimes life is going to hit you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith."
