Uninvited Advice to Graduates

(From the Janesville Messenger, 6-1-08)

June is here, and with it, high school graduation. Another crop of young adults are completing their secondary education and are about to spring onto college campuses or into (gulp) “the real world.”

This is an exciting time for these young people. Their whole future is ahead of them. Decisions they make now could potentially impact the rest of their lives.

Unfortunately, not everyone is thrilled to see another group of teenagers move into adulthood. Too often, the news we hear is about the bad kids, not the good ones. People who think the current generation of high schoolers are unsupervised, immoral slackers on the road to Loserville need to look beyond the headlines. The vast majority of teens I run into are very impressive individuals. Seeing these kids in action, whether it’s at events at Milton High School, through Janesville’s DECA programs and Academy of International Studies, or participating in groups like SpotLight on Kids, I have seen enough to give me plenty of high hopes and expectations for these budding contributors to American society.

Graduates, you’ll hear a lot of words at your commencement ceremonies. Please indulge me to add a few more.

At this point in your lives, many of you are brimming with hope and idealistic intentions. Whatever you do, don’t lose that. Don’t let the crud you see on CNN or Fox News get you down. You live in a great country, but yes, it does have its flaws. Yes, you’re inheriting a huge national debt, a war we can’t seem to get out of, and a populace that seems more ideologically divided than ever. We are on one side or the other, and for far too many of us, compromise is out of the question. A lot of folks have given up, believing that true change for the better cannot happen. We’ve been let down too many times, whether it’s by our leaders, by our employers, or by our fellow human beings in general. Too many of us have lost the energy to challenge, to fight for what’s right, to try to make a difference.

And that’s our bad. You deserve better. But now you’re approaching a time when you don’t have to accept the status quo. For you, the future is now. You have the opportunities. In fact, your schools have given you more opportunities than my generation ever had, and many of you have taken advantage of it. Continue to build on that. We need your fresh ideas, your creativity, your energy, your enthusiasm. You can change the world. Honestly, you may need to. Peace and prosperity isn’t just an ideal; it can be a reality. Make it happen.

Don’t get me wrong; I don’t want to make it sound like the adult generation is totally out to lunch or doesn’t care. There are a lot of wonderful people out there doing wonderful things. When you meet these people, embrace them, emulate them, follow their example. To steal from the United Way’s current marketing campaign, advocate and volunteer.

This year, you’ll be eligible to vote in your first elections. Whatever you do, vote. Even if you aren’t thrilled with the candidates, vote. Your voice counts. If you don’t like the major party candidates, then vote for a third party. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not a wasted vote; it makes a statement. If you don’t believe me, ask former vice president Al Gore. His inability to convince people to vote for him instead of Ralph Nader in 2000 cost him the presidential election.

If you have already declared yourself a Democrat or Republican, renounce that affiliation immediately. Too many in my generation are blindly allegiant to a political party, and only see things in black and white. When you look at an issue, think of it in terms of “what’s good for the country/state/people,” not “what’s good for the party/lobby/union.” Look at each issue individually, get informed, study both sides, and then make your decision.

Talk shows and blogs are bursting with people who have lots of complaints, but few solutions. Ignore them. Anyone can whine. Use the skills and knowledge you’ve accumulated to offer solutions, build partnerships, create opportunities.

And if you make a mistake, admit it, make amends, and move on. Too few public figures know how to do that. Use the mistake as a learning experience.

All right, I’ve prattled on enough, beginning to sound like an old man on a park bench. So I will end here with one last sound piece of advice from another prattling old man, Polonius, from Shakespeare’s "Hamlet”: This above all: To thine own self be true.