Your ceremonial costume\u2026 shapeless, uniform, one-size-fits-all. Whether male or female, tall or short, scholar or slacker, spray-tanned prom queen or intergalactic X-Box assassin, each of you is dressed, you\u2019ll notice, exactly the same. And your diploma\u2026 but for your name, exactly the same.<\/p>\n
All of this is as it should be, because none of you is special.<\/p>\n
You are not special. You are not exceptional.<\/p>\n
Contrary to what your u9 soccer trophy suggests, your glowing seventh grade report card, despite every assurance of a certain corpulent purple dinosaur, that nice Mister Rogers and your batty Aunt Sylvia, no matter how often your maternal caped crusader has swooped in to save you\u2026 you\u2019re nothing special.<\/p>\n
Yes, you\u2019ve been pampered, cosseted, doted upon, helmeted, bubble-wrapped. Yes, capable adults with other things to do have held you, kissed you, fed you, wiped your mouth, wiped your bottom, trained you, taught you, tutored you, coached you, listened to you, counseled you, encouraged you, consoled you and encouraged you again. You\u2019ve been nudged, cajoled, wheedled and implored. You\u2019ve been feted and fawned over and called sweetie pie. Yes, you have. And, certainly, we\u2019ve been to your games, your plays, your recitals, your science fairs. Absolutely, smiles ignite when you walk into a room, and hundreds gasp with delight at your every tweet. Why, maybe you\u2019ve even had your picture in the Townsman! And now you\u2019ve conquered high school\u2026 and, indisputably, here we all have gathered for you, the pride and joy of this fine community, the first to emerge from that magnificent new building\u2026<\/p>\n
But do not get the idea you\u2019re anything special. Because you\u2019re not.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
It gets better, building to this stem-winding conclusion:<\/p>\n
The fulfilled life is a consequence, a gratifying byproduct. It\u2019s what happens when you\u2019re thinking about more important things. Climb the mountain not to plant your flag, but to embrace the challenge, enjoy the air and behold the view. Climb it so you can see the world, not so the world can see you. Go to Paris to be in Paris, not to cross it off your list and congratulate yourself for being worldly. Exercise free will and creative, independent thought not for the satisfactions they will bring you, but for the good they will do others, the rest of the 6.8 billion\u2013and those who will follow them. And then you too will discover the great and curious truth of the human experience is that selflessness is the best thing you can do for yourself. The sweetest joys of life, then, come only with the recognition that you\u2019re not special.<\/p>\n
Because everyone is.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Read on. <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"From English teacher David McCullough, who offered these gems to the Wellesley High School graduating class in Boston: Your ceremonial costume\u2026 shapeless, uniform, one-size-fits-all. Whether male or female, tall or short, scholar or slacker, spray-tanned prom queen or intergalactic X-Box assassin, each of you is dressed, you\u2019ll notice, exactly the same. And your diploma\u2026 but […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":132,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14101","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-education"],"yoast_head":"\n
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<\/p>\n