As we dawn upon a new age, the glory of humanity and each individual reflects upon us evermore. We enter this Brave New World, uncertain of what lies ahead, but it is precisely this uncertainty that should be welcomed, for certainty is the death of possibility. It is for you to determine what your future will be because in uncertainty we flourish. It is in uncertainty that science tries to find light in the dark, while the social sciences reflect who we are and the humanities paint the blank canvas of our existence. Our liberation lies in the uncertain and nothingness, a stage waiting to be performed on. We escape being animals of fate and become architects of our destiny, on a mission to find ourselves in the pursuit of truth and meaning. We may all feel a little lost now, but for the first time we’re all living today. So, don’t freak out if you feel lost or don’t have everything together. At times we are scared of change, but the only thing scarier than change is no change at all.
You will all strive and push in your lives to be better and do more with the time you have. However, no matter how successful you are, you can never buy more time but you can always make your time worth more. There is no shame in living in the mundane or in magnificence; the only shame is not living a life that is yours.
May your stories be beautiful as you add to the library of humanity. May you be present and enjoy the gift of life because, without ever knowing it, there was a day when, for the last time, your dad carried you on his shoulders and your mother tucked you into bed. There was a last time you and your siblings argued over the TV. There will also come a time when you say a final farewell to those you love. Whether you can imagine it now or not, it will happen. No matter how much time we get with the people we love, with ourselves, and with this life, it’ll never be enough. The best thing we can do is enjoy it now.
And so one day you’ll come to find, as your lives culminate in their final moments, that what made the journey fun was never the degree or the job, never the material; it was about experiencing it all. It was about missing your loved ones, falling in love for the first time, sitting in your room after a breakup, watching the sunset with your friends, spending time with people you love. It was about being present, about experiencing and feeling you. We never remember everything but we always remember how people and places make us feel. What does it mean to feel alive? The cultivation of the soul and being is a continuous process that is never done until the day you rest. You are always becoming something until it is your time to go, and only then will you be everything you’ve ever become. In that last moment when you say farewell to yourself, remember that you were lucky enough to live your life. Remember that existence is built on paradox. One must be lost in order to find. Everything can mean something because it all means nothing. Our existence is singular yet multifaceted, everyone is everything, everywhere all at once. Each of you is the creator of your world and your existence. Your life is only as deep and as beautiful as you make it because ours minds are chambers of reflection.
We leave this school, “educated,” but every end is a beginning. This education is not sacrosanct, it becomes the foundation by which we can analyze and view the world, reason with it and keep pushing. Leave yourself open to the world, open to the fact you may be wrong; when you conclude you stop inquiring, and when you stop inquiring you lose sight of the new. We are all unique embodiments of natural code, wishing to be free while trapped in the human condition. This is what makes life worth living: Certainty and possibility; Knowing and discovering; Happiness and grief; The Beginning and End of it all; Stories of the self, your whole existence. A being lucky enough to experience yourself and this life for the first, only, and last time. Love existence because it is you. The world awaits you all. May your lives bear the fruits of our existence as you all set upon your quest to discover the meaning of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
May life fare you all well.
Thank you.
