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Swanson: Dear graduates, |
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I’m writing this letter to you today to pass along some wisdom that comes with 60-plus years of living. I know you probably won’t take this seriously, maybe you’re not even going to read this now.
First, I congratulate you all for surviving these past 13 years and making it to the end with various levels of achievement. But if you think surviving the educational years up to age 18 are a big deal, just wait until you see what you have ahead of you.
For many of you, your education will continue at a college or vocational school. I caution you, these are not days to play around; these are the most important times of your lives. To make the most of the experience, you have to be awake and sober. Naturally, you’ll want to party some, but party is not on the list of majors at any post-secondary school. And partying hard can get you in trouble, in some cases, that even means dead. Dead is not how you want to spend the rest of your life, in fact, there will not be any rest of your life.
You will not want to sleep through classes either. Every bit of information that is presented in college, is presented because it is an important part of the goal which you have set for yourself. Whether you become an electrician or a physician or a dietitian, you will need to know everything that you will be taught. Someday someone’s life could depend on what you know.
You will not want to forget those at home. Mom, dad, little sisters and brothers will miss you as much as you miss them, even if you will never admit it. And a thank you, to anyone who has helped guide you or made it possible for you to get where you are going, would be a really nice thing to do.
Take note, if you will, of the cartoon on this page. It may not be absolutely true, you may some day be able to make changes concerning war, taxes, the stock market or the cost of health care ... but maybe not. Yet, as most of you have discovered by the many volunteer activities that you have done during these past few years, you can always make a difference in small and seemingly less important ways.
Even while pursuing your educational goals, you can find ways to help your brother or sister. I’m not talking about your siblings. There’s a thing called kindness that can be shown to others whether you are living in a dorm, setting up your own apartment or even getting married and buying a home of your own. If you live with or near other people, kindness is of the utmost importance to make every day a little better for those with whom we share this planet. And who among us does not live with or near other people?
Then there’s this thing called sharing, whether it be a can of non-perishable food, a car jack, or a piece of plywood to cover a broken window. In times of need, every act of sharing counts.
And no matter where you go or what you do, if you care about people, enough so that you do not hurt them or deny them the necessities of life for your own greedy gains, you will be considered a decent person.
Kindness, sharing and caring go a long way to make you successful, at least the kind of successful that matters the most. Maybe that’s not what you have in mind right now, just days after leaving high school. You’re free, for a while, but the responsibilities of being an adult will catch up to you soon.
Good luck and be happy. That’s all I really wish for you as you begin the next leg of your journey through life.
Love,
MaryHelen Swanson
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