Whatever You Do, Care

Welcome, two thousand and thirteen.

Welcome to high school graduation I guess. The Mayans told you it would never happen, but you didn’t let that stop you. Welcome to the dawning of honest life. Today it’s out of the nest and, huh, time to see if you learned how to fly.

Because when I say today is the dawn of honest life I mean this – frankly – is the end of your parents’ life for you. It is the beginning of your own life. You call the shots now. You benefit from good decisions and you pay the price for bad ones.

In the world you are about to meet, there won’t be any retakes, there won’t be any free tanks of gas, and there won’t be any job promotions awarded for “sufficient effort”. Starting today, you determine the life you wanna live, for better or worse. You are now responsible for you.

I think high school, done the Crimson way, is wonderful. Lasting memories are made and people of character are built here. So take what you’ve learned about who you are and who you hope to be, grab a couple pairs of socks and a toothbrush, and let’s go. Yeah I’m gonna miss you guys and I’ll miss Maple Grove, but everybody knows we can’t stay here any longer. Our dreams, just like our appetites, are outgrowing our parents’ houses.

Look, if you’re already starting to ignore me, here’s what I need you to remember. I challenge you…no, no I beg you:

Wherever you go and whatever you do, CARE.

This world doesn’t need more engineers and doctors and writers and businesspeople if you don’t intend to be young men and women who truly care about something.

Yes, I would encourage you to work hard no matter what you study or where you work. But living a meaningful life and contributing to this world requires that you believe in what you’re doing and truly want to see the job done right. THAT’S what this world needs. In a country with fifty-seven killed in public shootings and almost nine hundred thousand divorces in just one year, we need people who care about something and commit to that passion.

Smart people don’t make the world a better place; it’s driven people that do. 

Your smiling teachers and school faculty are here today because they have found something that drives them, and you are living proof of their dedication, dedication to helping kids grow up into real adults.

I know you have the potential to be great. I’ve met you kids. I legitimately and honestly believe you young men and women have the power to dramatically change your world. I beg you to use that power. Leaders don’t change the world sitting on the couch watching The Bachelor. Go out in the world, find something you can be proud of and go hard; invest in making those ideas become a reality.

Don’t study so you can graduate so you can get a job so you can make money so you can retire and do nothing remarkable. If you’re not passionate about something, and you’re not in it for something besides the money or the GPA or the Lexus, it’s not worth your time. I see great things in you and I wouldn’t be able to stand seeing you live life chasing things that don’t matter to you.

Because I like you guys; I like you guys a lot. I want to see you do big things. I know you can, because I've seen it happen. And I’m proud of you. Really.

I’ll miss you guys.

Good luck out there.