Get your own Free Home PageLadies and gentlemen, fellow graduates and honored guests, we have gathered here together for one purpose: to celebrate the graduation of this senior class! This is a momentous occasion, one that will always reside in our memory. This is in celebration of years of our hard work and fervent study. We have jumped hurdle after hurdle, overcome obstacle after obstacle, removed barrier after barrier, and fought challenge after challenge. And in return, we have earned our passage. We have the power now to carve out of this world our own destinies. In many ways, we are now truly adults.
In order to succeed in our future, we must be able to face our fears and live our dreams. This is very important, since there are plenty of fears out there, just waiting to squelch our dreams. If you need an example of a fear, just turn on the evening news. You will hear endless stories about how society is degrading, how the environment is becoming more and more polluted, how corporations everywhere are eliminating jobs left and right, and how the world is teetering on the edge of Armageddon.
Well, maybe not all our fears are so deadly or monumental. Everyone has their own personal fears. Whether it is fear of falling from a great height or fear of going up to give a speech, we all are afraid of something. Only a fool fears nothing.
Personally, my biggest fear right now is leaving home. I know I'm not alone when I say this. In just a matter of weeks, many of us will be packing our bags and going off to colleges far away. We're faced with many worries. What if we never see our friends again? What if the work is too hard? What if the professors don't like us? What if we don't fit in?
Well, let's consider this. What if you never see your old friends again? You'll make new friends at college. And just because you can't see your old friends on a regular basis doesn't mean you can't still keep in touch. You can phone, write, even e-mail each other! And don't forget. There is always the class reunion in five years!
What if the work is too hard? It's true that college-level work takes getting used to. You made it all the way through high school, and that was pretty hard too! Keep trying, ask the professor or a tutor if you need help, and you'll do just fine.
If you look at your worries this way, they become easier to manage. Even large, global threats can be explained away. Take, for instance, nuclear war. At least when the bomb hits you, you never have to worry about the bomb ever again!
Life's too short to worry. Worry can make everything seem hopeless and force you to give up your dreams. If you have no dreams, you will be miserable. You'll settle for flipping burgers for $4.25 an hour and you'll kick yourself when you think, "I could have been a doctor!" My advice is to keep on trying, don't get too panicked, and do what you want to do. If you make a mistake, get on up and try again. You'll soon see that most mistakes are correctable!
It is my hope that each one of you is successful in life and that you have the courage to face your fears and live your dreams. Good night. See you in five years.
Copyright 1998 By Jack Mileur. All rights reserved.
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