25 mei 2023
soon to be delivered
Thank you. On behalf of all of us who spent two years at Chabot Community College in Hayward, CA, two semesters at Cal State University in Sacramento, and forty-five years at Hard Knocks College with a Bachelor of Arts degree -Damn-Thing-After-Other, - yes , it's a pleasure to be here, thank you, Harvard, it's about time...
Some of us can recite a strange creature from another planet with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortals, repeating the prologue of a TV show we watch maybe five days a week. Superman, disguising himself as a genteel reporter for a metropolitan newspaper - there have been many metropolitan newspapers, some of them great - can change the course of great rivers and bend steel with his bare hands. He is faster than a bullet, more powerful than a locomotive and can jump over tall buildings in one go. Those are pretty impressive superpowers, right?
The most impressive thing about his powers is the way he uses them. Yes, the cat was rescued from the tree. The innocent are rescued, the bad guys are banished to the Phantom Zone - with reliable, reliable regularity. But in these half-hour adventures - which have since been turned into many feature films and multiverses - the constant battle is not only to protect and secure the world, but also to strike a new balance between what is horribly wrong and what is wrong. what needs to be obtained. correct. Superman, you see - and his replacements: Wonder Woman, Captain America, Black Panther and Widow, the Avengers, Fantastic Four and my God, there are millions of them, and they are all part of this never ending Truth, the Just War and the American way. In a fight like this, being superhuman is an advantage. But unfortunately he doesn't have Superman in his Justice League, and neither does anyone else.
In that case, beware of any speaker who uses the sacred words of historical figures, literary legends, and famous quotes to show off his wisdom or super powers. Those standing on this podium should be considered the lucky ones who were in the right place at the right time with the right merchandise and the right attitude. Or as a man named Marlon Brando once told me... Do you remember that name, I just fell down there. That's right... Marlon Brando... once left a message on my answering machine - "Tommy Tommy Handkerchief, this is a play by Marlon Brando, I wonder where you are..." He later told me that when he applied to Upon entering the draft he filled out the form with his name and age, but when it comes to race he wrote: HUMAN. "What else do we have but humans?"
Yes, we are all human. As a literary historian who takes pleasure in reading non-fiction, these books divinely suggest that no graduating class has ever hadNeeFacing the greatest challenge of all time; every spring the vortex of history whirls so wildly
Regardless of the year, season or generation, there is always an atmospheric river of events that makes the present a turning point in our fortunes. We watched from the stands as you all put on hats and dresses and hoped help was finally on its way. Somewhere, under one of those hats and dresses, was a man of steel, a woman of steel - a superman - and just in time. It's not because we haven't fulfilled our duties or are exhausted. We've done great things through the generations. That's because we're in a cage match, a mixed martial arts battle royale featuring paranoid, ignorant, and incompetent, evil operatives like Imperial Storm Troopers, Lex Luther, and Loki. We can be superheroes now.
Looking at the flowing colors of Harvard Garden, we see young and restless sentient beings, full of vitality, imagination, justice and enlightenment, joy and compassion. We celebrate your professed wisdom, your work ethic. We know that no one can go faster than a bullet - and this has been proven too many times, too many times every day - but we can still summon more power than a locomotive and, if we make the right choice, we can only jump high once . time. We could change the course of great rivers, and if we did, we could build machines that would bend steel as easily as our own hands.
And we know that we often seem like strangers from another planet to each other - different in customs, tastes and languages, holidays and even names for the days of the week. We all have special powers and abilities that other mortals can't match... some of us can easily fix a screen door. Take care of a 5 year old and a toddler 24 hours a day and never stop loving them. yes, none of us are human. Yet we want to look at the sky and see not a bird or a plane, but a young, strong, superhuman man who will fight the endless battle for truth, righteousness and righteousness. The American way - whoever does the work.
An eccentric uncle once said that we should all stay in school as long as possible, because once we graduate, we have to work every day for the rest of our lives. That man, you know, was a little bit bitter, but he wasn't wrong. We're all going to complain about this man we all have debts to pay but the work we have to do is build our "most perfect union" and it's work that can never, ever be done and strict requirements required. attention and unconditional attention. fan of
necessary. This work is about keeping our promise in the Promised Land, practicing decency, protecting freedom, and promoting freedom for all -- without exception. Man it takes a lot of work every day in multiple workplaces - call them all a fight for truth, justice and the American way.
Yes. The American way, exemplified by common lines of sight and subtleties, routine moments of communication, broad expectations, places of historical interest and importance, and the small spaces we all inhabit. The American way is the example if you respect the law and the rights of all people, because if you don't do it, who will? When your food is served, you thank the waiter, because if you don't, who will? If you pick up the trash, it won't go to the bin, because if you don't pick it up, who will? If you vote on your conscience and make sure your neighbors can do the same with their conscience, because if you don't, who will? If you enjoy your victories, if you accept your defeats, for both are the fruit of pride and noble effort. If you don't do it, who will?
The American way originated not far from here, when the king's subjects demanded more control over their lives than anyone else's definition of providence demanded. At the same time part of the entire population was driven from their homes,
All were enslaved, regardless of age. And the native inhabitants of this continent, from the sea to the shining sea, the only ones who carry American DNA, are considered subhuman. Even with such paradoxes, he writes how justice may be brought about, domestic peace secured, the common defense secured, the common good promoted, and how the blessings of liberty claimed for ourselves and our descendants, as time and conflict and our democratic institutions
Decisions, our gender, race, spirit, color, chosen deity or who we love are clear destinies in our quest for our own happiness. We all, without exception, have an inalienable right to freedom and liberty because… we live in the United States of America.
The vocabulary of the American way - the law and rights we share, part philosophizing, part answering questions, the rest practical, even physical, tangible of course - is language that tells the truth. It is in light of the quest for truth that we look to the new additions to the Justice League Avengers to the rescue, as for some, the truth is no longer empirical, based on data, common sense or even good manners - telling the truth - they are no longer the measure of public service, the antidote to our fears or the guide to our actions. Now opinion, narrative, zero-sum endgame argues that truth is malleable. The images are boldly created to fulfill the main task of driving the truth through analog logic - "I'm just saying...I'm just asking...I'm just imagining..." Now literally, maybe don't believe your eyes . Your ears help others to lie to you. Someone will relate the world to you exactly the way you want it, full of different facts and
Maintaining the status quo or denying guilt depends on your position in the food chain and on the moral spectrum.
The American way can be shown endlessly as an eternal prayer. Justice can be a daily quest, case by case, both at the speed of light and the slow, unavoidable gravitational effects. But the truth, oh the truth, breeds in the highlands - as elusive as serenity, but as sure as the North Star and the Southern Cross. Truth is discovered at the intersection of our chosen behavior and our established habits. Truth has honesty, honor,
Transparency - even though it is the habit of many to use these words quickly and casually - creates enemies, claims victimhood, elevates mediocrity to merit, and renders clouded views that are actually crystal clear. Likewise, the truth has many contradictions. skipped. (You don't have to know!) Distraction (That's not the real story! It is!) Opinion masquerading as clairvoyance (It's going to happen!) And influence (You know, a lot of people say... . . )
Truth also has an enemy, and like any colored kryptonite it is like a wild dog, never far from the road, in the weeds and shadows, waiting for a fatal chance to overthrow the truth. That beast is indifference, which will render senseless all eternity found in truth. Apathy can spoil the vibrant hope of our Promised Land. Propaganda and outright lies will erode. Idolatry and images lose their luster and impact over time. Ignorance and bigotry can be replaced by experience in an instant. But indifference narrows Americans' horizons and obscures the light of the Statue of Liberty's symbolic torch. Apathy turns civilians into indentured servants employed by tyrants and tyrants who hold their power till they die, through the subterfuge of complicity, the rationality of rewarding complicity and drifting into the vacuum created by indifference A weary of struggle A wretched nation , tired enough to lose hope, who wants to be saved by superhero fiction.
Every day, every year, for every graduating class, there's a choice, and the same choice every adult must make: to be one of the three kinds of Americans -- those who embrace freedom and freedom for all people, those who don't, or those who don't care. Today you all officially participate in this endless battle, the difference is how sincerely you believe in it, how loudly you proclaim it, how firmly you defend the self-evident truth - of course we all create equal, but otherwise we are of course all this together. Regardless of our gender, our beliefs, our status, our heritage, our genetic makeup, the color of our skin or our continental birthplace, justice and the American way is within reach.
Ancestor. Why do some people find it difficult to accept this fact? If you live in the United States of America, this truth is sacred and immutable, engraved on the cornerstone of our republic. When it comes to our racing, there are many models, but only one chassis. None of us are superhuman, but we're Americans and we're willing to admit that none of us are human when it comes to our race. Malone Bran Flakes said this to Tommy Tommy Handkerchief.
Congratulations. divine speed. May goodness and mercy be with you - in all the days of your life - every day.