The Greatest Generation

Last year, the commencement at the illustrious institution from which I was chewed up and spit out was given by Mr. Steve Jobs.  Hailed and commented upon for its impassioned advice for all graduates to pursue their dreams, it was most memorable.  I, in fact, remember the address at my own ceremony.  Delivered by the much disputed Carly Fiorina, it was an inspiring speech imploring us to remember where we came from and where we are going.  I tend to think that while Harvard goes for someone popular like Seth McFarlane to deliver their commencement address, Stanford relies more on substance than anything.

This year was no different.

Tom Brokaw, the former NBC news anchor, graced the new graduates with a stirring reminder of what challenges we face in the new century before us.  While we are blessed with new technological brilliance and high standards of living, we must remain aware of the human experience as a whole and carry our convictions strongly.  Like the generation before us, we cannot turn a blind eye to the world around us.

They did not attach themselves simply to a virtual experience and find satisfaction in a search engine. They were boots on the ground, hands in the dirt, nights in scary places, healing and courageous. They stepped into the unknown and they made it more welcoming for the rest of us.

This is where we stood on our initial foray into the real world.  Where do we stand now?  Where has our determination taken us?  Although there are countless nodes of information before us, what do we do with it?  Mr. Brokaw reminds us that we should be steadfast in our beliefs and remember the freedoms we have been granted not just from our country, but as human beings.

Life away from the keyboard, the PDA and the cell phone is a life in which you connect to the websites of your personal convictions, and that is an obligation you must carry with you the rest of your days. And that role is never more satisfying when it is expressed robustly, especially when others are attempting to suppress your participation or belittle your beliefs.

While it is most important to hold these beliefs close to one's heart perhaps it is more important to recognize this on a personal level, and what it means individually.  How does this effect our world view and how are we supposed to live with these beliefs in our own home?

If we portray ourselves as patrons of democracy abroad, we must be certain that we're stewards at home of a fundamental tenet of that governing principle.

Mr. Brokaw's words are strong with the determination he no doubt wants the graduates to deliver to themselves.  This is how he believes we should be inspired to proceed with our lives.  I don't disagree with him and his final message really brings home his message of courage and compassion.

So I invite you to go forth from here with your Stanford degree in hand with the conviction to carry on their legacy, to improve on it, to create your own legacy of greatness, to live your convictions not just at the keyboard but on the streets, in the arena and in the polling place, to arrive each morning determined to hate hate, to become colorblind, to take a chance, to love your mother, Mother Earth. In the past I have concluded these remarks by saying it's easy to make a buck; it's tough to make a difference. And then a father wrote to me and said, "I work on Wall Street. I have a rewriting of your phrase. It's tough to make a buck; but if you make a lot of bucks, you can make a helluva difference."

While serious on many points, I did find that Mr. Brokaw made some very humorous remarks about the world we live in and what the privilege of our new century brings us.  We have been granted so many opportunities not just to explore the world around us, but to make life beautiful and exciting.  It is not the technology that surrounds us, but our beliefs that power this opportunity.  Maybe we could all use a little separation from that monitor in our lives.  Or maybe we just need to remember what we hold closest to our hearts.  

Read the whole transcript here.