Commencement Speech
Given to HCS class of 2009

Ladies and gentlemen, people and places, heroes and villains, cops and robbers, fruits and vegetables, I would like to begin by thanking the class of 2009 for inviting me to say a few words, and most importantly, I would like to thank the PTO for raising the $11,000 to have me come speak.

So, I suppose I am here to give you some advice about life and how to live it, and I may or may not get to that in one or two moments.

But, first of all, I’d like to remind you to thank your teachers. Chances are, you don’t even realize yet how much you’ve learned from them. Sure, you may remember learning about geometric proofs from Mrs. Lehman, or double helixes from Ms. Monty, but when was the last time you thought about your own concept of the number 1000, and how in the dark you would be if Ms. McGill hadn’t sent you home with the instruction to bring in 1000 of any one thing, divided into 10 groups of 100, which were further divided into 10 groups of 10? I’ve thought many times recently about sitting in my back yard, breaking sticks into twigs, and bundling them up with rubber bands. If I had not performed this task at the age of 7, would I ever have really understood what the number 1000 meant?

Another valuable and basic lesson that comes to mind for me, is the time when, in first grade, during a simple game of Thunder, Lightning, Fire, Ice, Mr. Blackford called out lightning, and everyone began running from thunder to lightning, but as we were running, we realized that the fastest runner in the class, the leader of the pack, was running towards fire, and rather than continue on our path towards lightning, everyone’s path curved 90 degrees in one direction, and all of us followed the leader towards fire. Mr. Blackford immediately sat us all down in the Monkey Box and gave us a very serious lecture about the importance of thinking for ourselves that has remained in my memory to this day.

Now, chances are, this exact event did not happen to you, but I am confident that as time goes by, you will be reminded quite regularly of instances in which you have learned specific essential things from specific essential people. And I encourage you to write short notes to these people, thanking them for all they have done for you. You don’t have to do this right away. In fact, it might be even more meaningful if you wait ten years, and then start writing occasional notes to people who have changed your life. Chances are, there is nothing you could possibly do that would mean more to a teacher than to write him or her a few short paragraphs somewhere down the road about how they’ve affected you. This is directed to everyone in this room today. Write some notes. Notes are great. Who wouldn’t want a spontaneous thank you note? I know I would.

As you go off into this world, you will meet many more teachers. My advice to you is this: let everyone be your teacher. Let the world be your teacher. And don’t be a passive student. Attempt to extract knowledge and wisdom from every mind you meet. Here’s some more advice: college is great, but libraries are free. And a good librarian is often the best teacher. Wherever you go, try to talk to people one-on-one. Many colleges will give you credit for individual tutorials with professors of your choice on topics of your choosing. My biggest regret is not taking advantage of this until my senior year. Some of my peers started schmoozing with professors right from the get-go, and not only did this benefit their education, but in some cases it led to the professors inviting them to join their music ensembles after graduation, and they now tour the world with them. But wherever you go from here, talk to people. If you want to know something, ask someone. And if you happen to be in possession of some knowledge of your own, share it with other people. In the words of Fred Rogers, it all works out if you talk and you listen.

Now that I’ve said a few words about teachers and teaching, I’d like to change things up, and talk about you, the graduates, and perhaps give you some advice.

In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man may in fact be King, but we don’t live in that world. We live in the land of the two-eyed, where the three-eyed man is king. Lesson is, if you wanna be king, you gotta get yourself another eye, see? But what makes you so sure you wanna be king? The king is a freak. A three-eyed freak. You don’t wanna be a freak, do you? Maybe you do and maybe you don’t. It’s hard to tell, until you get that third eye. Foresight is blind, so I say it’s best not to worry about it.

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Avoid foreign entanglements. Never get involved in a land war in Asia. Don’t be a racist. Don’t be a classist. Don’t be a sexist. Don’t be a moron. The map is not the territory, the menu is not the meal, and the word is not the thing it describes. Keep yourself clean. Cleanliness is next to cleanliness. Love your neighbor; love your enemy; Love yourself; love is all you need. Be a lover, not a fighter. If you want to make the world a better place take a look at yourself and make a change. Eat your vegetables, brush your teeth, get plenty of sunlight. Walk, don’t drive. Or, if you must drive, buckle up. Be a philosopher king unto your own Universe. Don’t get distracted from your goals by drugs, alcohol, and television. Here’s something I can’t stress highly enough: beans, in addition to being the cheapest source of protein, are among the healthiest and most delicious sources of protein. Black beans and lentils are my favorites, but there are plenty of others. Fava Beans, Cannellini Beans, Garbanzo Beans, Great Northern Beans, Kidney Beans, Lima Beans, Navy Beans, Pinto Beans, Soy Beans, … the list goes on, my friends. If you find yourself in difficult financial times, don’t try to live on McDonald’s. Beans are much cheaper, and much better for you. And you can spice them up a bit, and I think you’ll really enjoy them. Even if you’re rich, you can still eat your beans. Dried beans are the cheapest. Because, you see, even though they cost more by the pound, when you add the water, they triple in weight. So, if you have a kitchen, I recommend getting yourself some dried beans. Another thing you have to keep mind when dealing with dried beans is that you have to soak them ahead of time, which brings me to my next topic: planning ahead. It’s always a good idea to plan ahead.

So, what have I said so far? Plan ahead, eat your beans, love your neighbor, write your teachers. I think those are four important things to keep in mind. Here’s another: Be thankful for everything you have. If you are religious, thank God I say, or if you’re not, you can begin each day like I do, and thank the void. The important thing is to just be thankful. When things get difficult, look at the colors! Look at all the beautiful blues and reds and maroons, and greens. Look at the light! How lucky you are to be alive to see color, and to hear music, and to live and love and to laugh and to cry, and feel ecstasy and pain, and to grow and to learn, and to eat and smell flowers and to watch sunsets and to write poems and to run marathons. When times get tough, try not to lose sight of the beauty of it all, and the simplicity of it all, and the complexity of it all, and the absurdity of it all. Why cry at life when you can laugh at it? Or even better, cry, and then laugh at yourself crying. That’s where the real happiness occurs. Laughter through tears. In this world, you’ll have some trouble; when you worry, you make it double. Don’t worry; be happy. When you walk out the door today, I want you to jump up and down. Jump up and down and thank your feet and legs and muscles and parents, and grandparents, and ancestors and everything that has happened throughout history that allows you the pleasure of jumping up and down. Life is a celebration. Talk to the trees, worship the wind. Build a sandcastle to the moon.

I would like to conclude by bringing up two quotations from the great philosopher Jiminy Cricket: “Always let your conscience be your guide,” and “when you wish upon a star, your dreams come true.” The first quotation is one that I doubt anyone would disagree with. However, throughout life, you will face many people who disagree with the second. There are probably many of those people in this very room. Don’t listen to them. When you wish upon a star, your dreams do come true. Dreams are constantly coming true. I myself find that it is not unusual for 4 or 5 of my dreams to come true in a single afternoon. I posit this: those who would deny that wishing upon a star will cause dreams to come true have never even bothered to try wishing upon a star. You can be anything you want to be. Ignore anyone who tells you otherwise. There is a wealth of possibilities available to you. Anything your heart desires will come to you. If your heart is in your dream, no request is too extreme. When you wish upon a star, your dreams come true.  Thank you for your time, and don’t forget to jump up and down on your way out. 

   -Chris White, 2009