I’m such a sucker for commencement speeches.
I could really just sit and watch them all day.
But I don’t.
Because I have a job and have to work.
And be productive.
Regardless, here’s the latest one I’ve watched.
Oprah addresses the Harvard graduating class of 2013.
And anything that has to do with Oprah can’t be bad.
So if you have some time this weekend, watch it (You can start around minute 8).
Let me know what you think! 🙂
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMWFieBGR7c&w=560&h=315]
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At your invitation, I offer my two cents:
I like Oprah, generally. I like her intentions, although I don’t always agree with her actions or thoughts.
Her thoughts originate pure on this day, but I believe she has misplaced her authority and her position. She misused this moment in graduates and their families lives as her personal political rant. This wasn’t political, it was a moment of launch for people, with stories and struggles. Her intention was to motivate, equip, inspire … she did that here and there … but she used the platform and podium to promote her personal beliefs and political stance. So, in a manner of speaking, she cheated them out of their moment. It was about THEM, not gun control, not political party separatism, and the like. The shots of the audience seemed to echo my thoughts in many of the faces.
I whole heartedly agree that we all fall and knowing that in advance with make it easier to get up, brush ourselves off, and try again. Her example of how everyone, no matter the title, the office, the ecomonic statis, ask “is that OK?”. Haven’t we all been there? This knowledge bridges separation and equips each of us with confidence. I just wish she had stuck to solutions like the little boy, the little girl, and herself. Make a difference where you are today and it will echo from your home, into your city; out from your city and into your state; out of your state and into a region, then into a nation; and maybe it will affect politics … and maybe it won’t but don’t do it for that reason – do it because know one can do what Y-O-U can do.
(steps down from her small wooden soap box, picks it up, tucks it under her arm, and retreats back into cyberspace).
Jody! I completely agree with you! Glad I wasn’t the only one who felt that way. But like you said, there were some insights here and there that I appreciated. Thanks for reading!
I liked the part on failure! 🙂
I never thought about commencement speeches as something to seek out, so thank you for that idea. It is true that speakers will make extra effort to couch their topic in a forward thinking and positive light due to the audience.
I think that everyone should hear her main point about stumbling, don’t let it be the whole definition of who you are – it happens to everyone, and no one should be so cautious in life that they never stumble.