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Saturday, June 9, 2012

So, you think you're special? Think again

I have found my hero.  I swear, this guy makes my heart pitter-pat.  (or, maybe he has been reading my blog and I just love hearing my sentiments spoken in such an eloquent fashion)  Finally, someone telling high school students the truth.  Of course everyone laughs, because this guy has a wonderful way of making the truth palatable, but don't laugh so hard you don't hear what he is saying.

David McCullough, Jr., an English teacher at Wellesley High School near Boston is my new hero.

He told the students and all their parents and grandparents, "none of you is special" in a lively, if unusual, speech.

He highlighted their "pampered, cosseted, doted upon, helmeted, bubble-wrapped" existence.

"You've been nudged, cajoled, wheedled and implored," McCullough said. "You've been feted and fawned over and called sweetie pie. Yes, you have."

But he warned them, "Do not get the idea that you're anything special. Because you're not."

McCullough pointed out that "across the country, no fewer than 3.2 million seniors are graduating about now from more than 37,000 high schools."

"That's 37,000 valedictorians ... 37,000 class presidents ... 92,000 harmonizing altos ... 340,000 swaggering jocks ... 2,185,967 pairs of Uggs," he added.  Then, driving the point home, "Think about this: even if you're one in a million, on a planet of 6.8 billion that means there are nearly 7,000 people just like you."

(this is my favorite part)  "You see, if everyone is special, then no one is. If everyone gets a trophy, trophies become meaningless," he said, before musing, "We have of late, we Americans, to our detriment, come to love accolades more than genuine achievement." 

Mr. McCullough does not leave the audience feeling hopeless.  He reminds the graduates to live their lives fully. 

"Resist the easy comforts of complacency, the specious glitter of materialism, the narcotic paralysis of self-satisfaction," he urged his audience. "Dream big. Work hard. Think for yourself. Love everything you love, everyone you love, with all your might. And do so, please, with a sense of urgency."

He pointed out, "the great and curious truth of the human experience is that selflessness is the greatest thing you can do for yourself."

At the end, unfortunately, he did contradict himself by saying, "the sweetest joys of life come then only with the recognition that you're not special, because everyone is."  (I guess he wanted to keep his job)

I hope you take 10 minutes to listen to the speech in total.  This guy has a very good delivery.  I'm looking forward to enjoying the rest of my weekend knowing that, at least 400 people have heard that they aren't special and maybe, just maybe, we can start working together, in this country instead of just working for ourselves.

The excerpts from this speech were lifted off this internet article.



5 comments:

  1. "Resist the easy comforts of complacency, the specious glitter of materialism, the narcotic paralysis of self-satisfaction," he urged his audience. "Dream big. Work hard. Think for yourself. Love everything you love, everyone you love, with all your might. And do so, please, with a sense of urgency."
    Love this!!!!!!!!!!!  :)

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  2. love his words later on...i tend to think each of us is special in our own way...but i think we do celebrate the wrong things often and the right things not enough...

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  3. "We've come to love accolades more than genuine
    achievement."  So true.  But I'm special because of whose image I've been created in, but so are you.

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  4. So interesting that he contradicted himself in the end.  Hmmm...

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  5. what?  Someone being authentic. Cool

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