Tag Archives: Michael Jordan

An Inspirational Speech to Graduating Students

 

Snapshots of the Future

My alma mater called and requested that I give an inspirational speech during the graduation rites of its Grade School Department.

Odd.

A week before, I made a self-assessment and determined I wanted more training / experience in public speaking.  Hmmm…  What can I say?  The universe will conspire to get you what you want, when you want it.  That is, immediately, or almost immediately.

Let me share with you the text of my speech.

Beloved director, principal and members of the faculty, proud parents, and above all, the graduates.  My congratulations.

I imagine that you are excited at graduating, a little scared of going to highschool, sad about saying goodbye to friends and teachers, and excited about the summer.  I also felt the same way when I was 12.

Looking at your faces, at this school, at the teachers, I realize that everything has changed.  And nothing has changed.

But let me tell you, tomorrow will be the beginning of one of the most wonderful, memorable, exciting part of your lives.

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King of the Road and the Human Spirit

Waking the Dragon Within

Waking the Dragon Within

King of the Road: a marathon.

I stand stationary within the sea of runners, the camera of my eyes running through the length of everyone fighting the battle of man versus himself.  And I cannot help but be amazed – what is it that makes man want to go through this undertaking and fight this battle against gravity, against skyrocketing heart rates, against pain?  There must be pain: the initial brittleness of the bone, the resistance of the heart and then the pumping of the sweat through the glands until it breaks out and the player is bathed with the prize of having won against his will.  The most natural state, after all, is supine.  Yes, there must be pain.

Deliverance too.  Because otherwise, why would they do it?  I am almost sure that there is an insight here.

What is it?

I look about: they seem normal to me – some old, some new, maybe single, maybe fathers, maybe mothers.  Some children are on the grass, playing, cheering a parent or parents on.  I see celebrities: Rovilson Fernandez, a Kenyan runner, there were sightings too of Karylle.  But mostly there was humanity – converged in these acres of grass, in various poses as they flex their bones and mentally prepare for the run.

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