Copy and Paste Graduation Speeches

I attended my niece’s graduation yesterday–a joyous occasion for a great kid–from one of the premier private high school’s in New England. The auditorium was electrified by the pitch of the kid’s excitement — they were the center of attention, flashing magazine-ready poses towards every popping camera flash, long-stemmed roses temporarily replacing their cell phones.

But the anti-climax occurred even before the diplomas were awarded; in fact, as soon as we sat down. I knew it would, but hoped, as I always do at these occasions, that I would be wrong. Please, God of Commencements, let there be more than the stock "be true to yourselves, follow your heart, Kalihl Gibran, Nelson Mandela, change the world, chart your own course" pablum today. Is that so much to ask? Can’t we do better by our children and this memorable and momentous moment in their lives than to drag out the left-overs of every bad commencement address we have ever heard?

Oh, but it doesn’t matter, you say. They won’t remember what is said, you argue. But that’s just the point–few of us remember what was said at our graduations precisely because it was was so forgettable, so cliched, so useless.

Great oratory is not accidental, irrelevant, or transitory. Many years ago, I heard the late Barbara Jordan give the Commencement address at Williams. She walked slowly to the podium and stood there for well on a minute, looking, it seemed, at every face in the sea before her. She waited, and then in that unmistakable, great, gravelly, pay attention, booming voice of hers, she said very, very slowly–enunciating each word, "There is nothing new under the sun…." and we were off into one of the greatest speeches I have ever heard.

There is only one Barbara Jordan, to be sure. But when we are asked to put words to events, we owe our audiences a great deal more than what passes for most commencement addresses today.