EDITOR, The Tribune
If I may give an address to the graduating students of 2020.
First, let me dispel a few myths: The world is not coming to an end, you do not get a free pass and we can’t do this without you. Now here’s the deal. I know this is not the year you envisioned. I imagine you dreamt of 2020 being everything but a health pandemic or having to stay locked away in your homes for months without any clear indication of when things will return to normal.
Over the last few months, and with the help of technology, you’ve had to attend classes, submit assignments, communicate with your teachers and talk to your friends via an electronic device or through a computer screen. You’ve had to rely on your own time management skills and self-discipline to get the work done without the piercing gaze or constant beckoning of your teachers.
For many of you, going to school was your refuge, and you now find yourself having to stay for long periods of time in environments that aren’t safe, environments that are uninspiring and unfortunately don’t provide you with the resources you need to live a healthy and balanced life. Like having access to proper food and water, shelter and love. I am asking you to hold on a little longer.
These are not easy times, and for your parents and guardians, I imagine these are terrifying times. Times that force you to look at the future with pessimistic eyes, because everything around you seems hopeless and dark. Graduates, this is where you must rise. This is where you must become the light that our world needs more than ever.
The truth is, this is not the first pandemic the world has faced. If you study history, you would discover that we have encountered dark times many times before. We share space on a planet with billions of people, animal and plant species and human inventions, and so quite frankly these kinds of things are inevitable. This is not the first and it most certainly won’t be the last.
What you are experiencing right now is a lesson in living. You have a front row seat view of what it means to be an inhabitant in a world that is constantly changing. You are the lucky ones. You get to see and feel and share what most of us older folks experienced after leaving the comfort of the school walls and our parents’ embrace. You— graduates, are ahead of the game.
In a few months, you will leave one world—which for the most part had a few guarantees, for a world that is slightly different. The world you are stepping into is one that at first will seem mean and unwelcoming. You will trip over a few times and hit brick walls and get a few bruises. Think of it as a rite of passage or a test (yes there are more tests) you must pass to arrive at your goal. Know this, these too shall pass.
As the world works to end this COVID-19 health crises, we are going to need new ideas, creative inventions and ingenuity to thrive in our communities, industries and countries at large. We need you—the youthful and energetic and bold new graduates to help us find ways to do things better. To better serve this planet by becoming champions of climate change, poverty, human rights, socio-economic inequalities and joblessness among the youth.
We need you to not just complain about things not being done, but to take up your own causes, engage, debate and start movements that inspire action and serve as the catalyst for real change.
Yes, this may seem like a big ask, but it’s nothing compared to the light and gifts and passion you have deep within you. You were created for this time and this era. This is your world.
2020 is not the year you envisioned, but it is the year you have. My question is— What are you going to do about it? Are you going to sit around feeling sorry for yourself, or are you going to make 2020 the year you decided to rise above fear and pessimism and became a force for good.
I will end this the way I began by dispelling these few myths: The world is not coming to an end, you do not get a free pass and we can’t do this without you! I salute you as you join the rest of us who are fighting for a world we can all be proud of. Welcome to the fight!
As always, dwell in the space of possibility!
CLARENCE C. ALBURY
Nassau
May 11, 2020
Comments
Porcupine 3 years, 10 months ago
Mr. Albury says, "As the world works to end this COVID-19 health crises, we are going to need new ideas, creative inventions and ingenuity to thrive in our communities, industries and countries at large. We need you—the youthful and energetic and bold new graduates to help us find ways to do things better. To better serve this planet by becoming champions of climate change, poverty, human rights, socio-economic inequalities and joblessness among the youth."
Thank you Mr. Albury. Your words are right on the mark. To better serve this planet also means to better serve all of us.
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