In a world where university commencement speakers are uninvited at the mere whiff of controversy, it's good to know that at least one school hosted one of the best speeches of the year. Now, I know, you think that I must be talking about President Obama's speech at West Point Military Academy where he defended his policy of "leading from behind" to the newest member of the Defenders of the Free World. But no, not that one. As good as Obama's address was as a campaign stump speech, the commencement speech that I am talking about was at The University of Texas at Austin**.
This one was given by Admiral William McRaven, member of the University of Texas Class of '77. You probably don't know his name, but you certainly know his work. He is was the Commander of the Seal Team Six. You know, that group of brave men who took out Osama bin Laden. Yeah, that guy. Oh, I know President Obama wants us all to believe that he was the one who took out bin Laden, but, without guys like Admiral McRaven, UT Class of '77, well, I won't finish my thought. Anyway, listen to his commencement address. It's short, but packed with great life lessons that we all could use and one that should be remembered. Here are Admiral McRaven's 10 pointers for "changing the world". And, just to get you started, his first one...make your bed every day. It just gets better from there.
Lessons that we all could use. Life is hard and not fair, but you just have to keep moving forward and never ring that bell.
**Disclaimer: I graduated from the University of Texas at Austin, but I was not a Navy Seal. Go Longhorns!
This one was given by Admiral William McRaven, member of the University of Texas Class of '77. You probably don't know his name, but you certainly know his work. He is was the Commander of the Seal Team Six. You know, that group of brave men who took out Osama bin Laden. Yeah, that guy. Oh, I know President Obama wants us all to believe that he was the one who took out bin Laden, but, without guys like Admiral McRaven, UT Class of '77, well, I won't finish my thought. Anyway, listen to his commencement address. It's short, but packed with great life lessons that we all could use and one that should be remembered. Here are Admiral McRaven's 10 pointers for "changing the world". And, just to get you started, his first one...make your bed every day. It just gets better from there.
Lessons that we all could use. Life is hard and not fair, but you just have to keep moving forward and never ring that bell.
**Disclaimer: I graduated from the University of Texas at Austin, but I was not a Navy Seal. Go Longhorns!
24 comments:
Bev,
That speech could actually be of use to conservatives in another way. He is at no point condescending or sneering like certain "genuine" conservatives, who will remain unnamed, would be speaking to them whiny millennials.
Because he probably does actually care about them. And notice? That sincerity glows in every word of his speech.
Hoo Ah Admiral, and Bev. Great post!
Way better than that weird Baz Lurhman thing that doesn't seem to go away.
Kit, good point, though it might easily be extended to both sides of the aisle. McRaven also manages to speak about difficult circumstances with optimism. Conversely, Obama's speech dripped with pessimism and deprecation even as he tried to assert otherwise.
Kit and T-max - Right off the bat, Adm.McRaven was relatable. He opened acknowledging that he was an alum who went to his graduation with hangover. He hooked them early and me. He wasn't slick. Just relaxed, confident, funny, and did you notice that he never demeaned the others who rang that bell? I may have to use this speech as a mental palette cleanser after every Obama speech.
TennJ - I really thought that it was worth hearing. It was a positive message in a world of constant discordant noise.
Kit and tryanmax, I've come to the conclusion that negative thinking is an illness. It spreads until it takes over 100% of the brain and then it prevents all but negative thoughts.
And doesn't it say reams about society that the ability to give a positive speech is considered a rare gift?
Bev, Hook 'em horns? Or is that Texas A&M? And does the winning football team each year really visit the Chicken Ranch? :D
First of all, Andrew - You mentioned UT and A&M in the same sentence, but I will respond to your query anyway. I guess it is one step above mentioning OU...anyway, yes "Hook 'Em Horns" is our UT-Austin secret decoder hand gesture. And, no, the winning team does NOT visit the Chicken Ranch at least not since "The Best Little Whorehouse Went Public" [yes, the Broadway musical sequel that closed in 7 days...I worked on that show too]. A ribald musical comedy sequel that has the famous Chicken Ranch taken over by the IRS...yes, it's sadly true...
Andrew - I agree that negativity is an illness, but it does have a cure. And it is sad that we are so starved for a positive message from a leader-like person that we have to resort to clips of commencement speeches at public universities?
That starve for positive messages may be the reason for Buzzfeed's annoying over-the-top headlines: "She learned she had AIDS/had Cancer/her daughter was gay/she was gay/her father bought a moose. You won't believe what happened next!"
Kit - And yet you didn't post the link...that's just mean.
Bev,
I hate to break it to you, but I made up the moose thing. The rest I just assumed Buzzfeed had already covered
However, College Humor did do a parody of the "She learned she had Cancer, what happens next will blow your mind!" (1min 33sec) (Contains some slight gore)
LINK
Admiral McRaven is one of those commanders we would follow without hesitation and would remember forever..they are rare.
Bev, I've been watching the negativity and it's pretty shocking to me how utterly it consumes people and they don't even seem to realize it. They just think that everything else "has gone to hell". And wow, do they hate being told that they need to be more positive!
I'm waiting for an Aggie joke...
Great speech. I read it this last weekend as the WSJ reprinted it.
Critch - Aggie jokes are the last bastion of approved "ethnic" jokes.
Question: How many Aggies does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
Answer: One to hold the bulb and four to turn the ladder!
Ba-dum-bum...
So, big news - Jay Carney is being replaced. He wants to "spend more time with his family" or in the physical therapy/recovery from having to stretch the truth so often. It must be really draining to have to be snide and condescending all the time.
Oh, and the WH has dumped VA head Gen. Shinseki. Now let's see if we can fix the problems which just get worse with every new revelation.
Bev, I hear the two of them are opening a company together. They make machines that deny killing you.
Crirch, Bev...I don't know any Aggie jokes. So, on the theme of how many students ity takes to screw in a light bulb, I offer the State of Ohio version. (Part 1)
At Ball State it takes ten, one to change the bulb and the other nine to sit around and watch because it is the big entertainment of the evening.
At Bowling Green it takes zero. They are all too drunk from the night before to care whether or not the lights are on. Plus, who needs light to have sex?
At University of Cincinnati it takes four. One to change the bulb, one to steal the new bulb from the store, one as a look out, and one to drive the getaway car.
At University of Dayton it takes eight. One to screw it in and three to carry a couch out into the street to burn and four to tip over a cop car all in honor of the new bulb.
At Michigan it takes two. One to change the bulb and one more to brag how they did it every bit as well as any Ivy League School.
At Ohio State it takes two, one to screw it in and one to time it to make sure they did it faster than Michigan.
At Capital University it takes a hired man, they are all too spoiled and don't know how.
At Youngstown State University it takes seven thugs, one to change the bulb, one to talk smack to the burnt-out bulb, one to deal crack to onlookers, one to load a gun, one to drive the getaway car, and two to pick up some 40's.
At Michigan State it takes two thousand. One to change the bulb, and the other one thousand nine hundred ninety-nine to riot and set it on fire.
At Case Western it takes twenty. One to change the bulb and the other nineteen to find a new way to engineer it so it never has to be changed again.
At Baldwin Wallace it takes zero, they have mommy and daddy pay someone to do it for them.
At Kent State it takes zero, they can't afford light bulbs in the first place, and if they did happen to get one, nobody would be able to read the instructions.
(Part 2)
At Ohio University it takes five, one to bring the weed and four to smoke it while they all imagine they screwed it in.
At Miami University, it takes zero because everyone refuses to do it until they can find a J.Crew light bulb.
At Xavier University, it takes two, one to ask their mom for money to buy a light bulb; they don't have enough money because the school is so DAMN expensive although if they would get a light bulb they would all be passed out drunk at midnight anyways, so what's the point.
At Ohio Northern University it takes five students. One to screw it in, one to hunt for change other than quarters to pay for it, one to drive to Findlay where they actually sell light bulbs, and two to navigate the driver and the buyer back through the corn fields.
At Wright State University it's not known how many students it takes to change a light bulb. All the lights are switched off after 5pm because everyone goes home, even the ones who live on campus. The light bulbs on campus are good for another 11 years.
Rust - HAH! And I thought it was just Aggies we could make fun of! Well, maybe just Aggies are just for Texans...;-)
At Vanderbilt it takes 2 women, one to call the electrician and one to pour the wine....
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