...does anyone really pay serious attention to their commencement address? I don't remember mine. Do you?
Maya Angelou spoke at my commencement. I most definitely remember what she said: she inspired us. She told us that "someone would find a treatment for an incurable disease. Will it be you? Someone will find a new way to solve our energy problems. Will it be you? Someone will find a way to alleviate the disastrous effects of poverty. Will it be you?"
Youthful idealists can do more harm than good, so they worry me. My message would be to not worry about saving the world but to find the best-paying career that you are competent at and do not dislike, since how much a job is paid is a measure of how much value it is creating. You can always give away excess wealth later, as Bill Gates is doing. There is currently talk about the need to forgive government-guaranteed student loans for people with low incomes. Young people should think first about repaying their loans and not becoming public charges. I could give a memorable graduation speech
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