2008 Woodie Awards
Message to graduating seniors
Matthew Burton Kelly
Issue date: 4/29/08 Section: Opinion
I have a virtual sticky note on the desktop of my Powerbook with various quotations I've come across over the past few years.
As I write this, three of them come to mind as being especially important around this time:
"Now and then we had a hope that if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates." Mark Twain.
"Punk rock should mean freedom . . . playing anything that you want, as sloppy as you want, as long as it's good and it has passion." Kurt Cobain
"I'll tell you this: no eternal reward will forgive us now for wasting the dawn." Jim Morrison.
I've never before considered that these men were all saying the same thing. Regardless of what you think of Twain's satire, Nirvana's unintelligible lyrics, or Morrison's drug use, hopefully you agree that everyone realizes a small bit of truth during their life that can be passed on to others.
In this case, I believe the message is pretty clear: do what you want to do. Each quotation addresses a different aspect of this message, and I think together they provide some good advice.
To take Cobain's words at face value, you shouldn't have to worry about the rest of the world because you are free of it.
The explanation is deeper: as long as you are passionate enough about what you do, the world will find you and take care of you. This is true in business, in art, and in love. If you choose to do something that you love and throw yourself into it, you will be free.
Twain's pirates are free by the grace of God for a reason. Twain wrote about a great many things, always with a purpose.
He did not rail against the heavens to change the world for himself. He did what he could to change the world from within the systems in place through his writing.
God does not permit just anyone to be a pirate: you have to earn that freedom by showing that you understand the rules of the game, even if you choose to break them.
Morrison may have been talking about ethereal pleasures in life when he sang this, but I think there is something under the surface.
If there is something you love and are good at, why wait to do it? Why put off until tomorrow what you can do with your life today? If you want to graduate, do it. If you want to start your own business based on your passion, do it. Don't waste your life doing what you hate. If your life isn't perfect, change it. These three messages spell out some basic guidelines for being free. I think there will be sacrifices involved, but I would rather sacrifice for something I love than for something I do to survive. If you do what you want passionately enough, you will be ok. If you tweak the rules to your best advantage, God will let you be a pirate. If you have a dream, seize the day and follow it.
This is a message to the graduating seniors (congratulations, by the way). It's also a message to myself, because we all need inspiration from time to time. Do what makes you happy, and life will be ok.
As I write this, three of them come to mind as being especially important around this time:
"Now and then we had a hope that if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates." Mark Twain.
"Punk rock should mean freedom . . . playing anything that you want, as sloppy as you want, as long as it's good and it has passion." Kurt Cobain
"I'll tell you this: no eternal reward will forgive us now for wasting the dawn." Jim Morrison.
I've never before considered that these men were all saying the same thing. Regardless of what you think of Twain's satire, Nirvana's unintelligible lyrics, or Morrison's drug use, hopefully you agree that everyone realizes a small bit of truth during their life that can be passed on to others.
In this case, I believe the message is pretty clear: do what you want to do. Each quotation addresses a different aspect of this message, and I think together they provide some good advice.
To take Cobain's words at face value, you shouldn't have to worry about the rest of the world because you are free of it.
The explanation is deeper: as long as you are passionate enough about what you do, the world will find you and take care of you. This is true in business, in art, and in love. If you choose to do something that you love and throw yourself into it, you will be free.
Twain's pirates are free by the grace of God for a reason. Twain wrote about a great many things, always with a purpose.
He did not rail against the heavens to change the world for himself. He did what he could to change the world from within the systems in place through his writing.
God does not permit just anyone to be a pirate: you have to earn that freedom by showing that you understand the rules of the game, even if you choose to break them.
Morrison may have been talking about ethereal pleasures in life when he sang this, but I think there is something under the surface.
If there is something you love and are good at, why wait to do it? Why put off until tomorrow what you can do with your life today? If you want to graduate, do it. If you want to start your own business based on your passion, do it. Don't waste your life doing what you hate. If your life isn't perfect, change it. These three messages spell out some basic guidelines for being free. I think there will be sacrifices involved, but I would rather sacrifice for something I love than for something I do to survive. If you do what you want passionately enough, you will be ok. If you tweak the rules to your best advantage, God will let you be a pirate. If you have a dream, seize the day and follow it.
This is a message to the graduating seniors (congratulations, by the way). It's also a message to myself, because we all need inspiration from time to time. Do what makes you happy, and life will be ok.
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