It is fitting that I was asked to address the class of 2019 of Emerald City University because this year mark the 80th anniversary of the film that turned me from a beloved character in a charming book to an icon.
80 years ago President Franklin Roosevelt gave us a new deal and the maniacal Fuhrer Adolph Hitler gave us a raw deal. It was not the best of times for anybody and it was soon to become the worst of times for the millions of young men and women who gave their lives to save the world.
Today the world is different. Or is it? There is no depression, but millions of people the world over are living in abject poverty. Adolph Hitler might be dead, but he has been replaced by dozens of madmen who rule the world.
The world you are about to inherit continues to be a work in progress. The world you are about to enter does not need spectators who criticize from the sidelines. The world needs people who are willing to role up their sleeves to make the world a better place for all, not just a select few.
You have been called the entitled generation. Everything has been done for you. We’ve cut your meat, combed your hair, pushed you to the head of the line, and done everything to protect you from harm and hardships. But have we prepared you to take your first step on the Yellow Brick Road?
As a child my world was grey and I was at risk of turning as grey as my environment. I wanted more because I knew there was more. I also knew that I had to take ownership of the world I wanted. It wasn’t enough to dream about a world over the rainbow because dreaming without action does not change anything.
You might have earned a degree but you have not earned the right to think the world owes you the good life. The world does not owe you anything, but you owe the world everything.
At this moment in time all you can think about is your career. You spent four years preparing for your future. Nothing is going to get in your way.
Over 400 years ago Michelangelo said, “The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.”
Don’t get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with having career aspirations. But there is something very wrong if our aspirations don’t inspire us to achieve greatness, and by greatness I mean by being a person filled with love, compassion, concern and a willingness to make personal sacrifices for others.
In mathematics the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. In life there is no shortest distance between any two points. Take it from me there are pot holes on the Yellow Brick Road and there might be some detours you have to take on your life’s journey.
As you begin your journey, keep this in mind, it is your journey. As hard as it may be not to follow in someone else’s footsteps, resist the temptation. Become your own person. Don’t take ownership of other people’s opinions. Don’t become a slave to any particular political point-of-view. Have the confidence to stand up for what you believe in. That means you have to have intelligence, a heart, and most of all courage.
In the end there are only two really important things. To love and to be loved. All else doesn’t matter.
I would like to end with a song. And not the song that you all associate with me, but a song that I believe should help you along on your journey because if you love and are open to being loved, you will never walk alone on the Yellow Brick Road.
Along The Yellow Brick Road 