Actor Robert De Niro stepped up to the podium. It was the 2015 commencement at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. Standing before students dreaming of becoming directors, actors, and producers, De Niro began his speech.
"You graduated. You are fucked (You made it, and you are fucked!)." Laughter erupted.
The speech continued. "Nursing, dentistry, accounting, business administration - they all get jobs. You? You're fucked."
That wasn't all. De Niro also said, "I came here to give my resume to the graduates majoring in directing and producing." It meant he had no doubt about the students' success.
"You have found your talent and passion. Walk that path. Don't be afraid of failure. At an audition, I read the script seven times and still got rejected. I am confident that everyone here will open up new horizons in the arts."
From Kwon Hyeok-ju's "What Korean Commencements Are Missing" (JoongAng Ilbo, 2019.2.19)
It's graduation season in both Korea and the United States. Graduation, which should be a time of celebration, doesn't feel that way here in Korea because of the tough job market. Some students don't even attend the ceremony.
Still, a graduation ceremony is a meaningful event. Unfortunately this isn't quite the case in Korea, but in the US there are many famous commencement speeches given by public figures. They are full of wisdom, advice, encouragement, and humor. The speech by Robert De Niro above is well known.
Former President George W. Bush also gave a memorable speech at the 100th-anniversary commencement of Southern Methodist University in 2015, his wife Laura Bush's alma mater.
"To those who have received honors, I say congratulations. And to the C students, I want to say: you too can be President."
During his speech, laughter reportedly erupted every 40 seconds and applause every 70 seconds.
Former Google chairman Eric Schmidt's 2012 commencement speech at Boston University is also widely quoted.
"Computers and smartphones do amazing things. But there's one thing they lack - a heart. At least one hour a day, turn off the computer and the smartphone. Instead of looking at the screen, look into the eyes of someone you love and have a conversation. Don't press the 'Like' button, say you like it."
If something from De Niro, Bush, or Schmidt speaks to you, I hope you'll keep it in mind for a long time.
And whatever it may be, my congratulations to everyone making a "new beginning."
(Charles's normal notes)
Don't press the 'Like' button, say you like it. I couldn't agree more!
Also, since seeing is believing, I'm leaving a YouTube video here.
