Robert Orden said, "A graduation ceremony is an event where the commencement speaker tells hundreds of students dressed in identical caps and gowns that 'individuality' is the key to success."

As ridiculous as any sense of distinctiveness may be to those of you sitting amid a sea of black polyester, there is no more important message that I can think to impart to you than this: whatever you do in this life, do it with singular passion and pride.

Whether we know it or not, we have been given an incredible opportunity. Our world is an amazingly complex place, riddled with both suffering and inspiration. Hardship abounds in every society: poverty, violence, disease and oppression. We can choose to focus on the effects of these problems and helplessly flop around, bemoaning the tragedy of it all-- or we can search for the cause of injustice and meet it...