The Future Will Be Then
by Mark ReCupido
[ Editor's Note: These words of wisdom were penned around May 30th '08, the weekend before the author's class graduated. Word!, however, feels that they need to be read, with an urgency both acute and imminent, by anyone with a university in their near or distant future. Pull out a chair and a bag of popcorn, and enjoy]
It has occurred to me that we are graduating this weekend. And just as a condemned man, I’ve become rather introspective lately, so I thought I’d take some time to put you inside my mind and write a little something to my fellow classmates who will be graduating on Sunday, or anyone who is literate.
Now, I’m not going to talk about all of the good times we’ve had the past four years, because I think all of us want this weekend to be memorable. And it’s hard to make new memories when you keep reliving old ones, wait until next weekend to do that. Besides, it was different for everybody. Some of us went to all of the events and parties, and some of us sat in our basements. Some, unfortunately, even played World of Warcraft. However, I do think it’s important to, on the eve of graduation, look back at the past four years, and since it’s such a personal thing, I’d like you to honor the memories by taking a silent moment of reflection. And I’d like you to treat this moment of silence just like we have everyday; so ignore it and keep reading. There were some shared events. We all raised money, ate candy, and sometimes raised money without even being given candy in return. And while we may have had different High School experiences, there is one thing that we all share; we all have futures. That’s right. Each and every one of us. Today is not just the end of an era, it’s also the beginning of a new one. You don’t just become era-less.
Many of us will be getting into debt/college next year, and some may be doing the noble thing and fighting for our country. My hat is off to you, except that I don’t want to take it off because I’m afraid it will mess up my hair. It’s the thought that counts. Now, neither of these paths are better than the other; there’s no guaranteed way to succeed. Well, ok, there’s one guaranteed way, that I know of, to succeed in life: invent the iPod seven years ago. Short of that, though, you have to take chances. But take chances like you’d drink alcohol after you turn 21, or when you travel abroad: responsibly. If, for example, you want to become an actor, by all means move out to California and go for it. But be smart; have an exit strategy if things don’t work out. Don’t leave your life here to go there on a whim only to be stuck in a dead end. However, some mistakes have to be made in order to grow stronger and smarter. You may take a chance and be disappointed, but if you don’t take the chance you’ll also be disappointed. Don’t let yourself be the reason-allow yourself to blame something else. Don’t say “no” to everything just because there’s a slight chance you may look foolish. “No” is what you say to drugs, not opportunities.
We all want jobs, whether it’s because we truly have a passion for some field or we just want money. Don’t let people make you feel like a bad person for making decisions considering money. Money is important, we all want money. It doesn’t matter what motivates you, as long as you are motivated. And you need motivation. And you can’t motivate someone to be motivated, no matter how motivated you are. Without motivation, nothing gets done. If someone cures cancer just so he can become rich; I can live with that. This is America, not Canada, even medicine is a business. But don’t let me get you discouraged and cynical, thinking “Money changes everything” and “Money makes the world go round” Because that’s true, but it’s not that bad. Because if we didn’t have money, we would make decisions based upon what makes us happy. And we’d begin to hate happiness because that’s all anyone would care about, like money. And a world that hates happiness is not a world you want to live in. Trust me. So be thankful for money and its power, because it takes the place of happiness as something for us to hate.
I would like to now apply a children’s book to the event of graduation. But I couldn’t get the rights to “Oh, the Places You’ll Go” so instead I’d like to talk about “Are You My Mother?” Now, I’m not going to insert excerpts from it, because, hopefully if you are graduating, this book is a little below your level. But for those of you not familiar with the story, it’s about a newborn baby bird who is separated from his mother and wanders around asking everything from a tree to a crane: “Are you my mother?” But Mark, how does this relate to me? For those of you going to college, many of you will wonder “Are you my major?” as you realize halfway through your second year that you may not want to be a Scientific Data Analysis and Visualization major as you were so convinced you did. Then, as you dim the glow of the LCD in your 5×5 cubicle, you may say to yourself “Are you my career?” Even later in life, you might ponder “Are you my spouse?” Though, hopefully only before you get married. I guess, what I’m trying to say is that this book is a metaphor for life. You won’t always know what you’re doing, but in the end you’ll find your mother. But really: you should not know everything about your future. For a future planned in the present is not a future worth being present for.
Some quick advice before I end this. Don’t forget what you learned in Physics: what goes up must come down; watch out for falling hats on Sunday. Secondly, being pre-approved for a credit card doesn’t mean that you have to apply for it. And above all, have fun because life is hard enough as it is; find an escape. Also, I hate to beat a dead horse, though not as much as I hate to beat a live horse, but it bears repeating: whatever you do, when life hands you lemons, do not make lemonade. That’s all I will say.
Congratulations to everyone in the class of 2008. It has been an honor to be alongside some of you.
August 13 2008 06:40 am | Uncategorized
August 24th, 2008 at 3:51 am
i can’t believe no one commented on this yet. it was hilarious and brilliant… mark, you are my hero. awsome.
June 24th, 2009 at 11:28 am
called store paleoclimatology main total science home
June 24th, 2009 at 11:32 am
special called shop increase approximately product world species
July 10th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
agricultural allowed emitted stricter total instrumental
July 10th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
2004 web land late allowing climate chemical
July 29th, 2009 at 10:54 am
intergovernmental indicate regional required million next