The commencement speaker was Samantha Power, the United States Ambassador to the United Nations. I have to admit that I didn't have high expectations for her speech. But I also have to admit that I was captivated by her words and the message she delivered to the graduates. It was a message that was not only applicable to them, but to each and every one of us.
In her address, she quoted a song by Leonard Cohen:
"There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in."
All weekend long, I watched Kerry and her friends. I watched and remembered.
I remembered how much I loved my years in college, graduating from UVM myself back in 1981. I remembered too well all that I was feeling at my own commencement: excitement, fear, hope, sadness, pride... I would be starting my first job at the Travelers Insurance Company in Hartford, CT on September 11th. Life was about to change. I would leave my family, friends and home for the unknown. Was I up to the challenge?
Samantha Power also acknowledged "When I sat where you sit, I was convinced everyone else had it all sorted out, and I was the only one who had no idea what would come next...When you get out into the real world, it is easy to believe that you - and only you - are the one who doesn't belong".
"One must never compare the churn you're feeling inside to the calm exteriors of those around you. " In reality, everyone has these insecurities, but we are all so good at hiding them from others.
"There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in."
Isn't it so true that change and growth most often come from "cracks"? Ms. Power suggests "the people who succeed in changing the world are those who simply acknowledge their insecurities and forge ahead".
From our difficult times, we learn empathy for others.
Unless your heart breaks, you will never know love.
In the midst of ugliness, you can always find beauty.
If your universe doesn't collapse, you'll never learn anything about the world.
"Even when you reach the pinnacle of your career, you will know your own weaknesses better than anyone. You will have a unique insight into all you haven't mastered."
In my 55 years, I've come to know my own weaknesses very well. In spite of those weaknesses, and maybe because of them too, I've developed many strengths. I find myself drawn to those who don't paint a perfect portrait of themselves. The "cracks" are what makes them human. The "cracks" are what we all have in common.
"I am confident that you will do great things in the years ahead. But you also have it in your power right now to do good things. To notice what is going on around you, and to undertake small acts of kindness that will change someone's world."
"Every day you commit even a small act of kindness, you are changing someone's world. Start there. But please don't stop there."
"The world is plenty messed up; but you can help change it."
"You have lived in the shadow of the Vermont peaks for four years, and I urge you to make it your task to overcome mountains that others have found too high to scale."
"There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in."
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