Spencer Morris is 18 years old and just graduated from High School. He was asked by his classmates to deliver a speech at the graduation event. What he said was amazing!
I wish I had this insight and maturity when I was 18!
Here's the speech - it's worth the time to read it:
"Once upon a time in TASIS there was a high school student that graduated with notable grades, he went on to go to university, which was expected from him, and he got a very stable and suitable 9-5 job on Wall Street. The graduate meticulously followed every social rule; he paid his taxes promptly and married the quintessential bride. He went on to buy a house in the suburbs and lived the ideal lifestyle of any contributing member of society.
Unfortunately, for this graduate, his entire existence was not his at all; in fact, every decision, or choice, he had made in his life was based around the image that society instills in everyone at a young age. His idea of success, happiness, truth, and value were all the composite of the world ideal and for this reason his happily ever after never came to fruition, as he been promised.
The reason why this happily ever after never occurred is that: throughout our lives were are given teachers, mentors, schools, and institution in order to guide us into a more constructive life direction. The problem occurs when we leave our individuality for an expected direction. The dilemma that the graduate faces is that he was born free, with every opportunity and vision that he could possess, but, little by little, he bought into an inhumane system, which does not cultivate the individual. Without empathy, the system drew him in and eventually spit him out.
The “Arranged Life” as I will call it, is the greatest lie presented by the world, a world in which we give value a monetary connotation, and success is measured by the amassment of things. At this point please don’t think that I will be giving a lecture on purging yourself of worldly goods, in order to find true happiness. On the contrary, I believe that achieving success in business in an honorable goal for any person who pursues something that they are passionate about.
What I am trying to say is that success is defined by the individual, and in the same way happiness is found by searching for those things in life that move you. The greatest tragedy to befall any person is for him to live a life without purpose or “The Prosaic Existence.” For this reason I believe that being a balanced or “well adjusted” person is the avoidance of the mundane, the routine. A secure lifestyle is simply an illusion that hinders people from driving forward and growing as human beings.
As high school graduates moving on to the “next stage” in life, it is important to remember this: your purpose is realized in finding that one thing that grabs you and moves you, whatever that may be, and follow it fervently as if it were the only thing that matters. In this, happiness is found.
The other day, I was sitting on a lounge chair at the Lido, the only semi-beach we have in Lugano, and I noticed children playing with a soccer ball next to me. What caught my attention was the joy and the excitement the children had in running around with the ball instead of kicking it in the proper way. I realized, the children found happiness in not being confined by our social constructs, for them what they were doing was perfect. They didn’t need to have it any other way.
And this, is where the happily ever after begins. The fallacy is that the value of success is the cost of success. Success is a more taxing and a more time consuming process than the world will lead you to believe. The world will try to impose itself on you; don’t allow the world to shape you, but you must maintain your principles in order to shape the world.
As young adults we must maintain your individual sense of creativity, and unique set of gifts. Do not be self-serving, I am not suggesting that doing whatever you please is perfect for society, but social obligation does not have to be confining. Liberty comes from finding your own way. But, discerning your purpose takes time and honesty, knowledge of ourselves and knowledge of the world.
In this, you will find meaning in life."
Thank you…
