Good Morning to All of You, Grandparents, Parents, and Educators!

My Dear Students,

Thank you for choosing me to deliver this message on behalf of my esteemed colleagues. It is a great honor and an intimidating one, which I initially refused.

I was worried that the message could be too strong and upset your destinies but Ms. Landy changed my mind, and I am glad that she did. 

Out of all the speeches that I have ever had to sit through, I remember only a few (and certainly not my high school graduation speech) and of the few that do come to mind, it is only their general theme that has stuck with me. So, I should let you know NOW that I will talk to you about the importance of being honest and earnest… with oneself. 

In the position of the messenger from the faculty, I was supposed to share advice and wisdom with you…but I am an obsolete human being who was not pacified by the internet (only by the TV and even that was restricted in the country from where I come).  I do not worship TikTok characters, do not have an Instagram account and refuse to “connect” through Facebook. So, telling you what to do, is like waking up the dead of the French Revolution to teach me on how best to live my life. 

In this speech I will, therefore, address my 18-year old self and let you read between the lines. So in this Time Turner, this part of the speech today is to myself a long time ago and  will go like this: 

My dear, there is a beautiful world out there and I know that you are eager to span your wings and fly away from this current moment. But when taking off, remember to attune your senses to your inner self ONLY. You are, do, and have enough to be your own compass. Do not compare yourself to other people and then conclude that you need some more of something that others seem to have and you don’t. Know that the world is changing and will keep on changing, and in this confusion, IF you don’t know who you are, you will not have the strength to keep up with it. But if you do know who you are and you are committed to yourself, then resolution, steadiness steering through crises, and joy of life will come with earnestness from your inner self.

I would warn you, however, that when looking inward earnestly, you will find that small things that happen to you every day will make you as happy as larger-than-life successes. You will find that giving is as fulfilling as receiving, feelings of sadness are as intense as feelings of joy, and beautiful is as enchanting as ugly. There is a duality in our spirit and do not be afraid to acknowledge it. Your mind and your heart alone will know how to cope with the world’s challenges, but first, you must know that you are the ONE with the power.

If you bow to the power of many and follow a trend, a prescription, a fashion, be aware that you will suppress your inner-self and begin changing into other people. Let your heart be transparent to your mind and do not find excuses not to do so. Feel strongly and earnestly about who you are, what you do, and what you have, and guard that knowledge with care. LET the earnest knowledge about your inner power show you how to accept yourself as you are. In the end, you will not care how you will look from outside-in but how you feel from inside-out. Be well and fly away!

And now, LET US RETURN to YOUR graduation and acknowledge our privilege as teachers of being part of one of the many happy events of your lives.

I might already have told you on many occasions, and now I will repeat myself, this time from all of us who have witnessed you grow up, that you are lovely and lovable people. ALL OF YOU! This whole time you grew up in our hearts and we are very fond of you! We will MISS you dearly, we will miss your shenanigans, your exuberance, your yearnings for goodness in the world, and your care and kindness towards your loved ones.

Many of you will come back to see us, and our JDS family, and we will be so happy to see you. But, please, when you write to us, do NOT apologize for the long break you took from JDS. During this time, you will have grown wings and we expect you to take off and stay in flight for a long time. If you look back with nostalgia and regret, it will diminish the power of the present, and the present is ALL we have.

We often tell you to find your passion and make your purpose in life to go after it,  but there is nothing to find, the state of being is the purpose of life.

So, just BE with all your being, connect with who you are, in earnest, and take charge of your mind BECAUSE it is your mind that tells you to fret over grades, college, friends, clothes, or appearance, and it is your MIND that sometimes prevents you from seeing what  beautiful, wholly, graceful human beings you ALL are! And how much you are loved THE way you are!

Mazal Tov Class to two thousand and twenty two.