Well, today, I graduate and for some reason I felt I needed to sign off on here with some kind of advice or something. Since I typically sway toward the more complicated, today, I am going to keep it simple (esp. since I have family and friends in town). To help me keep things simple, I have incorporated the main things I have learned from a few really impactful movies or television shows I have watched this year, that have also reminded me to stay true in my work and life. I wish you all the best with your college careers; may you not get lost in them.
Nerve
Risk. Say yes. Have your own voice & be brave. Say no.
Loved this movie. It really shows the limitations of crowd-pleasing. It is better to have your own voice than to simply do what everyone wants you to or what everyone else is doing.
Moana
Find out who you are, where you come from, so you can help others do the same. Judge beyond mere appearances and tradition. Oh, apologize when you are wrong.
This movie was so impactful, I watched it like 5 times in a row just to let it seep in.
Stranger Things
Whatever you do, do it with all your heart. Oh, and listen to kids.
“Repel bullies, shelter freaks and outcasts, those who have no homes, get past the lies. Hunt monsters.” Sometimes you’ve just got to punch some people in the face.
Pocahontas
Go your own path, even if it is not the traditional way.
Old fav. Saw this again this year after so long and it was more relevant than ever. “If you walk the footprints of a stranger, you will find things you never knew.”
The Little Prince
Never lose your wonder, even when you “grow up.”
You will be balling by the end of this, just know, it will be okay. You are not a robot.
Finding Dory
There’s always another way. And since you know the way home, you can do whatever you put your mind to.
Again, balling. I could not stop crying from Dory finally finding her home! Home, to me, is merely where you are most loved and feel the most safe.
Interstellar
Love is the key to save the world. It’s the one thing that transcends the dimensions of time and space.
I finally watched this movie after watching a presentation about quantum physics in one of my Art History classes. It was so worth it.
All these reminded me this year of the importance of saying no, never giving up, laying your life down for your friends and the importance of being a little rebellious sometimes to get to the bottom of things. So, my charge to you is to do the same. Have a meaningful life and choose the things that add value to your life. Right about now, I have practiced going in a line to get a piece of paper that so many will get today. It feels very conveyer belt-ish in some lights, but like so many other graduations in life, it’s merely a transition point. From here, I choose what I will do, just as I chose this. I hope that I will choose the life I know in my gut that I truly want and I wish the same for you. Cheers!