Paul Hawken: OUR TIME TO SHINE
A few days ago I received an email entitled: The unforgettable Commencement Address. I was rushing out the door to a medical appointment when I clicked the email link and was confronted with these words: “I thought that you might enjoy reading this particular address to a graduating class.” Following were a few word of introduction to a man named Paul Hawken, who I had never heard of, and then a fairly long speech. I promptly filed the email in a folder entitled: Read at Leisure. A few days later, as I read the speech, I understood why it was labeled ‘unforgettable’. Here are just a few sentences that typify its unforgettableness:
“Ralph Waldo Emerson once asked what we would do if the stars only came out once every thousand years. No one would sleep that night, of course. The world would create new religions overnight. We would be ecstatic, delirious, made rapturous by the glory of God. Instead, the stars come out every night and we watch television.”
For those of you looking for a little inspiration, here is a link that will not disappoint:
Commencement Address to the Class of 2009
University of Portland, May 3rd, 2009
