Hope or Bitterness

Hope or Bitterness

Hope or Bitterness

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_Ao4Yy7jLc

As I look into the world that the class of 2023 enters, I see an environment of hope challenged by bitterness. The class of 2023 enters a world of opportunity, but also enters a world divided.

I have tried to process the world that these students grew up in. These students have grown up in a world defined by a seemingly endless series of wars. 9-11 is a historical story to them, not an experience. They have seen 3 popes. Many were born the same year that Prince Charles married Camilla Parker Bowles. Of course today it is King Charles and Queen Camilla. Nancy Pelosi became the first female Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. Barack Obama was the first African-American to be elected President of the United States. And, he did it twice! Sandy Hook was but another school shooting tragedy. An event all too common and almost expected in modern America. Donald Trump upset Hillary Clinton, the first female nominated for President by a major party. President Donald Trump was impeached twice. George Floyd died during an arrest. Jews in Pittsburgh were shot in their house of worship. Seems like the same story, different verse. A pandemic, COVID-19, spread across the world and impacted education for three years. Russia invades a sovereign Ukraine. Brittany Griner came home. Lia, formerly William, Thomas wins an NCAA championship.

Throughout my childhood of the 1970s and 1980s, America overcame adversity, withdrew from Vietnam, ended the hostage crisis in Iran after 444 days, freed Panama from Noriega, won the Cold War, saw the Berline wall fall, and saw the end of the Soviet Union. We were proud Americans. Speaker of the House Tip O’Neil, a Democrat, and President Ronald Reagan, a Republican, could argue by day and enjoy each other's company for dinner at night.

In generations past, current events may have spurred conversation and/or debate. In the end we could agree or disagree, but it never devolved to being disagreeable, hateful, and/or bitter. As I reflect on the major events of these students' lives, there is reason to celebrate. There is also reason to be concerned. Our disagreements descend into arguments and bitterness.

If these students are going to lead the change in America that we all want to see, then they must have hope. In order to have hope, I encourage diversity. I encourage exposure to a diverse set of ideas. Challenge your thinking. Open your mind. This process may reinforce your current position on an issue, evolve your position, or change your position. In order to have hope, I encourage equity. Equity of opportunity, not equity of outcome. We all deserve a chance. Based upon what you do with the opportunities presented to you will either reap the benefits or suffer the consequences. Equity of outcome ignores the work and discourages creativity as well as innovation. In order to have hope, I encourage inclusion. Best expressed by the inscription on our gift from France, the Statue of Liberty: “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.” America has a place for all races, creeds, colors, sexual orientation, gender or any other descriptor you want to label a group.?

So I encourage the class of 2023 to be hopeful. I encourage you to be healthy questioners and expand your horizons. Challenge yourself mentally, physically, and spiritually. Do not allow your soul to descend into bitterness.?

In conclusion, my children always ask me what is the best time in my life. My response is always the same. The answer is now. Everything I have ever said or done has led me to this moment in time. Remember Aesop's fable, after all the evils of the world were released from Pandora’s box, the last thing to come out was hope. I have hope. I will not dwell in bitterness.

Well said

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