To College Graduates

TO THE COLLEGE GRADUATES

 Question everything.  Think logically.  Consider your sources of information.  Realize every question can have multiple answers or no satisfactory answer at all.  Answers may contribute to facts or support opinions. Some answers are unknown, but still ask.  Some questions may remain in your brain, never to be spoken or written down for anyone else to hear or view.  Other questions may benefit from discussing with a trusted, non-judgmental friend, one who will keep your confidence.  Many questions require research, but always consider your sources to see if they are valid or unbiased.

Remember that your opinion is just as valuable as the opinions of others.  Even when you seem to be in the minority or perhaps you are the only person you know who thinks the way you do,  have confidence in your own intelligence and logical thinking. 

You have learned so much these past four years especially in your chosen field.  You have also learned many life lessons as you went from your home and family to living a more independent life.  You are still a son or daughter with very strong ties to your parents, and that is to be expected, but realize you are an adult with a separate mind; your parents are adults with theirs.  As a child, you valued your parents' opinions almost without question, but as you became an adult, you may have begun to value your own opinions more, even to the point of disagreeing with your family members.  You aren't being disloyal; you are just growing up.  Be sensitive as you present your ideas.  Your parents will also need to respect your thinking and value your journey toward being an independent adult.  All adults need to acquire the ability to respect other opinions.

Keep questioning throughout your life.  You may change your mind more than once as you gain more experience, broaden your perspective, and deepen your thinking.  Some of you will continue on with formal education, increasing your knowledge, talents, and skills.  All of you should become lifelong learners seeking answers to questions.

Remember you are not the center of the universe; you are part of nature.  Please do what you can to protect, sustain, and improve our world, environment, and habitat.  Also do what you can to improve the lives of your fellow human beings.

Congratulations on your accomplishments and live life to the fullest.  

Local News

 The latest shooting, robbery, traffic accident, violence, injuries, death, and other tragedies come first on the local news.  Much is labeled BREAKING NEWS to grab the attention of the viewer.  The more sensational, the better.  Plus, if video footage is available, the more reason to present the story.  If our local community doesn't have enough bad news, stations add bad things that have happened elsewhere.  Weather reports usually follow (actually helpful to plan our day) and celebrity tidbits are added.  Sports coverage gets its due which provides free advertising for the home teams.

The local TV stations have decided what is newsworthy.  They seem to think they must present these violent stories in order to keep up with their competition. These stories fill our minds and often are conversation starters.  Our community gets an unfair bad reputation because the sensational stories are emphasized on the local news.  

Other important events deserve to be reported which would shed favorable light on the community, but for some reason they are omitted.  Some people have chosen to stop watching the news because of the negative stories often repeated through the day.  Local news is not the only guilty party.  The national news also emphasizes similar types of stories from around the country and the world.   

Social Justice

      Social justice only occurs when everyone has equal rights.  Some groups have more advantages or privileges than others which leads to inequality.  Many people find it hard to admit that they are privileged.  They feel that their families have worked hard to be where they are today and didn't receive any privileged treatment.  Often they view others as products of families who didn't work as hard or didn't make the right decisions which may have led to their situation.

     Even though we profess that everyone is treated equally by the traditions of our society and the laws of our country, a closer look will show how the white race and the male gender have been allocated more benefits than other races and women of every race; therefore, these groups are privileged.  The original US Constitution, written by white males, did not consider African-Americans, Native Americans, or women in general.  These groups have had to fight are are still fighting for equal rights and opportunities. 

     Our history, written primarily by white males, emphasized their lives and accomplishments while often omitting the contributions of others.  Military endeavors prevailed.  Since men were allowed more education and time to pursue personal development, their new ideas and inventions were recorded.  This was made possible by the subservient lives of females, wives, and slaves. Those in power increased their wealth while other groups remained financially dependent.

     Those with white skin have had advantages and privileges which placed them in their situations. Hard work was not the only factor.  Plus males in general have had more power since civilization began because women had very little.  Other groups like LGBTQ have also had to fight for their rights.

     We can't avoid noticing race and gender that will often bring up past stereotypes and prejudices.  These differences should not affect our desire that all are treated equally.  Social justice demands that.  Things have gotten better over the past decades, but much improvement is still needed.  Please recognize when you are privileged and promote social justice.