St. Vincent Grammar School graduation address

Fri, Jul 19, 2011

by Rev. Dr. Cecil Richards
June 22, 2011

A poem is a powerful medium for teaching life’s truths. Let me share part of a poem I came across – Playing the Game (author unknown):

Life is like a game with a glorious prize

If we can only play it right

It is a give and take, build and break

And often it ends in a fight

But he surely wins who honestly tries

Regardless of wealth and fame

He can never despair who plays it fair

How are you playing the game?{{more}}

How is the flame within you burning? If you were to receive a grade for the way you have ignited and are kindling the flame within you, what grade will you get? I’ll like to grade you today in four key areas as you graduate. I’d like to give you an “A” in each of these areas. First I’d love to give you an “A” for “Awareness”.

Before you can ignite flaming passion to make a difference, you’ve got to have an awareness of where you are and what you are facing…I want you to be aware of what the real situation is for young black males in this part of the world. They are underachieving, compared to females their age. Reading and writing skills are under par when compared to their female counterparts.

Fewer males than females are going on to pursue university education. The drop-out rate at college level is higher for our boys than for our young ladies. As expected, the incarceration rate is higher than for young women, and alarmingly it is 60% higher when compared to other races and ethnicities in this part of the world. Women under 30 are now earning up to 17% more than their male counterparts. Unemployment among men is higher than among women.

Young men are you aware of this trend? Where are the former cricketers, athletes, young leaders, singers, artists, speakers. Are you aware? If you are aware, then a flame in you has to be ignited – a flaming passion to stop this trend. Is this the group of young men who will create the template of productivity for others to follow? I do hope I can give you a grade “A” for awareness. I’d love to give you a second “A”, and this is for “Aspiration”.

The concept of aspiration is a very powerful one. It is often a most potent spark that ignites a burning flame of passion within. It refers to such things as our ambition, hope, desire, yearning, pursuit, longing, passion, drive. It is your aspiration which will drive you to get a picture of who you really want to be; of what will become of you in three key spheres: Spiritual – what kind of relationship you develop with God; Vocational – what will your career be (sport, professional, self-employed, artisan); Relational – how will you form your primary relationships and with whom?

I was thirteen years old when the flames of aspiration were ignited within me. I pictured clearly who I wanted to become and I have pursued that vision relentelessly ever since then. Will Smith said to his son, Christopher, “You have a dream…go get it. Period. Don’t ever let anybody tell you you can’t do something…not even me. You get a dream, you gotta protect it. People can’t do something themselves, they want to tell you you can’t. You want something, go get it….period!”

When you lack aspiration, your life gets shaped by default – you develop an “I’ll fit in whenever I find a job”…attitude. Listen to the wisdom of Benjamin Mays (MLK mentor): “The tragedy in life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goals – the tragedy lies in having no goals to reach.”

And Ralph Waldo Emerson (essayist, lecturer and poet): “The world makes way for a man who knows where he’s going.”

Graduates, ignite your flame of aspiration. Form a dream and go get it…period! I hope I can give you a grade “A” for your Aspiration. I would also love to give you another “A” and this is for your attitude.

What kind of mindset, temperament, disposition, way of thinking do you have as you pursue your goals? Your attitude is pivotal because, in the pursuit of any venture, goal or ideal, you will encounter formidable obstacles such as fear, lack of self-discipline, feelings of inadequacy (depending on your background), and insufficiency of resources.

Even when your flame is ignited and your passion for progress is burning, something will threaten to douse your flame. However, you must have an “I will never quit” attitude.

According to the research on young black men, to which I referred earlier, too many of them give up when they encounter adversarial situations. Winston Churchill took 3 years to get through Form 2. One of his most famous speeches contains only three different words:

Never give up!

Will young men like you have this kind of attitude? If you do, you deserve a grade “A”. I have one last “A” I’d love to give and it is for “Action.”

Even if you have an “A” for your awareness, aspiration and attitude, but fail when it comes to action, you have failed overall. All of the forgoing is meaningless if it does not produce action. Stephen Covey is noted for saying:

“All things are created twice; mentally – this is the first creation, and physically – this is the second creation.”

In other words, don’t just think or speak…you must act, you must do something about igniting your flame. I’ll tell you what I did. I wrote down my dreams – I took every open door that related to my dreams. I kept myself in the environment where my passion could be ignited.

You too must take action now. For example, if you want to be a plumber, research it, check to see any plumbers you know, develop a mentoring relationship (ask questions), practise on simple plumbing needs at home (or watch while they are being taken care of), and enroll in a course of plumbing.

Your theme of “igniting a flame within” is motivational – and that’s good…but motivation alone is not enough. Motivation is generally short-lived…two to five days and then it fizzles. Very few persons ever remember the motivational speech given at their graduation; I know I don’t. You too will soon forget this theme and speech, if you do not take action. You need a significant someone in your life to be a constant encourager, to bring out the best in you, to propel you into action.

So, to all you graduates, go ahead and ignite your flame of productivity. Forever remember, “Per aspera ad astra”, and let those strains ring real loud and real long!