High School Teacher Gives Tough Love Graduation Speech: Are You Exceptional or Just Like Everyone Else?
SodaHead News
2012/06/11 13:00:00
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Usually, graduation speeches encourage grads to charge into the world with their chins held high, that diploma proudly tucked under their arm. You've graduated college; you're exceptional; it's time to make something of yourself. But that's not exactly how David McCullough Jr.'s speech went when the English teacher spoke at Wellesley High's commencement this year. On the contrary. He told graduates they're just like everyone else, and the controversial message immediately went viral.
McCullough said, "You are not special. You are not exceptional ... Even if you're one in a million, on a planet of 6.8 billion that means there are nearly 7,000 people just like you ... You've been pampered, cosseted, doted upon, helmeted, bubble wrapped ... We have of late, we Americans, to our detriment, come to love accolades more than genuine achievement ... The sweetest joys of life, then, come only with the recognition that you're not special. Because everyone is." What do you think of the tough love speech?
McCullough said, "You are not special. You are not exceptional ... Even if you're one in a million, on a planet of 6.8 billion that means there are nearly 7,000 people just like you ... You've been pampered, cosseted, doted upon, helmeted, bubble wrapped ... We have of late, we Americans, to our detriment, come to love accolades more than genuine achievement ... The sweetest joys of life, then, come only with the recognition that you're not special. Because everyone is." What do you think of the tough love speech?
Top Opinion
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El Prez 2012/06/11 17:21:45I'm exceptional!
+10Because I have spent the better part of my life making sure that I am exceptional. However, by the standards set by Mr. McCullough, I am not unique. Unique is rare, exceptional is more easily attained. The later day inclination to give trophys for participation, praise all miltary personel as heros and in general dilute real achievment and heroism, has created something of a feeling of special priviledge among some of our youth. The "tough love" speech might be useful so long as the message of carrying on to find your exceptional character is contained within. He was trying to wake them to the truth and that is always good.
If the graduates didn't realize it after his speech, they'll sure as hell learn that they're not special in the real world.
These guys earn it every day!
Since nobody is special....
I guess that I AM special.
No such thing as "selflessness." We don't do anything purely for other people, but for how it makes us feel. If being truly generous didn't make us feel better about ourselves, then people wouldn't do it.
That said, being an artist, I wish creativity and inspiration was so easily attained as simply "going out and getting it."
As for exceptional. Am I unusual? Yes, and while I may not be alone in my possession of particular, less common, qualities, I am still in a relative minority in many cases. Am I superior? To some degree, however, there are people superior to me, as well. Do I deviate from the norm? As often as possible. So, I suppose, in ways, I am "exceptional." This doesn't make me particularly different than some others, so it really doesn't matter one way or the other what I am... or anyone else, for that matter.
So, since we're so "unexceptional," as a group, what's the argument against abortion?
I disagree- sometimes it is purely a sharp pain of compassion in one's gut- which gets sharper and more painful as one's conscience and self moves away from the sufferer
and it's just a base confrontation with one's own being-
Look, tell yourself whatever you want- but if you're going to try to tell me that Mandela sepnt 29 years in prison, or Gandhi endured blows of force by armed foes, because of a weak and diminished sense of self esteem or confidence-
I would suggest that it is your own lack of compassion and abiity to empathise, and undelveloped sense of personal responsiblity- that inclines you to such a jaded view of those who possess it.
Because the phenomenon is real- it exists, and there are plenty more examples of people rising to heights of genuine selfess service to humanity- that one might cite.
That said, believe what you will.
Nok
I wasn't talking about you.
I was talking about my own instincts,
and how they differ widely from your characterization.
It's not about you, at all, in any way.
Perhaps I do have an underdeveloped sense of responsibility. I protect other people because I don't want them to be hurt. I give to charity because I want to, because it's a nice gesture, and I think that the people who receive the food need it. I watch out for others because, again, I want to. No need to lie to myself, and say that these are "selfless" acts. I do them because I want to, for whatever reason.
As I said, believe what you will.
You're projecting your own motives onto others, it appears to me- because you do not have those instincts yourself, and cannot imagine others might.
You're free to characterize your own motivations- the problem, is when you try to characterize OTHER people's motivations, and poorly.
It's funny that in a conversation about selflessness, you spend your entire post on talking about...your self.
And yes, I spent the post talking about myself, because you felt like impugning my character.
Which is fine. Speak for yourself, and I wlll speak for myself.
It's not a matter of "feeling better".
As I noted at first, sometimes one acts in ways that may be detrimental to their own well being, comfort and happiness.
I have my own deep experiences that I'd be happy to have you tear into- look for the glitches and self interest- and maybe help me to polish my own heart a bit-
I'm not afraid.
Self awareness is one of my goals in life-
Having said that- I reserve the basic human dignity to define my own self- lest others (like you maybe?) do it for me.
I also hope that I can allow others to define their own selves-
A soldier throws himself on a grenade, or a person jumps in front of a bullet. How would they have felt if they hadn't? Probably pretty crappy, if they were a decent human being. My grandfather, for example, felt guilty that he survived, along with a few others, when a whole group he worked with in the Army died. If he somehow stopped it, at the sacrifice of his life, or quality of life, then he wouldn't have felt the guilt, and it would be a benefit to him.
A person feels bad when they see another in pain, even if it's someone who has abused them, wronged them, and hurt them in the past. They "sacrifice" their own comfort to help that person. But, they feel better in the end, because they no longer feel bad.
Dr. King, marched for equality of others, and organized it, because he believed it to be right. He would have held himself accountable if he just stood by and did nothing to be the change he wanted to see. It was the "right" thing to do, for him, and he wanted, he wan-ted , to fight, because it was something he believed in.
The same reasoning goes to Ghandi, and Mandela. They both stood for their beliefs. They didn't sacrifice anything but their quality of life, wh...
A soldier throws himself on a grenade, or a person jumps in front of a bullet. How would they have felt if they hadn't? Probably pretty crappy, if they were a decent human being. My grandfather, for example, felt guilty that he survived, along with a few others, when a whole group he worked with in the Army died. If he somehow stopped it, at the sacrifice of his life, or quality of life, then he wouldn't have felt the guilt, and it would be a benefit to him.
A person feels bad when they see another in pain, even if it's someone who has abused them, wronged them, and hurt them in the past. They "sacrifice" their own comfort to help that person. But, they feel better in the end, because they no longer feel bad.
Dr. King, marched for equality of others, and organized it, because he believed it to be right. He would have held himself accountable if he just stood by and did nothing to be the change he wanted to see. It was the "right" thing to do, for him, and he wanted, he wan-ted, to fight, because it was something he believed in.
The same reasoning goes to Ghandi, and Mandela. They both stood for their beliefs. They didn't sacrifice anything but their quality of life, which, for them, was a small price to pay in the face of their real wants... their real wants, their goals, what they, their selves wanted.
Selfless: adj. having no concern for self
It isn't just concern for your personal comfort, but your values, and integrity as well. If you're willing to completely throw your ingrained values and integrity away for another person, then, well, you might be selfless.
But, as long as a choice is made by the self, it isn't truly "self-less."