Kurt Vonnegut's Commencement Address at MIT
From: campbell@ufomind.com (Glenn Campbell, Las Vegas)
Date: Tue, 5 Aug 1997 18:43:20 -0800
|
[Via Charles.Hurst@Yale.edu]
This speech was given by Kurt Vonnegut at MIT's
commencement this year . . .A classic!
Ladies and gentlemen of the class of '97:
Wear sunscreen.
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be
it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by
scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable
than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not
understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But
trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and
recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before
you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you
imagine. Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that
worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by
chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be
things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside
you at 4 pm on some idle Tuesday. Do one thing every day that scares
you. Sing. Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up
with people who are reckless with yours. Floss. Don't waste your time
on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race
is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself. Remember compliments
you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me
how. Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.
Stretch. Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with
your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what
they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting
40-year-olds I know still don't. Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to
your knees. You'll miss them when they're gone. Maybe you'll marry,
maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe
you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your
75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself
too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So
are everybody else's. Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't
be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest
instrument you'll ever own. Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it
but your living room. Read the directions, even if you don't follow
them. Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.
Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for
good. Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past
and the people most likely to stick with you in the future. Understand
that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on.
Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the
older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were
young. Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard.
Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.
Travel. Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise.
Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do,
you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable,
politicians were noble, and children respected their elders. Respect
your elders. Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a
trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know
when either one might run out. Don't mess too much with your hair or
by the time you're 40 it will look 85. Be careful whose advice you
buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of
nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the
disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it
for more than it's worth. But trust me on the sunscreen.
Kurt Vonnegut, 6/97
Index: Essays in Philosophy & Psychology
Created: Aug 6, 1997
