President Obama gave the commencement address at Arizona State yesterday.
{Quick side note/bragging: It so awesome to have a President (sitting or former) give your graduation speech.
Here's an article about President Clinton's speech at my Syracuse graduation in 2003 :)}
Back to Obama. For those who don't remember, there's been a bunch of hoopla over this ASU speech since the university decided not to give the President an honorary degree. Fats forward to the speech, Mr. Obama -- not surprising at all -- took the high road when he addressed the university's decision:
"In all seriousness, I come here not to dispute the suggestion that I haven't yet achieved enough in my life. I come to embrace it; to heartily concur; to affirm that one's title, even a title like President, says very little about how well one's life has been led - and that no matter how much you've done, or how successful you've been, there's always more to do, more to learn, more to achieve."
I cannot imagine any other President in recent history admitting that having the title of "Most Powerful Person in the Free-World" says a little about how well they've led their life. Is there any one on this planet with more humility than this guy? He's amazing.
Another great excerpt from his speech:
"Many of our current challenges are unprecedented. There are no standard remedies, or go-to fixes this time around.
That is why we are going to need your help. We'll need young people like you to step up. We need your daring and your enthusiasm and your energy.
And let me be clear, when I say "young," I'm not just referring to the date on your birth certificate. I'm talking about an approach to life - a quality of mind and heart.
A willingness to follow your passions, regardless of whether they lead to fortune and fame. A willingness to question conventional wisdom and rethink the old dogmas. A lack of regard for all the traditional markers of status and prestige - and a commitment instead to doing what is meaningful to you, what helps others, what makes a difference in this world."
The full speech can be found here.
