My Second Commencement Speech

     Once again graduation season is upon us, time for caps and gowns, Pomp and Circumstance,

...remembrances of things past

...and dreams of the seemingly infinite possibilities of the future,

...graduation parties,

...…and my second commencement speech.
     I posted my first commencement speech last year around this time as my offering to graduates on some topics that might not have been covered by the keynote speakers at their commencement ceremonies.
    In case anybody's interested in reading (or re-reading) my last year's commencement speech, here's the link:  
                       http://www.ailantha.com/blog/my-commencement-speech

    Anyway, since then I've thought of a few more words of advice to young graduates to add to last year's; and so, as an addendum to my last year's commencement speech, here, young graduates, is my 2016 commencement speech to you:

     1.  Graduates, remember that any accomplishment that comes easily and without considerable  effort or work is probably not worth much. Or, as master martial artist Bruce Lee once put it:  “I fear not the man who has practiced 10, 000 kicks once, but the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times”.

       2.  When you've been sitting at a table and get up to leave, be sure to always push the chair back up against the table so no one else trips over the chair or bumps into it.  This is especially important in restaurants where servers are trying to quickly maneuver around the room with armfuls of food.

       3.  Speaking of restaurants, be good tipper.  Never leave less than 20%.  Even if the service isn't great and they messed up your order.  Most of the time the restaurant staff really is trying their best to please you, and, think about it, how rarely, if ever,  have you been served in a restaurant by a server who wasn't friendly and cheerful?  Remember:  if you can afford to eat out, you can afford to leave a decent tip.  If you can't afford to leave a decent tip,  then stick to healthy fast food.
      
        4.  The guy or gal who delivers your pizza should also be tipped 20%.  If you don't have enough for the tip, pick up the pizza yourself.

         5.  To figure out 20% you multiply the bill by two then divide it by 10.  And round up.

         6.  What people refer to as common sense often turns out to be nonsense.  Don’t latch onto easy-sounding  truths because easy truths often aren’t true.  The world is seldom black or white,

...or always pink or blue,

...and no matter how much you like or dislike somebody, nobody’s all good or all bad.  (Or almost nobody).
     
       7.  Wrestle with ideas.  Wrestle with angels.  Wrestle with yourself.  Don't mistake your own voice for the voice of God.  (The two can sound deceptively alike).   

     8.  You can't control what other people say or do,

...you can only control what you say or do.

     10.  Vote.  Read the news and find out about the candidates.  If you have the choice of two candidates and hate them both, choose the lesser of the two evils.  The lesser of two evils is still better than the greater of two evils.  

     11.  Having lots of good stuff doesn't mean you're blessed.

Don't consider yourself blessed unless you are a blessing to others.

      12.  You don't have to like everybody.  You don't have to be everybody's friend.  But you should at least make the effort to to be civil and polite to everybody, even when it requires effort.

   13.   "Kind words are short and easy to speak, but their echos are endless".  - Mother Teresa

       14.  Unfortunately, the same is true of  mean words. 

       15.  So don't say everything you're thinking. 

Unless you're thinking something kind.