Recently, one thought has been popping up in my mind repeatedly. And it happens at all sorts of time – when driving, when walking, even when talking.
Not that I’m complaining though. In my somewhat routine life, I tend to forget a very important thing, maybe, even the most important thing. But I’m glad that these days, the thought has been staying fresh in my memory through repetition.
And that thought is:
Today I share with you another gem: Neil Gaiman‘s commencement speech to the University of the Arts, class of 2012, delivered on May 17th, 2012.
This is one of the best speeches I’ve heard. It connected with me. As someone who’s trying his hand at some form of creativity or art, this speech really spoke to me (pun intended).
Irrespective of whether you are an artist or not, I strongly recommend that you watch this video. Or, if you prefer the written word, you can read the transcript of this speech here.
Not to dissuade you from watching the entire video (which I can’t stress enough that you should do), here’s a brief idea of the points he touches upon:
The world we live in can feel like a rough and tough place sometimes. We are all just trying our best to deal with this life that is given to us. We have our fears, we have our hopes. At any given point of time, it’s difficult to say what is going on inside a person’s head, but you can be sure that a lot is going on.
At times, all one can do is keep hold of all this chaos. And that may well be the greatest thing that person does in her entire life.Read More »
First of all, let me come clean: I’m not a parent myself, so maybe I can’t see a parent’s point of view. But I have been a child [some say, myself included, that I am one, even now 😉 ] and have wanted to say the following to parents (to some parents anyway):
The best thing a parent can do for their children is to not try to control them. Advise them, share your experiences and knowledge with them. Be there for them when they fall, because they will. But give them the freedom to make their own mistakes; teach them how to learn from their mistakes and not repeat them. You might think you can protect your children, but you can’t, not really – you can just prepare them.
Let them dream, let them dare. Let them define what they can do, and what they can’t.
Don’t stand in the way of their destiny.
Echoes In The Ether 