COMMENCEMENT SPEECHES
So, I'm not sure what really led me to my first commencement address. I can't decide whether it was luck or fate or just the beauty of technology ( I think my penchant for watching Chimamanda's TED Talks played a huge role as well).
Right now, I'm sure you can guess where this is going, and you're probably right. Youtube suggested that I watch a commencement address by Chimamanda at Wellesley next.
Of course, I did!
Then, I watched some more. I watched one she gave at Yale and another she gave at Harvard.
Now, my obsession didn't end here. For my final assignment at the end of my junior year, I had to write a speech Michelle Obama might give at an event of my choosing, but it had to be modeled after the fashion of her 'Let Girls Learn' speech.
If you guessed that I chose to do a commencement speech at Wellesley, you're absolutely right.
To prepare, I had to do research. And research I did. I watched and rewatched so many commencement speeches that I think I could recite some of them or at least mouth along with the speaker if I were to hear them being played. Perhaps, I can hold an online course on commencement speeches via zoom.
One commencement speech that really made me think was Chimamnda's Harvard speech.
Now, it's not because Harvard is pretty cool, even though it is. Her Yale speech was equally fantastic.
In part, it was the title of this Harvard speech that really got to me:
ABOVE ALL ELSE, DO NOT LIE
She talked about 'questions that are straight from the land of the absurd. Questions such as should we call a lie a lie? When is a lie a lie?'
A similar discussion had ensued in my Theory of Knowledge class several weeks before this. And, I had held the same position as Chimamanda, then, as I still believe I do even now. But, I struggle with the suggestion that the above questions are ultimately absurd.
The absurdity or lack of it of these questions aside, they are profound questions that could give rise to many a heated philosophical debate. And, anyway, isn't philosophy with all its ramblings-on about the workings of the mind a little (if not a lot) absurd?
The reason I think a question like 'When is a lie a lie?' could be relevant is actually from the early part of her speech. She says 'The point is that intent matters, that context matters' and 'But always remember context and never disregard intent.'
I thought of 'white lies' we tell kids like the existence of the Tooth Fairy and 'Santa Claus'. Of other tales we tell to our friends as kids so we seem cooler than we think we are. Of stories we tell kids about estranged or deceased parents. I thought of books I'd read and movies I've watched in which a child ( too old to be called a child, really and probably a parent himself) played along with whatever a parent with Alzheimer's wanted to believe, no matter how removed from reality that belief might be , in an attempt to alleviate their suffering.
Context matters. Intent matters.
Of course, when I think of flighty compliments we pay others to make them feel better or like us more, I wish we could have the 'bullshit detector' she mentions in this speech. Life would be so much more easier, wouldn't it, if we could surround ourselves with only genuine people. If not for anything at all, all the secrets and lies and back-biting that destroy relationships would be no more. And, the harmony and co-operation that will result from this would undoubtedly lead to better opportunities to collaborate for improvement.
But, alas, neither Apple nor Google nor Microsoft has managed to get that far. Maybe, I should explore whether certain chemical signals that the body produces could aid in bullshit detection? I shall think about it.
Let's take this statement for example:
Everything I say is a lie.
Now, if we were to believe this statement, it would mean that the above is a lie. But, this would be a true statement as well.
And, if we were to take this statement as truth, then it would falsify the statement.
Confusing, I know.
And wouldn't you agree that in the deep recesses of your mind, you would start to really ask yourself, 'Should we call a lie a lie? When is a lie a lie?'
I don't think I shall ever understand this, but it's possible I'm getting it totally wrong.
Perhaps, a reader could help me properly align my way of thinking?
I'm curious to hear your opinions on this subject so please make sure you comment at the bottom of this post. (Click the title to read the post in isolation and comment in the reply box below).
Don't forget to share this post and the blog as well with everyone you know.
Here's the link to the commencement speech I wrote for Mrs Obama. Let me know what you think!https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YrCphMDjlyNSCMWfUyA-OrRdr5UBNIRZYmpLfe6CU5g/edit
CHIMAMANDA'S SPEECH TRANSCRIPT FROM https://singjupost.com/full-transcript-chimamanda-ngozi-adichies-harvard-2018-speech/