I am sure people everywhere are sharing this graduation speech. That doesn’t mean it isn’t worth sharing. I can relate to the story of regret George Saunders shares in his speech. As one of the commenters writes, everyone everywhere should be required to read this.
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Don's Desk 
Thank you for sharing such an virtuous speech, President Laackman. I know I, for one, can be improved by it. But I am also reminded by recent local, national, and global events that there have been untold times in the past, and sadly many more times in the future, that the pursuit of liberation, enlightenment, and justice requires some measure of belligerence toward authority and institutions. Because the near universal property of those in power–even when they are kind hearted–is that they forget the extent of the plight of those that they rule over. They forget how even a slight push of that power can crush those beneath them.
Love, love, love George Saunders’ stuff. Thanks for posting this; I hadn’t seen it.
For anyone interested, to get a further taste of his sensibilities and voice, check this out (http://www.gq.com/news-politics/big-issues/200511/george-saunders-on-dubai ), but his fiction is really where it’s at. His fiction is so weird and funny that it consistently makes me laugh, but never just for the sake of the comedy. His short story “Isabelle” from spun me around in ways I’ve never been able to fully recover from. Great stuff.
Let’s stick to a history that’s a bit more local – something focused on the United States, say – and to events that have already happened. That makes it more manageable when interpreting/contextualizing one’s politics, especially one’s own (which would preserve the spirit of Saunder’s speech).
There’s nothing wrong with speculation, but zooming back to the future without a certain DeLorean is highly questionable.
Don, thanks for sharing this. I love it. Ellen