"Wear sunscreen."
That's the simple advice that begins an oft-quoted commencement speech, wrongly attributed to American novelist Kurt Vonnegut. Chicago Tribune columnist Mary Schmich actually wrote the column in 1997 as the commencement address she would give - if she was ever asked to deliver a graduation speech. The text was subsequently set to music and delivered as a popular song a few years later.
"If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists," Schmich wrote, "whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience."
When Schmich wrote those words, times were relatively good in America - the Internet was just becoming an economic and social force, the nation wasn't at war, and perhaps most importantly to the graduates of 1997, there was no inkling of the "Great Recession" that a decade later would cost a nation about 8 million jobs. Unemployment in Wisconsin is still well north of 7.5 percent, and nationwide, the jobless rate has remained stubbornly high.
Yes, times are hard. But times have been hard before. Many of the parents of those graduating this year came of age during other tumultuous times. And many of the grandparents and great-grandparents of those graduating lived through or were born into the most difficult economic time our country has known, the Great Depression.
Losing hope isn't an option. It never has been. Throughout American history, those with the fortitude, creativity and sheer force of will have prevailed - and helped lead our communities and our nation forward.
We see examples of this kind of true grit in many of today's young people.
For three New Glarus students we wrote about in the May 20 edition, racing cars through an ASA Scholarship Series at Madison International Speedway may just be a ticket to attending tech school. For some, the military offers an opportunity to not only find a career and college money, but the opportunity to serve.
There's no one-size-fits-all answer. As the backstory of Schmich's column illustrates, people make mistakes. They take wrong turns. Life is unpredictable.
Our hope is the Class of 2011 will see beyond life's missteps. Our hope is those graduating from high school and college will use the wrong turns to guide them to a clearer path to their own true course - and hold steadfastly to the dream of a better tomorrow.
And, of course, that they will remember to wear sunscreen.
That's the simple advice that begins an oft-quoted commencement speech, wrongly attributed to American novelist Kurt Vonnegut. Chicago Tribune columnist Mary Schmich actually wrote the column in 1997 as the commencement address she would give - if she was ever asked to deliver a graduation speech. The text was subsequently set to music and delivered as a popular song a few years later.
"If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists," Schmich wrote, "whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience."
When Schmich wrote those words, times were relatively good in America - the Internet was just becoming an economic and social force, the nation wasn't at war, and perhaps most importantly to the graduates of 1997, there was no inkling of the "Great Recession" that a decade later would cost a nation about 8 million jobs. Unemployment in Wisconsin is still well north of 7.5 percent, and nationwide, the jobless rate has remained stubbornly high.
Yes, times are hard. But times have been hard before. Many of the parents of those graduating this year came of age during other tumultuous times. And many of the grandparents and great-grandparents of those graduating lived through or were born into the most difficult economic time our country has known, the Great Depression.
Losing hope isn't an option. It never has been. Throughout American history, those with the fortitude, creativity and sheer force of will have prevailed - and helped lead our communities and our nation forward.
We see examples of this kind of true grit in many of today's young people.
For three New Glarus students we wrote about in the May 20 edition, racing cars through an ASA Scholarship Series at Madison International Speedway may just be a ticket to attending tech school. For some, the military offers an opportunity to not only find a career and college money, but the opportunity to serve.
There's no one-size-fits-all answer. As the backstory of Schmich's column illustrates, people make mistakes. They take wrong turns. Life is unpredictable.
Our hope is the Class of 2011 will see beyond life's missteps. Our hope is those graduating from high school and college will use the wrong turns to guide them to a clearer path to their own true course - and hold steadfastly to the dream of a better tomorrow.
And, of course, that they will remember to wear sunscreen.
