Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Challenge to 2015 (Be Different)



Well graduates, it seems you’ve done it. Congratulations, you’ve got your diploma. Now the real work starts. I’m going to help you out here will some challenging advice.
You’ve grown up immersed in technology which is still growing at an exponential rate. While I don’t realistically foresee a future where we are enslaved by robots, it already seems we’re already slaves, not to technology, but to the culture that’s come with it.
I’m going to issue you a challenge. If you accept it and accomplish it, you will have done something powerful that sets you apart from nearly every other graduate in the western world. It’s breaking the bonds to that culture. Brace yourself, I’m going to tell you what you should do.
Once you’ve got your diploma and twirled your liripoop, here’s what you’re going to do. Don’t take a selfie.
Every kid your age is going to be doing it. You can stand out from the crowd in a radical way. Don’t take a selfie after you’ve graduated. In fact, don’t take one for 12 hours after this ceremony. 

Some of you might have ambitions to change the world. You can start by not making it about you. Don’t take a selfie. Others among you might just want to be rich. How are you going to do that? Be different. Don’t take a selfie. Some of you, perhaps many of you, might not know what to do with your life. Start by doing something memorable. Stand with confidence that this moment will endure even if it’s not captured in a digital image. Don’t take a selfie.
If the rest of the world is doing it, stand out and don’t do it. But if this post goes viral, imagine that. What if the class of 2015 could be known as the class that graduated and social media went dark that night? What would the world think of those graduates who thought more of the world than themselves?
Share this post if you believe in something bigger than yourself. Let’s use social media to make it about something other than a collection of images. Let’s make it real this year. #donttakeaselfe