Citation presented by Jennifer
Punt, Associate Professor of Biology
Well, good morning
everyone. This is your day, Class of 2004, and I want to say
congratulations. Four years of hard work, preceded by your
school years, and now you are moving forward into a rather
dangerous world. And I know that you're leaving this wonderful
Haverford, where you've spent these four years with your close
bonds with your classmates, with your teachers, and maintaining
those links with home. And now you're going into a new stage
of your lives, and for some, it may seem a little fearful.
But for all of you it's exciting.
And there's only one message I
have for you today-it's your day, I want to be brief-but sometimes
when you think about what you're doing in the world, you may
feel, "Well, it's a dangerous world, what I do can't
really make any difference, I'm just one person, there are
more than six billion people in the world today, so the little
things that I can do each day can't really matter. If I turn
off the tap, if I save energy, if I pick up trash, if I try
to help the people or the animals around me, my little bit
can't really matter, can it?" But you know that is so
wrong-it can, and it does.
And think of all the millions and
millions of people around the world who are now educated sufficiently
to know that the way they live each day is impacting the ecological
footprint that they make on this planet. Put these millions
and millions of people together, and if everybody lives the
way they know they should, that will be best for animals and
people and the environment, the world will change overnight.
And those of us who have the ability to make ethical choices
in what we buy-everybody here can make those ethical choices.
Then, if we refuse to buy products that are made by companies
with bad ethical reputations, bad for the environment, companies
that use child slave labor in faraway places, companies that
test cosmetics on animals-if we don't buy these products,
the world will change overnight. And this power lies in your
hands.
The reasons for hope for
the future, when all seems bleak-the amazing human brain,
the resilience of nature that can make it come back, the tremendous
indomitable spirit of mankind, of people around you who tackle
impossible tasks or seemingly impossible tasks who won't give
up. All these things are reasons for hope. And without hope
we fall into apathy, and young people sometimes become depressed,
bitter, angry and violent. But the most important reason for
hope that you have lies in each of your own hands. You have
this wonderful beginning. Hang on to what you have learned
about your important role in this life. Every day, you make
a difference by the way you behave, by the way you speak,
above all by your actions. You do make a difference, and the
future lies not in the hands of the decision-makers in governments
and big business. The future lies in your hands, for you are
indeed the future. So I want to congratulate you again, and
I think I'm going to give you a proper congratulations. That's
how a chimpanzee would congratulate you. (makes chimpanzee
noise)
