FISK UNIVERSITY COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS IN NASHVILLE, TN
Delivered on May 3, 2004

President Fuget, Chairman Glover, members of the faculty and administration, families, friends, and, of course, graduates:

Congratulations to every member of the Fisk community for making this day a reality – especially the mothers and fathers and loved ones whose hearts I know are filled with pride. And -- above all -- congratulations to the members of the Class of 2004!

You’ve worked hard and made hard choices. But today the sacrifices of the last several years pay off. You join -- or even further your stature -- in the select company of Americans -- still only a quarter of our population -- with a college degree.

This you do at an extraordinary time. Think back to that September day when you walked into your first class on campus. Think about the world as it was then. Now think about the world you enter today.

From the barbarity and abruptness of the September 11th attacks to the completion of the unraveling of the mysteries of the human genome, you’ve witnessed some of the watershed events in history. This will not be an uncommon occurrence in your lifetimes.

Advances in transportation continue to rapidly shrink the world. Exploding information technology is harnessing the atomic power of knowledge. And revolutionary science is discovering what past generations would consider nothing less than miracles.

Change has been a constant as long as time itself. But the pace of change in today’s world is unprecedented. It’s light speed. And the implication for you is clear: how do you prepare for life when the assumptions of today may be obsolete tomorrow?

We cannot predict with certainty what the next month -- much less the next year or decade or century -- will bring. But we’ve never been able to do that. The fact is you don’t need to predict the future -- even in these uncertain times.

There are universal truths that apply across time and place and to all people. One is the indispensable value of education. You have in your hard-earned degree from this outstanding university the tools to realize your dreams.

And there are many others you’ll learn as you immerse yourself in the rushing wilderness of this world. This morning I’d like to open a small path for you and share a few of what I’ve found to be truths to leading a good, fulfilling, meaningful life.

First, devote yourself to your passion in life. It could be a cause or your career. It could be your family or God. But find the one thing that will lift you out of bed in the morning even before the buzz of your alarm clock.

I had the great fortune of knowing exactly what I wanted to do when I graduated from college. From a young age I remember my father -- a family physician with an old, well-worn, black leather doctor’s bag in hand -- making rounds on his patients.

I knew then I wanted to be a physician. And that’s what I worked to become.

I devoted 20 years of my life to the healing arts. And I wouldn’t trade a moment of it. There’s nothing more rewarding than the intimacy of the doctor-patient relationship -- consoling someone who suffers, counseling and caring for them, and giving them the hope of good health.

Some of you already know to what end you’ll devote your lives. More than half of you will enter graduate school this fall. That’s an astounding statistic. I congratulate you. I congratulate those for whom today is the capstone on their post-graduate educations. And I congratulate this devoted institution -- Fisk University -- for academic excellence.

But most of you are probably thinking: “I haven’t yet found my passion in life. What do I do? How do I find it? When will I find it?” My answer is: “Don’t worry. It’s just as much fun finding it, as it is living it.”

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard someone say: “I’ve achieved all my goals. I have all the money I need. But I’m not happy. I feel empty inside. I feel like I’ve done everything, but nothing at the same time.”

That person hasn’t followed his or her heart. And they’ve focused too much on reaching the end of the journey rather than the joy of the journey itself. After all, the best part of life isn’t taking your last breath. It’s rising from the valleys and reaching the peaks in between.

Second, pursue your passion with vigor, but set and adhere to an ethical and moral framework. This has obvious personal implications for each of you as individuals. But it’s also inextricably linked to the health of our society as a whole.

When I first moved my family to Washington, people would ask my wife, Karyn: “Why did your husband leave the most ethical profession of medicine for the questionable field of politics?”

In truth, I’ve found it’s much better than most people think. Almost all of our elected leaders are good and decent and dedicated people who make noble sacrifices to serve our country.

And I believe the same is true for other leaders in the community. Most want to do what’s good and right by themselves and society. And when they stray -- and we all do at times -- they work to get back on the righteous path.

But there have been some in positions of power who have made abominable ethical decisions during the last few years. These decisions not only revealed a lack of morality, but a stunning lack of concern for the well-being of fellow citizens.

When a business executive inflates earnings, he undermines trust not only in his company, but also in our financial markets. When a reporter fabricates stories, he undermines trust not only in his newspaper, but in all the media.

Each of us has a personal obligation to ourselves. That’s between you and the higher power in which you put your faith. But we also have an obligation to society. Our decisions -- and whether we make the right ones -- can have a deep and far-reaching impact on others.

You’ve earned an education from one of the most respected universities in the nation. That respect was earned over the course of decades by the courage and sacrifice and contributions of those who came before you.

It was earned by W.E.B. Du Bois -- Class of 1888 -- and Booker T. Washington -- a university trustee. And it was earned by students -- like John Lewis and Diane Nash -- who organized the first Nashville sit-ins and helped win the battle for civil rights without lifting a hand in violence.

You’re the inheritors of a proud and historic legacy. And I know you’ll pass that legacy on to future generations of Fisk graduates -- because within you is the same pure and untouched sense of righteousness and purpose.

I urge you to live by those guideposts as your pursue your passion in life. If you do, you will not only live a healthy life, you will help build a healthier society for your fellow citizens and future citizens to enjoy.

Third, use your passion to leave a world better than the one you enter today. Serve. Serve your family, your community, your city, state, nation -- even the world. Give a portion of your time and energy and expertise to a cause greater than yourself.

I firmly believe in the concept of a citizen-legislator -- someone who takes the knowledge and experience they have acquired outside of politics and brings it to bear in the legislative arena.

I could have transplanted hearts for the rest of my life. I could have continued to make that meaningful contribution to my community. But why improve one life at a time -- or just your own life -- when you have the opportunity to touch the lives of millions -- not just in your own country, but around the world?

The Jubilee Singers are a wonderful example. As you know, Fisk was in dire financial straights when it was founded. According to one account, “[An] instructor apologized for asking for her back pay; but it was cold, she said, and she had no shoes.”

The Jubilee Singers didn’t say, “There’s nothing I can do about it. I’m not wealthy. I’ll just go somewhere else for my education. Or maybe I’ll just do something else for a while until someone else raises the money.”

The Jubilee Singers believed passionately in education. They had a devout faith in the Almighty. And they had a gift for using song to share with others the struggles of their life experience.

They toured the country and the world. Their proceeds saved this university. And their successors are still the pride of this university, of Nashville, and of all of Tennessee today.

If your passion is scientific discovery, why not work in a lab that’s developing a vaccine for HIV/AIDS? If your passion is business, why not help manage a community center that serves your neighborhood? You don’t have to devote your entire life to others, but at least give a portion of it to the greater good of humanity.

Yours is the first class of graduates to be college educated entirely in the 21st century. I wish I had as many years ahead in my life as you do in yours. The advances you’ll see will be mind-boggling compared to those we’re witnessing today.

Just imagine for a moment that you’re the Fisk University Class of 1904. And I said to you, “Within your lifetimes, America will fight and win two world wars; man will walk on the moon; and scientists will discover the building blocks of human life.”

You’d think I’m crazy. You’d also think I’m crazy if I had stood before you today -- as the Class of 2004 -- and told you what will be accomplished in your lifetimes -- even if I was right.

No one knows what the future will bring. And in a time of such rapid and revolutionary change, that can be a scary prospect. But there are truths by which people -- who lived in 1904, who live today, and will live in 2104 -- can lead good, fulfilling, meaningful lives.

Devote yourself to your passion in life. Live within an ethical and moral framework. And give to a cause greater than yourself. And regardless of how your journey ends, the journey itself will be one worth taking.