Paul Hawken’s to the Class of 2009,University of Portland
August 4, 2009 by Terri
Filed under Making a Difference
If you haven’t read this commencement address by Paul Hawken’s to the Class of 2009,University of Portland, read it. If you have, RE-read it. Please. I read it in May and re-read it this morning. This is probably the most important message these graduates heard in their college career.
I have great respect for Paul Hawken, as an entrepreneur and a responsible human. For any of you who believe making a difference is just for non-profits, check out what he’s done with private enterprise. It’s not just about amassing a great fortune and then donating to causes. It’s about living each day taking responsibility for the future and this can be compatible with private enterprise.
Below is Paul Hawken’s to the Class of 2009,University of Portland:
When I was invited to give this speech, I was asked if I could give a simple short talk that was “direct, naked, taut, honest, passionate, lean, shivering, startling, and graceful.” No pressure there.
Let’s begin with the startling part. Class of 2009: you are going to have to figure out what it means to be a human being on earth at a time when every living system is declining, and the rate of decline is accelerating. Kind of a mind-boggling situation… but not one peer-reviewed paper published in the last thirty years can refute that statement. Basically, civilization needs a new operating system, you are the programmers, and we need it within a few decades.
This planet came with a set of instructions, but we seem to have misplaced them. Important rules like don’t poison the water, soil, or air, don’t let the earth get overcrowded, and don’t touch the thermostat have been broken. Buckminster Fuller said that spaceship earth was so ingeniously designed that no one has a clue that we are on one, flying through the universe at a million miles per hour, with no need for seatbelts, lots of room in coach, and really good food-but all that is changing.
There is invisible writing on the back of the diploma you will receive, and in case you didn’t bring lemon juice to decode it, I can tell you what it says: You are Brilliant, and the Earth is Hiring. The earth couldn’t afford to send recruiters or limos to your school. It sent you rain, sunsets, ripe cherries, night blooming jasmine, and that unbelievably cute person you are dating. Take the hint.
