Critical Thinking At A Critical Time

[Every Monday]

2908 words; 32 min read

Monologue —

Good advice never goes out of style — especially at commencement season.

In 2008, during a commencement address that I was invited to give at the University of California — Merced, I advised the graduates:

“The key to living a happy and successful life is finding your passion and fighting to protect it. Forget about making money. Concentrate on doing what you love, and the money will follow. If you love doing something, you'll dedicate the time to perfect the craft and then you'll be well compensated. Take risks by leaving your comfort zone, ignore the naysayers who tell you what you can't do, and never give up.”

In 2013, in a column at CNN.COM, I told graduates:

“Have your parents introduce themselves to you. Interview them, and record it. Ask them about their lives, and what stories or lessons they’d like to share with grandchildren. They gave you life. The least you can do is try to understand theirs. When they’re gone, you’ll be glad you did.”

In 2016, in a column at Investor’s Business Daily, I advised them:

“Learn to say, ‘I don't know.’ Be grateful for all you have. Be thoughtful to others. When you’re wrong, acknowledge it. Listen more, talk less. Question what you see, read or hear. Maintain your independence. When you're knocked down, get back up and persevere. Make sure you control money, not the other way around. Use common sense. Treat people with respect and dignity. Don't think of yourself as being better, or worse, than anyone else. Hustle for what you want. Be careful whom you marry. Speak your truth with conviction and without fear.”

In 2017, in my nationally syndicated column for the Washington Post Writers Group, I advised graduates:

“Half of America thinks they're better than the other half…Listen up, youngsters. You have reason to wince at your inheritance from generations that preceded you. We broke the country. Apologies for that. But unifying this divided house, that's on you. Do away with elitism, and you'll take a giant step toward bringing us together.”

And, in 2023, in my column, I told them:

“I had a friend in high school who became an accountant because he was good at math. I spent my twenties listening to him tell me how much he hated being an accountant. How could that be anyone’s idea of success? Whatever you’re good at, or not good at, is overrated. It’s going to change throughout life. You can’t make major decisions based on aptitude. Pick a job that doesn’t feel like work. Then you won’t mind putting in the hours necessary to be great at what you love doing. None of this will be easy. Choosing the road less traveled is always hard. If it weren’t, there would be a lot more footprints on that path.”

And now, as I think about what I would tell the graduates of 2025, what comes to mind isn’t what the road to success looks like, or the definition of success, or even what you should do for society when you achieve success. Rather, I’m thinking about the cost of success.

You see, everyone wants to take the ride. But not everyone wants to pay the fare.