Success in a Global Age

As a college president, each year, I have the great fortune to preside over commencement and award degrees to many talented and outstanding graduates. I’m usually the one introducing the speaker, so it seems a little strange to be in this spotlight, but it feels wonderful. I’m honored to be here today and I thank you for inviting me to share in this special occasion.

Having been a part of many commencements, I know how important this moment is for you. All of you have made great sacrifices to reach this point. You’ve challenged yourselves, you’ve gone beyond the routine, and when it would have been easy to settle for less, you refused to do that, and that’s why you’re here today. Congratulations Class of 2004!

And because I preside over commencement at Fairleigh Dickinson University every year, I know several other things. Most importantly, I know you are not looking for another lesson. And I understand that I’m the only thing standing between you and the party. And of all the special things about this day that you will remember, perhaps the surest thing is that you won’t remember the name of your speaker. Very few people do.

So maybe I should say “go get ’em” and let the party begin. But then again nobody in education can resist the temptation to offer advice. It is what we do and who we are. So you’re not getting off that easy. And I also know that while many people don’t remember their speaker, they do remember hearing a story, a few words of inspiration or a short message that they carried with them through triumphs and tragedy. So I’ll press on in the hope that you remember not me but part of my message to you.

Typically, now is the time when the commencement speaker says the future is yours or the world is your oyster. Well it could be. Certainly you’ve proven here what you’re capable of. You have enormous potential. But what will you do with the time you have? How will you make your mark, and how will you define yourself?

As a lifetime educator, I’ve seen so many talented students and graduates accomplish extraordinary things. Unfortunately, I’ve also seen many cases of graduates failing to take advantage of their skills and opportunities. And those who fail to achieve great things have had two things in common. They took time for granted and they took people for granted.

They often believed they were the center of the universe, and they often believed there would be plenty of time tomorrow. Now some people scoff and say of course we shouldn’t be self-centered and of course we need to act with urgency, what’s so Earth-shattering about that. But it can be a very hard thing to do. We are first and foremost creatures of self-preservation, and that means we often act within narrow pursuits. We sometimes are selfish, sometimes lazy. And other times we get just a little full of ourselves. There’s nothing wrong with admitting that. We are all guilty of it. So how do we come back to Earth, extend our circle of compassion and seize our moments of opportunity.

I’ve found it useful when I’m obsessed with narrow self-interests or feel that I’ve lost a sense of urgency to take a step back and try to put my problems, my world into perspective. On a universal level, it’s sobering to recall that our stature is really not that massive, our presence not that impressive.

The best illustration of our relative lack of standing in the world is the famous scientist Carl Sagan’s “cosmic calendar.” This is basically a metaphor for comprehending history’s extensive timeline. The cosmic calendar condenses the roughly 15 billion-year lifetime of the universe into a single year, meaning that every billion years of history would be equivalent to about 24 days of his cosmic year, and one second of that year would equal about 475 years.

Going by this calendar, the Big Bang occurs on January 1, with our Milky Way Galaxy forming on May 1. The Earth, our home, doesn’t condense out of interstellar matter until early September. On Christmas Eve, dinosaurs make their emergence. But us men and women don’t even originate until 10:30 p.m. on New Year’s Eve. And all of our recorded history — from the finest accomplishments that have inspired our species to the most basic developments that have impacted out lives — do not occur until the last 10 seconds of December 31. Finally, at 11:59 p.m. and 59 seconds, Europe welcomes the Renaissance.

Graduates, we have not been here long. And our lives are not eternal. We are a mere blip on history’s radar. Humbling isn’t it? But while our time is preciously short, we still can forge a lasting legacy. What will your legacy be?

I have no doubt that each of you can be successful. You are talented, you have received a good education; so continued dedication and hard work toward your goals will lead to success, I’m sure. But I wonder how each of you will measure success. Will it be measured by personal achievements? Riches? Wealth? Fame? Popularity? Or is there something deeper that you wish to be known for? Today, you are saying goodbye to your campus friends, your faculty and your mentors. Some you may not see for a long period of time. When you do see them again, what would you like to be able to tell them you have accomplished? What stories of success would you like to share?

As a society, we have found lots of ways to measure success, particularly by the prestige we grant certain occupations, the homes we live in and the cars we drive. But these are all ways that others define you. They are symbols that superficial minds can embrace and therefore use to label you a success or failure. These may or may not represent success to you. But what I want to stress to you is that genuine success will not come from how others see you or try to define you; it can only come from within you, it will only come from how you see yourself.

Bob Dylan said success boils down to doing what you would like to do. No one can tell you how to measure success, but I can urge you to define for yourself what success is. I can also offer you a guide, based on my own personal experience and that of thousands of graduates I’ve been fortunate enough to know. The ultimate success is measured from within, but it’s delivered by looking outside of yourself. As the poet Maya Angelou believes, “If you find it in your heart to have cared for somebody else, you will have succeeded.”

This notion of success is a very interesting one considering the times we live in. We often hear that we live in a global age. So it must be true, right? Well, it is and it isn’t. In many ways, the world has grown closer. People speak about globalization as a new force uniting the world. Actually, globalization is a process that started ages ago, when our primitive ancestors began to roam the world. The history of humanity is an ever-growing process of connections. But still there is something new in the air. Simply put, it’s the speed of change.

Our new tools and technologies are catching on faster than ever. As Anthony Giddens at the London School of Economics pointed out, it took 40 years for radio in the United States to gain an audience of 50 million. Personal computers reached that number of people in just 15 years. And only four years after it was available, 50 million people were active on the Internet.

While the signs of change and global interconnections are everywhere, in many ways we, the citizens of our globe, remain far apart. We’re trapped in identities that are based on models of us versus them.

When I was growing up on the plains of Illinois, I used to believe my world ended at the horizon. My viewpoint was extremely limited to my own little world and I failed to think of others and their viewpoints. Education expanded my world and I know education has expanded yours. But that educational process must continue, even as you leave these hallowed halls for individual pursuits.

Because how we view our world — and how we see our individual differences and our common bonds — is the fundamental issue and the challenge. If we are to flourish as a global community, if we are to overcome global challenges then we must think and act globally. We must acknowledge and celebrate differences. We must engage in cross-cultural dialogues and initiatives. We must answer globalization with global awareness. In short, to enter the future we must become global citizens.

Businesses have long looked beyond these shores. And their employees are increasingly called upon to operate in different cultures. Those who want to succeed in the global economy must learn how to be global citizens. Even more critically, global crises — ranging from environmental degradation to international terrorism — cannot be combated by people and nations working in isolation. Global issues require global cooperation.

What exactly does it mean to be a global citizen? Does it mean we must abandon national alignment and identities?

The first step toward becoming a global citizen is to be comfortable with different identities. To look beyond narrow conceptions of us versus them. In our complex world, today we all wear many hats. We all switch identities as often as we change clothes. We are national citizens, but most of us have cultural heritages from other countries. We are engaged in careers, many of us have spiritual identities. We are children, we are parents, we are friends. Multiple identities are an inherent part of a complex world.

The next step toward becoming a global citizen is, something I mentioned earlier, to look outside yourself. Look beyond your horizon. We all have certain points of view — certain outlooks, attitudes, perspectives and opinions that frame our world. Some are optimistic, others are pessimistic, some are parochial and others have broader scopes. Our point of view is shaped by those closest to us: parents, friends, teachers. But should the development of a point of view stop there? How many of us consider that our point of view should also be impacted by a peasant farmer in Peru or a little girl working in a sweatshop in China? Confucius wrote that those who take no thought about what is distant will find sorrow near at hand.

Not only do we have to learn from others in considering our viewpoint, we must take the time to understand their points of view, their perspectives, especially when they contrast with our own. We need to understand the links between people and events in a globalized environment. Understanding how to put it together, combined with the skill to continually adapt and to adjust multiple views, positions you as a global citizen. And once those connections are made mentally, then the real connections — the personal bonds between peoples and across cultures — can blossom.

Above all, though, global citizens share two very important characteristics:

1) The awareness that just because someone is different from you, that does not make them wrong, just different; and

2) The understanding that when you need to work with others, you must learn to look at the problem through their eyes; not expect them to see it through yours.

Global citizens are able to cross boundaries and make connections with people from different backgrounds who have different worldviews. These connections represent the only way to effectively respond to international opportunities, challenges and crises. These connections represent the best hope for a future marked by peace and tolerance, rather than violence and prejudice.

Perhaps if we all behaved as global citizens, we could find solutions to those seemingly unsolvable problems facing humanity today.

That would certainly qualify as a success in every sense of the world. And it would leave a legacy that would stand the test of the time. And wouldn’t that be a nice story to share at your college reunion.

Think outside yourselves. Think globally. Don’t take time for granted! Don’t take people for granted.
Seize the moments that are yours, Class of 2004.

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