(written by a Lyndon Institute student who was not graduating last week)

The bell chimes on Lyndon Institute’s main campus and a sea of Maroon & White makes its way down to the enormous tent, which is being used for the very first time this year (It’s a big deal.) Cameras flash as people, packed inside the tent, try to get a glimpse of their kid. The graduates take their seats and Mr. Big takes the microphone. The chatter declines and Mr. Big goes on in his usual way about how perfect our school is, and how this class has been the best so far. The babies start to cry and the chatter picks up again and Mr. Big goes on and on and on about…who knows what?  When I started to pay attention again, I heard him talking about what the grads plans were. He mentions that five percent are going into the military and everyone cheers…but only for that.  I guess no one cares about the medical field or any of the sciences these days. He goes on about how the grads have set a plan and are heading into the future with the knowledge and skill they need to succeed. This was later addressed better by Valedictorian Evan Sherbrook: “I am as uncertain for my future as the rest of you,” proving yet again that Mr. Big really doesn’t know his students.

This year’s Commencement speaker was an alumnus of the class of 1968, Daniel Heath. Heath is the U.S. Alternate Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington, D.C. Before his appointment to the IMF in November, 2007, Heath spent six years at the White House as Associate Director of the National Economic Council, responsible for small business, entrepreneurship, rural development, and economic opportunity issues. He developed the Urban Entrepreneur Partnership, a public-private initiative meant to foster entrepreneurship and business development to spur wealth and job creation in historically neglected and economically underserved urban areas. So, surprisingly he talked about the economy. He mentioned the phrase ‘shop till you drop,’ and then said “Shop, or we all drop.” Maybe he was on a mission from the government to scare us into buying more. It was hard to find a real clear message. He also mentioned that McDonald’s is a safer investment than the United States government right now, showing once again, how corrupt we really are. (Yes, I know it is hard to give a motivating speech in these times, because it really is up to the current grads to make or break this world.) He finished with these words: “Take practical action. Be a person of consequences. Use your experiences to take the moment. There is a place for all of you.” What it boils down to is, ‘please, we need a smart person to get us out of this shithole we dug ourselves into.’

In reality, high school graduation is just as much a hoax as kindergarten graduation. Yes, you get a piece of paper that says you can work here, but the ceremony has lost its meaning. Everyone sits, stands, socializes, paying no attention whatsoever to the words or to the meaning; all they want is to see their kid shake the hand and move the tassel (although plenty forget to do just that.) It’s just another thing you have to go to these days. Reforms are in order, but it’s hard to reform a human. Our mindsets are off, what has the world come to? As the last diploma was handed out, the rain, which was on and off for most of the event, went away and the sun came out. I have yet to figure out what that was a metaphor for.

There’s no respect anymore. Scratch that…there’s no ambition! I can’t tell you what the grads were thinking (maybe about the parties to come) but by the looks on everyone else’s faces, they didn’t care. People were there to see their kid succeed and that’s it. They want the picture and the smile. As for Mr. Big, it was just another chance to brag about the school.

Hopefully it is a new beginning for some of the grads. Maybe some give a damn that they are now in the ‘real world.’ And maybe some of them can actually make a difference; this world needs some instigators.

A small beach ball was also tossed with the hats. It’s still just kindergarten graduation with bigger words, more people, and a tent. A really big tent!

–Chet Dimension