This is a time of transitions, a time when not only the seasons change but when many of our friends and family look forward to new challenges. The transitions that are most noteworthy now are happening this week in our schools, with classes of students graduating both from elementary school to high school, and from high school on to college, the working world or the military — generally on to adult life in whatever form these students’ paths are taking them. The private schools and colleges have largely had their graduations, also sending students forward to their futures.
Seeking higher education is no small feat, as it’s more difficult to afford than ever. It takes a lot of planning and sacrifice for families of any economic level to be able to consider sending their graduates on to college. Parents and students alike should be commended for setting education as a priority in their lives.
And, it takes real courage for all these students to step into uncertain futures. They can feel very alone, as they are often leaving behind friends with whom they’ve studied for years. Now, rapidly rising oil prices could be leading to meaningful lifestyle changes, most severely affecting those in rural America, according to an article in The New York Times June 9, and the weakening economy will make it harder for some graduates looking for work to find it. As the Iraqi war stretches on, it continues to most profoundly affect the lives of those who take the military path. But graduates should remember that all generations have had hardships with which they’ve had to cope, and should look for inspiration to those who went before.
And they should look forward with hope to the future that is open to them. Despite the challenges, there is reason to believe that with creativity, cooperation and ingenuity, humans can find answers to the most vexing problems. It will be up to the current generation to try to solve some of these problems, and then up to those now in transition to continue the process.
Working together, people can accomplish great and useful things. We wish all the classes of 2008 well as they charge ahead, and hope that they will be among those who leave the world better than they found it.
