Deval Patrick, the former governor of Massachusetts, delivered his commencement speech to the Harvard graduates some days ago, advising them to be uneasy, unsure and restless. Not the best advice ever, it might seem.
The meaning was, however, that they should be uneasy about the planet’s big problems, unsure that they know all they should, and restless enough to act.
We should also take on board this message. Brand new graduates, who are facing the labour market for the first time, simply cannot think they already know everything they should know, and should be constantly hungry to know more. They should also be worried enough about the situation they live in to make it better, and restless enough to make sure it happens.
Our university is developing around this idea. We want students to be aware that nothing ends the day they graduate, but rather that everything starts from there. We want them to share their initiative and dynamism and to be self-entrepreneurs, and to believe that it is up to them to provide an example. We definitely want them to be uneasy, unsure and restless.