What Every Graduate Should Know | 5 Minute Video
As a college graduate, the commencement speech is something that you can take with you into the world. America’s universities have attracted some of the most successful and famous people to speak to graduates. Some commencement speakers deliver grand and inspiring speeches. Some don’t say much. Dennis Prager has his own five-minute commencement speech he’d like to give to this year’s college graduates. It’s not the typical address, and not one you’d likely hear at most universities.
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Script:
My dear college graduates. You have hopefully acquired a great deal of knowledge here over these past years. But in life, knowledge is considerably less important than wisdom.
Here then are five ideas for your life.
1. The greatest struggle in your life should not be — and, in fact, is not — with society. It is with yourself. This idea — taught by every great religion — is not taught today. Instead we are taught that we have to battle society — its sexism, racism, prejudices and it’s other flaws. The overwhelming temptation is therefore to see whatever problems you have as coming from society, not from within yourself. But in a free and decent society such as ours, it is our own flawed human nature — not a flawed society — that is our biggest problem.
2. Use your common sense. For example, when you hear the words “studies show” — outside of the natural sciences — and you find that these studies show the opposite of what common sense suggests, be very skeptical. I don’t recall ever coming across a valid study that contravened common sense. For example, I was told when I was in college that “studies show” that boys and girls are not inherently different; that they differ only because parents raise them in a sexist manner. This was nonsense then, and it is even more nonsensical now since we have brain scans showing how different the male and females brains are.
3. Race is unimportant. You’ve been taught that it is very important, but it isn’t. The color of people’s skin is as trivial as the color of their hair. Be guided by the idea of Viktor Frankl, the Jewish psychiatrist who suffered the horrors of a Nazi death camp and whose family was gassed. After the Holocaust, he was asked, “Do you hate the German race?” “No” he replied “I don’t, there are only two races, the decent and the indecent.” Remember that truism, and you can never be a racist.
4. Beware of good intentions. The 20th century was the bloodiest and cruelest century on record. Why? Not because so many more people were bad, but because so many people believed in bad ideas. Most Nazis and Communists in their time and Islamic terrorists in our time were not/are not necessarily sadists; they were normal people who believed in bad ideas. So here is a quick way to measure if an idea is good. Do not — I repeat, do NOT — ask if it feels good or if it has good intentions. Ask will it DO good? Will it make people kinder and more ethical? Will it encourage responsible behavior? Has it been tried before and if so, what were the results? What matters is how you act. If you do something bad, it is not important that you “meant well.” And if you do something good, it doesn’t matter if you did it for “selfish” reasons. So spend much less time monitoring your motives and far more time monitoring your actions.
For the complete script, visit https://www.prageru.com/videos/what-every-graduate-should-know
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6 — Understand how money works and how it doesn't.
Nice job of contradicting yourself by asserting that your actions are more important than your motives, then professing that motives born of religious belief are somehow preferable/superior. I've been an Atheist for 40 years, I'm not militant about it, nor do I try to lead others from their beliefs, in truth I avoid doing such things as much as possible. Perhaps you could attempt a bit of objectivity next time.
This is such a great video. These are all sound pieces of wisdom especially #5. Very well done Dennis. I wish more people would listen to wisdom.
Good.
I'm watching this clip in South Korea in 2023. Can't say enough how much I'm blessed to get to know PragerU channel. Thank you all!
Race "should not" matter is what should be said.
If people follow the fifth point, the others should come naturally. Numerous studies clearly show the devastating effects of fatherless homes. Well, our world has also become Fatherless in many ways since many people have turned their backs on the most important Father of them all, God, our Heavenly Father. If more people understood their true relationship with Deity and held themselves accountable to Him, the world would definitely be a better place. Thanks Dennis for the excellent advice!
One is either below the culture or above the culture.
You almost had me.. until the end 😆 Hail Satan
Imagine saying you’re a Prager U grad lol
Well said.
race is not important, but religion is.
God bless you
News flash: Nobody is triggered or pissed off by Dennis Prager saying Judeo-Christian values are counterculture. We just think it's ridiculous.
3:51 – 4:42 This is true. It really is. I'm Doctor Sketch, for Prager University.
the NHL is more popular than the NBA among non-Hispanic whites.
18.8% of Hispanic / Latino (of any race), vs 57.3% of Asian.
https://youtu.be/tUtrg4tmYTw
I can only hear that YouTube Poop where Prager describes his fetishes.
Actually this is a great video.
What about other religions like Buddhism?
It's utter stupidity to deny studies.
Studies are called so beacuse they're done by experts and are published only after peer reviews. Unlike surveys, they involve meticulous analysis and care.
So logically and technically speaking study results are highly likely to be right.
Never more accurate.
(Purported) Intentions "Let's lock everyone down so we flatten the curve and everyone is healthy in a couple of months"
Results (which were obvious, by the way): Orwellian regulations, rigged economy, mental health issues, educational losses and no significant achievement in healthcare.
Everyone should watch these videos. Thanks a lot!
"The color of people's skin is as trivial as the color of their hair." Well said.
It was all good speach until it came to the superstition at the end. Why cant you not folw this rules without belive in God?
A counter culture is a cultural standard that contradicts society's culture. Although I don't absolutely agree with everything on Prageru, Dennis has a point when he says that tattoos and piercings aren't counterculture. A great majority of Americans nowadays have them. There are also not many christians that are really outspoken when you compare it to the outspoken athiests in this country. This might not have been true 200 years ago, but today, christianity is a counter culture in America.
Ok well to use your argument against you, Stalin was a good person. Let me explain, so if you don’t care about the intentions all you care about is the results then I can say that “well sure he killed over 50,000,000 people but he was snuffing out revolution so it was totally justified. The USSR also near single handedly took down the Nazis ( sorry Americans but you were helpful in Africa and and Italy that’s about it). Under Stalin, Russia developed from a weak power mostly agricultural, low industrial kingdom to a fully developed industrial nation with the capability to steamroll into Europe all in just in set 30 years”
1:10 Ah yes, the undeniable, indisputable, near holy common sense. Nothing can get past that!
Like the Monty hall problem? Common sense says it's 50% so it MUST be 50%, no matter what any studies say!
I agree with a lot of what he says but I still can't stand his constant mention of "judeo-christian values" and religion… I don't give a shit wha some book says, the only values i follow are my own.
Amen
That last was the best advice. Since, all answer to HE. That is wise to keep the end in mind.
Dennis Prager for president
Amen Denis
Just to let u know Dennis, more people r becoming atheists bc of science
Disagree with point 5 bc u can be a good person and be an atheist
I love the point 5#. Be a religious or agree with a escale moral values is a rarity today. Everyone thinks that is weak, but is when I weak than I strong. Great video!