Home / Vassar College / 2015
№ 2015.014 — Vassar College — Commencement address
Arianna Huffington
Field: letters
Arianna Huffington urges Vassar's Class of 2015 to cultivate three relationships: with technology, with themselves, and with the world. She warns against addiction to devices and multitasking, advocating digital detoxes and self-reflection rooted in the ideas of 'Know Thyself' and the examined life. She also calls graduates to address growing inequality and to pursue solutions-oriented journalism and meaningful priorities over external markers of success.
Key moments
- 01 Calling for digital boundaries and detoxes from constant connectivity
- 02 Stressing the relationship with oneself as the most important relationship
- 03 Citing studies on smartphone addiction and inability to be alone with one's thoughts
- 04 Highlighting growing inequality and the need for wisdom and solutions-focused journalism
- 05 Using the acorn symbol and 'Memento Mori' to put life and success in perspective
Transcript
The full transcript is hosted by the original publisher. Commencement Archive links to the source rather than republishing copyrighted text.
Read the full transcript at source →Provenance
Imported from NPR commencement archive; cross-referenced with Open Commencement DB
NPR archive last updated in 2015; destination availability has not been exhaustively rechecked | Open Commencement DB transcript; not independently verified against the original recording