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№ 2013.027 — Wesleyan University — Commencement address
Joss Whedon
Field: arts
Joss Whedon opens by joking about a past Wesleyan address by Bill Cosby before declaring that the graduates are going to die, using mortality and the body's biological drive as a starting point. He argues that the central gift of human existence is the contradiction and tension between body and mind, and within the mind itself, urging graduates to listen to internal dissent in order to earn their identity. He contends that peace comes from accepting the part of oneself that can never be at peace, that understanding opposing views strengthens one's own, and that everyone is unavoidably connected to others and thus already changing the world.
Key moments
- 01 References Bill Cosby's brief, dismissive address at his own graduation
- 02 Frames mortality and the body's biological urge as the opening provocation
- 03 Argues that accepting internal contradiction is how one earns identity
- 04 Claims understanding and even losing a debate fosters real growth
- 05 Asserts everyone is connected and inevitably changes the world simply by living
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