Mid-May is an uplifting time of year.
No, we're not talking about the end of the legislative session, we're referencing graduation season.
Our newspaper recently has been interspersed with stories of academic achievements and honors, photos of area graduates and inspirational remarks from commencement speakers.
Those remarks prompted curiosity about the best graduation speeches. An Internet search turned up a number of lists featuring a range of observations, including:
• "You must have some kind of vision for your life, even if you don't know the plan. You have to have a direction in which you choose to go." - Talk show host and actress Oprah Winfrey at Spelman College, 2012.
• "You can either be a passive victim of circumstance or you can be the active hero of your own life. Action is the antidote to apathy and cynicism and despair. You will inevitably make mistakes. Learn what you can and move on." - Actor Bradley Whitford at Wisconsin, 2006.
• "Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition ... Stay hungry, stay foolish." - Apple co-founder Steve Jobs at Stanford, 2005.
Vision, action and independence are the focal points of these recommendations to graduates.
Winfrey reminded graduates that vision and direction will lead young people to develop a plan.
Whitford counseled action, even though mistakes are inevitable. Fear of making mistakes leads to paralysis; action is heroic because it overcomes fear and despair.
And Jobs advised young people to live their own lives. We all are social beings who are linked to families, friends, co-workers and communities. Those connections influence our attitudes and behaviors, but each of us also must celebrate being unique.