Graduate Penguin is Graduated

Today was my high school graduation ceremony.

There was the standard marching in with Pomp and Circumstance blared out by a band. It's mark of how much of a nerd I am that as I walked to my seat I was thinking "You know what'd be awesome? If they played the music from the end of Star Wars. You know, the fanfare that's playing when Luke and Han are receiving medals from Leia." I had a similar thought as the crowd of graduates flocked out, only thinking that the Imperial March should have been used.

But I digress.

The highlight of the ceremony for me, other than walking up and getting my diploma case (I'll have to pick up the actual diploma later. Gah) were the addresses. There were a few generic ones from the principal and a few district members, but what really interested me were the ones given by the valedictorians.

Full of meaning, vigor, and honesty, it made me wonder: what would I say if I were asked to give a speech? Those who know me know I relish public speaking. There's something absolutely spectacular in the feeling of addressing a wide audience, touching many souls at once.

Which I suppose I can do in my blog here. So, this is my reflection of high school and of leaving it.

High school itself was something I wasn't too happy with. I came into the system wanting to learning, loving to learning, and expecting to learn. I came out someone disillusioned with school as a place of learning... at least for academic subjects.I won't rant about the system here. That's something for a different time.

While I won't particularly miss the school system, I will miss the people within the system. A metaphor I thought of a while ago and that I enjoy using is one of a tabletop roleplaying game. A bad one. The rules don't make sense, the fluff is dull, and the books are full of formatting errors. However, the players and GMs around the table make playing the game worth it.

(In this extended metaphor, the players are fellow students and GMs are teachers)

Now, obviously there are GMs that are terribly dull or who railroad too much or are just bad at what they do. The great ones make up for those GMs though. There are also players that are horribly bad and that are annoying as hell, but there are players who are genuine joys to have at the table. Most players I've played with fall between the two extremes, but lean towards enjoyable to play with more often than not.

Thus, despite the game itself being rather terrible, the people I played with made playing the game enjoyable nonetheless. So, I thank them.

Two out of three valedictorians told us to go out and be awesome. The last made sure to weigh in with reality. Is greatness really achievable for everyone? I say yes. The challenges we face as we head into adulthood are great. Life ahead of us is like an old map, with the end bits all whited out and labeled with "Here be Dragons". Still, equipped with the lance of our experiences, the shield of our own abilities, and the mount of our comrades, these dragons are slayable.

The Greatest Generation was not great because of their time was a time of ease. They are great because the overcame the obstacles and adversities thrown at them. Even the most optimistic look at our future sees great obstacles ahead of us as well. Let us too be great. Adversity is the crucible for greatness.

Graduation is an occasion for joy and excitement, but I also think it is a time for mourning. It is the final nail in the coffin for who we once were just as much as it is the first step towards who we will become. Let us not forget the self we lose now anymore than we look forward to the self we gain. For some of us, the two selves will not be all that different and for others they will be completely so.

Thank you to everyone that made my high school experience great and even to those who might have made it awful. You have all, indirectly or directly, changed who I am and forged the person I will become. Special shout out to my friends, who I hung out with today after graduation. You guys reminded me today of why you're all the best friends a guy could ever hope for.

And to those of you who only know me online and want all this blathering to be over... well now it is.

UPDATE: My best friend is disappointed that I did not mention him jumping out of his seat to hug me as I walked down from getting my diploma case. So... now I have.