Graduation Speech

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Recommended: The influence of Greek philosophy upon western civilization

A boy once approached Socrates with the desire to obtain wisdom. Without saying a word, Socrates led the boy down to the edge of the sea and walked in, beckoning him to follow. When they were standing waist deep in the water, Socrates pushed the boy down, completely submerging his head. He held him thus for a couple of minutes, until the boy was almost to the point of death, before letting him up. Sputtering and angry, the boy demanded to know why Socrates had held him underwater for so long. In response, Socrates asked, "when you were under the water, what did you want more than anything in the world?"

After a moment's reflection, the boy answered, "I wanted to breathe."

"Ah," Socrates replied. "When you desire wisdom and knowledge as much as you desired to breathe, it is then that you shall have it."

Learning is a talent. It is something that is born from an intense desire to gain knowledge and it is something that can be practiced and improved upon. During our high school career, we have not only been learning how to conjugate verbs or how to integrate polynomials, but w...

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