There is another rite of passage for graduates which is a baccalaureate ceremony, typically held as a non-denominational service a few days before graduation. Baccalaureate ceremonies are a bit more intimate and subdued and serve as a time of reflection before the broader, louder, and more colorful commencement day.
At this year's Stanford University baccalaureate ceremony at Frost Amphitheatre, Varun Soni, Dean of religious and spiritual life at the University of Southern California spoke. (his full remarks in the comments)
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He spoke about making joy a mindset. “But how do we embrace joy at a time of so much pain?” Soni asked. “We do so by realizing that even though we can’t control everything, the things that we can control are powerful beyond measure.”
“We can control how kind we are, how grateful we are, how much effort we exert, how much time we spend worrying or not worrying, and how we judge or don’t judge others,” Soni said. “And most importantly, we can control how many times we say “I love you” to the people we love.”
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❓ When we the last time you told someone "I love you?"
❓ How are you embracing joy even though we can't control everything?
❓ What do we have that we are grateful for?
❓ How can we experience more ease and flow?
❓ What are we worrying about today that we can loosely hold and let go?
❓ What is possible if we judge ourselves and others less?