Follow Your Heart (Carpe Diem)

** Speech given at Toastmasters
In Dead Poet’s Society Professor John Keating, played by the late Robin Williams, begins addressing his students in a rather unorthodox manner.  Standing before pictures of the previous graduating classes, he whispers “Carpe…Diem!”  Under his tutelage, the student’s passions are elicited to show there is more to life than conformity in the status quo.  At the end of the movie, the students honor their professor by standing on their desks calling out to him, “Oh Captain my Captain!”  The purpose of this speech is not to explicate the movie, but to use it as a platform to inspire each of you to seize the day by following your heart throughout life.  Life ends all too quickly as time passes us by at breakneck speed.

                First, follow your passions in your career path.  Joy, contentment, and money will follow.  According to www.fedex.com, founder Frederick W. Smith, a Yale University undergraduate in 1965, wrote a term paper that invented an industry and changed what was possible. In the paper, he laid out the logistical challenges facing pioneering firms in the information technology industry.  Smith’s professor apparently didn’t see the revolutionary implications of his thesis, and the paper received just an average grade.  Smith could have had the wind taken out of his sails by the poor grade and the indictment on his idea, but he didn’t give up on his vision.  In fiscal year 1983, it reported $1 billion in revenues, making American business history as the first company to reach that financial hallmark inside 10 years of startup without mergers or acquisitions.  (www.fedex.com)  Steve Jobs is quoted as saying, “Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo.  You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward.  And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

                Second, invest and make a difference in the lives of other people.  Act as a conduit to pull people up.  The legendary friendship of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien is a prime example.  Had these two not forged their friendship through an ordinary Oxford faculty meeting, the world would not have experienced such great works of literature as The Chronicles of Narnia, The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings trilogy.  These literary giants knew the message of Christ could be passed through to the readers of such a genre without the resistance of intellectual barriers.  These two men were sharpening one another as iron sharpens iron.  Also, don’t allow others to pull you down.  Recently I had to cut loose of a nineteen year friendship.  As much as I could, I tried to love the person without condoning or promoting the aberrant lifestyle.  However, I finally had to follow through on another biblical principle of handing the man over to his sin.  In my farewell letter to this former friend, I deeply encouraged him to seek God and to make a return to the former things.

                Lastly, seek advice from people who are trustworthy and take a vested interest in your life; however, become ultimately responsible for the decisions you make.  Another tough lesson I learned over the course of the previous month, is to stand firm in my gut instinct.  Without the convoluted details of the situation, I withdrew from U.T. Arlington.  My spiritual sense of discernment was screaming for me not to attend this school as it would be a grave mistake to do so.  This is in addition to my poor attitude and low esteem I held for the school.  All this to say, seek advice and weigh it against your own circumstances, but ultimately make the decision which is right for you.  Do not cave in under pressure to what others wish to have you perform.  Only you and your relationship with God Almighty can decide what is right for your life.  Another personal example pertains to my immediate family.  Many of my closest kin are pharmacists, doctors, and psychologists.  Yet, somehow or another, I wound up as the English and History person.  By the way, I’m also the only right-handed person in the family.  Anyway, upon birth it was naturally assumed I would follow the path of medicine as did the rest of my family.  Not this guy!  Against the tide of familial pressure I stuck to my passions of literature and history.  At this point the rest of the family have finally given up on getting me to become involved in the world of science.  Another quote from Steve Jobs is, “If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it.”

                In conclusion, stand up to what the world says is your path in life.  Break the mold by not conforming to the status quo.  Moments of brilliance and great invention are born of bucking the system.  Take on the very things people say can’t be done.  Surprise them!  True visionaries see the unseen.  Allow me to finish by again quoting Steve Jobs, “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.”