SUNY Potsdam

Dr. David E. Johnson '77
May 22, 2010

Good morning President Schwaller, and most important of all, our honored graduates.  When I was invited to speak at your commencement ceremony, my first reaction was to feel flattered that my alma mater would ask me to speak on such a notable occasion.  Then I felt surprised that my alma mater would ask me to speak on such a notable occasion.  After all, I asked myself, what useful pearls of wisdom would I have to impart to graduates of such an extraordinary school as SUNY Potsdam?  Then I considered some quotes about wisdom.

• There is one that says: Some folks are wise and some otherwise (Wikiquote, 2010).  I think I belong to the otherwise group.
• Then there is another: Time ripens all things; no man is born wise (Wikiquote, 2010).  I am a man, I was not born wise, I have time, and I am ripe.
• Here is one that might apply to me: Age doesn’t always bring wisdom.  Sometimes age comes alone (Wikiquote, 2010).  I’ve invited wisdom time and time again.  Age always shows up but wisdom doesn’t even bother to RSVP!
• But this final quote might have been written with me in mind: Before you can be old and wise, you must first be young and stupid (Wikiquote, 2010).  I was indeed young and stupid; now I am no longer young.I’ll tell you, however, that of the list of schools I attended, one was omitted: The School of Hard Knocks!  If that term means the sometimes painful education one gets from life’s usually negative experiences in contrast to his formal education; and if it is typically used by a person to claim a level of wisdom imparted by life experiences, then I’m your man (Wikipedia, 2010)!

With hope it will not take a School of Hard Knocks for you to obtain wisdom.  Perhaps I can help get you started on the road to wisdom today. There is a regular feature in a popular magazine titled “What I’ve Learned.”  It features lessons learned by people in entertainment, sports, literature, politics, business, scholarship, and other fields.
 
Since I might be lacking wisdom, I thought I would, instead, tell you what I’ve learned:

I’ve learned that one should follow his or her calling.

The idea of a vocationor “calling” is rooted in Protestantism—vocation, by the way, is a term for an occupation to which a person is specially drawn.  Martin Luther taught that each individual was expected to fulfill his God-appointed task in everyday life.  The legacy of this religious ethic influences the secular world.  Modern occupations that are seen as callings often include those where a combination of both skill and community are implied, such as care-giving, military service, the clergy, medicine, and teaching—occupations where rewards are seen in spiritual or other non-financial terms (Wikipedia, 2010).

To hear one’s calling, it is important that one knows him or herself so that one can recognize when he or she is being called.  Erik Erikson, the developmental psychologist who coined the term identity crisis, studied stages of psychological development spanning the entire lifespan.  He claimed the turning point in human development seems to be the reconciliation between the person one has come to be and the person society expects one to become (Wikipedia, 2010).  Erikson’s life-virtues—as he termed them—include questioning oneself:

• “Who am I?”  “How do I fit in?”
• “What am I going to do with my life?”
• “Have I lived a full life?”  “Am I satisfied or not” (Wikipedia, 2010)?

The psychologist Abraham Maslow proposed a theoretical hierarchy of needs.  At the top of his hierarchy is “self actualization,” which posits “What a man [sic] can be, he must be.”  This level-of-need pertains to what a person’s full potential is and realizing his or her full potential.  Maslow described self actualization as one’s desire to become more and more of what he or she is; to become everything that one is capable of becoming; or, in other words, “to do things not simply for the outcome but because it is the reason you are here on earth” (Wikipedia, 2010).

Related perhaps is the term the meaning of life, which is a philosophical question concerning the purpose and significance of life or existence.  The concept is expressed through questions, such as “Why are we here?” What is life all about?” and “What is the meaning of it all” (Wikipedia, 2010).

If we apply psychology professor Leon Festinger’s theory of cognitive dissonance (New York Times, 2010), we would feel cognitive dissonance if we discount, ignore, or disregard Luther’s calling, Erikson’s life-virtues, Maslow’s self actualization, and our personal answers to questions of the meaning of life.  Cognitive dissonance occurs when two simultaneously held beliefs are inconsistent, do not fit together, or are contradictory.  An example is: Strongly believing one thing—such as recognizing one’s calling—but doing a contradictory thing—such as working in a field counter to one’s calling (Wikipedia, 2010)

Not fulfilling one’s calling could indeed be foundation for a “midlife crisis,” a term to describe a period of self-doubt sometimes triggered by realizing one hates his or her job or career.  Persons experiencing midlife crises feel a deep sense of remorse for goals not accomplished (Wikipedia, 2010).

So in sum, you will be perpetually frustrated until you are doing what you are meant to do.

My “What I’ve learned” has immediate impact and application for you.  Although April’s jobless data suggest a slowly improving economy, the current job market is far from providing a base for a sustained economic recovery (Rich, 2010).

As a result, you could find yourself compelled to take the first job you are offered without regard to your calling, in order to tackle Maslow’s more basic and immediate needs for human survival and safety (Wikipedia, 2010).

So although you might be feeding, clothing, and housing yourself and family, before you find yourself perpetually frustrated because you are not doing what you are meant to do, ask, “What is my passion?”  “What are my life goals?”  and “What do I want my life to be?”  Then answer your calling.

Congratulations on your graduation and commencement!

References

New York Times (2010, May 9).  Leon Festinger, 69, New School Professor.  Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/1989/02/12/obituaries/leon-festinger-69-new-school-professor.html?scp=21&sq=cognitive%20dissonance&st=cse&pagewanted=print

Rich, M. (2010, May 11).  Economy Gains Impetus as U.S. Adds 290,000 Jobs.  New York Times.  Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/08/business/economy/08jobs.html

Wikipedia (2010, May 11).  Calling (religious).  Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calling_(religious) 

Wikipedia (2010, May 4).  Cognitive dissonance. 
Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_dissonance

Wikipedia (2010, May 10).  Erik Erikson.  Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_Erikson

Wikipedia (2010, May 5).  Maslow's hierarchy of needs. 
Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs#Physiological_needsn

Wikipedia (2010, May 5).  Midlife crisis.  Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-life_crisis

Wikipedia (2010, May 5).  School of Hard Knocks. 
Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_of_Hard_Knocks

Wikiquote (2010, May 11).  Wisdom.  Retrieved from http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Wisdom