WEBVTT - Chuck Bryant's Speech from Commencement: Speeches for the Class of 2020

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<v Speaker 1>and location restriction supply. Commencement Speeches for the Class of

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<v Speaker 1>twenty is a production of I Heart Radio. Class of Parents, Faculty,

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<v Speaker 1>rising graduates. Welcome to commencement. You made it. This year

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<v Speaker 1>is a little different at difficult time to graduate because

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<v Speaker 1>the traditional graduation day has been put on hold, So

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<v Speaker 1>we're bringing it to you wherever you are because this

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<v Speaker 1>is still your day, your moments, and now put your

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<v Speaker 1>hands together. It's time to be inspired. This year's commencement

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<v Speaker 1>speaker the one and only Chuck Bryant. Hello, Class of twenty.

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<v Speaker 1>I am Charles W. Chuck Bryant from the Stuff You

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<v Speaker 1>Should Know Podcast. Over the past twelve years, I've had

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<v Speaker 1>the privilege to do a show that has meant quite

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<v Speaker 1>a bit to a lot of high school and college students.

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<v Speaker 1>We have heard great things over that time from students

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<v Speaker 1>who are smart and curious, funny and opinionated, the real

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<v Speaker 1>seekers in life, and it's my honor to bring them

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<v Speaker 1>in all of you. This message here for your fake

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<v Speaker 1>commencement Class of I'm sorry, you worked really hard for

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<v Speaker 1>twelve years and then maybe four more years in college.

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<v Speaker 1>And you were supposed to finish out your senior year

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<v Speaker 1>with pro um graduation, senior skip day, and more than anything,

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<v Speaker 1>walking out of your school knowing that it was for

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<v Speaker 1>the very last time. But you aren't getting that privilege

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<v Speaker 1>that you earned, and that really sucks. I'd like to

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<v Speaker 1>sugarcoat it, but that's the God's honest truth. Now, with

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<v Speaker 1>that out of the way, let me tell you why

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<v Speaker 1>one day you're going to look back on all of

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<v Speaker 1>this time and actually smile, because you will. You will

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<v Speaker 1>forever be known as the Quarantine Class capital Q, capital

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<v Speaker 1>C trademark Charles W. Bryant. You will go down as

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<v Speaker 1>the most cheated group of seniors in high school in

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<v Speaker 1>college history, and that's something you should embrace because all

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<v Speaker 1>of this will only make you stronger, more resilient, and

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<v Speaker 1>more prepared for the inevitable future disappointments you will all

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<v Speaker 1>suffer over and over again in life. You might think

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<v Speaker 1>I'm kidding, and I kind of am, because see, I

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<v Speaker 1>use humor to help deflect my own pain, and we're

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<v Speaker 1>all feeling that pain right now. You See, I have

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<v Speaker 1>a niece in the Quarantine class, and I have some

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<v Speaker 1>close friends with kids in the quarantine class, and I

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<v Speaker 1>have an almost five year old daughter who is part

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<v Speaker 1>of the quarantine class of her preschool. She will never

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<v Speaker 1>set foot again inside this little hippie dippy school where

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<v Speaker 1>she made her very first friends, and she will likely

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<v Speaker 1>not see many of them ever again. I have seen

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<v Speaker 1>through my daughter and my niece and my friend's first

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<v Speaker 1>hand the pain and disappointment of what this dumb situation

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<v Speaker 1>has caused. But back to the humor part, right, because

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<v Speaker 1>I am kidding in a way that life is a

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<v Speaker 1>series of disappointments and you will be better prepared because

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<v Speaker 1>of this. But life really is a series of disappointments

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<v Speaker 1>and also a series of sweet victories and wonderful friendships

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<v Speaker 1>and bitter betrayals. It's true love and utter heartbreak. It's

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<v Speaker 1>exciting and boring as hell. It's exhilarating and mundane. Your

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<v Speaker 1>future will be filled with all that's amazing and terrible.

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<v Speaker 1>The whole point of life is to experience the full

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<v Speaker 1>range of emotions and experiences. You'd be short changed if

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<v Speaker 1>everything was awesome, because sadness and pain are valuable. Some

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<v Speaker 1>of the best art and history came from sadness and

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<v Speaker 1>pain most of it. Actually, you know those songs about

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<v Speaker 1>somebody who's really happy all the time, There are very few,

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<v Speaker 1>and they suck. So what I'm getting at is that

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<v Speaker 1>you have an opportunity to use this experience, and use

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<v Speaker 1>this time, one unlike any other in human history, to

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<v Speaker 1>your best advantage. The world we live in has, by

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<v Speaker 1>and large, simply stopped for a moment. Not your neighborhood,

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<v Speaker 1>or your city or state, or even your country, the

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<v Speaker 1>entire world. We're all at home. We're all granted so

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<v Speaker 1>much time with our families and loved ones, and more importantly,

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<v Speaker 1>with ourselves. Will you miss graduation? Yes? Does that suck again? Yes,

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<v Speaker 1>but you know it. I honestly barely remember anything about

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<v Speaker 1>my graduation, and I didn't even drink back then. But

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<v Speaker 1>I know I'll remember these days and weeks and these

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<v Speaker 1>months more clearly than any other time in my life.

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<v Speaker 1>Now is the time to think about what you're going

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<v Speaker 1>to do to make the world a better one. We

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<v Speaker 1>shouldn't go back to normal, because normal wasn't the best

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<v Speaker 1>for the world. We can do better. We can slow down,

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<v Speaker 1>we can be kinder to the earth and to each other.

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<v Speaker 1>We can share things and use less we can forge

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<v Speaker 1>a brighter path. But you see, there's a catch, Quarantine

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<v Speaker 1>Class trademark. It's got to come from you guys. We

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<v Speaker 1>can't do it. We've showed that we can't do it.

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<v Speaker 1>Old people are the worst at making real change. People

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<v Speaker 1>my age aren't so great at it either. But you

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<v Speaker 1>know what, you guys are the best. Your spirit, your ingenuity,

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<v Speaker 1>your passion. This is what we need if we're going

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<v Speaker 1>to use this time to reboot humanity, because we need to.

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<v Speaker 1>It's a big job, but we have a little head

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<v Speaker 1>start here, and we have all of you behind us,

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<v Speaker 1>pushing this huge barge in the right direction, just a

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<v Speaker 1>few short inches at a time, so that it all

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<v Speaker 1>ends up in a very different place years from now.

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<v Speaker 1>So in closing, yes, the country is all super sad

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<v Speaker 1>for the quarantine Class. You have all been cheated and

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<v Speaker 1>it really does suck. But it won't define you. I've

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<v Speaker 1>heard from enough of you over the years to know

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<v Speaker 1>that that's true. One day you'll look back on this time,

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<v Speaker 1>and that will one be up to you what that

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<v Speaker 1>memory looks like. I believe in you, and the world

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<v Speaker 1>believes in you. Congratulations on all you've achieved. And all

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<v Speaker 1>that you will achieve. Now, go out there and crush it.

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<v Speaker 1>You can find a collection of incredible commencement addresses from

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<v Speaker 1>all your favorite speakers at the Commencement Podcast on I

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<v Speaker 1>Heart Radio or wherever you listen to podcasts.