The opportunities presented to us 4 years at Oxy, a chance to travel, a new relationship, an evolving transition into adulthood offer us, at the end of the day, a chance to make decisions about what we respect, what wisdom we will glean from the books we read, what problems we will take responsibility for, what we will believe or disbelieve, and the cost of these beliefs for ourselves, and for others. Leading a life is an expensive act. Though today's graduation ceremonies call for a celebratory atmosphere, we must continue to ask important questions questions which require spiritual, philosophical, and personal investment. Admittedly, these are difficult, destabilizing questions. I do believe, certainly, that a life cannot be measured by the number of battles we avoid.
Silence carries a cultural currency equal to that of war, of religion, of love.
Silence is at the heart of our nation's political and social agendas. This happens literally, as we depersonalize and marginalize certain messages, and at times, kill those we most fear. The case of Mumia has shown that, as subjects of a now conservative State, we value ideological silence more than we value life itself. We would rather kill than imagine a world in which a death row inmate would be allowed the chance to mirror our own failures, both as individuals, and as a nation. The question of who is allowed to speak, and who will choose to listen, has become a haunting inquiry, even at Occidental, where we claim to value all voices.