Kenyon College: John Green Commencement Address
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- Опубликовано: 20 май 2016
- Best-selling young adult author John Green ’00 addresses the 415 members of the Class of 2016 at Kenyon’s 188th Commencement ceremony.
Read a transcript of his speech: www.kenyon.edu/middle-path/sto...
Learn more about Kenyon College: www.kenyon.edu/
"When you're a somebody, remember when you were a nobody and it'll keep you from being a jerk." You epitomize this, my friend. Beautifully done!
Prepare for this to be the most watched video on this channel
Their top two videos are already John Green
@@vibraphonics, now it's the top three
"I lost my place."
"Oh, there we go."
-John Green, 2016
Best part
why is it that every time I finish listening to any of John's speeches I always end up tearing up while still simultaneously having a wide grin on my face? This man is wonderful
HE COVERS BOTH ENDS SO WELL. =)
Literally me as a tear falls from my right eye smiling :)
Same here.
Few people like John can handle the "I lost my place...there we go" like a boss as he did.
FOR REAL
"This will be over in 14 minutes"
*13 minutes 57 seconds*
John is God confirmed
Orrrrr John is a vlogbrother; and used to stopping just before the four(teenth) minute mark :P
+Rachael Williams nah that can't be it
or he already have practiced his speech -_-
Nina Jung Nah, this is the most evidence for omnipotents i've ever come across
InstaBlaster...
DID ANYONE NOTICE THE BOY AT THE BEGINNING WHO INTRODUCED JOHN AND HIS EYES LIKE PHEEWW WHEN HE LEFT THE STAGE AND DIDNT KNOW HE WAS STILL IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA
Don't shout!
Haha, I saw that too!
how much of a nerd does it make me that i clapped at the freaking computer screen, hand aching from history revision?
Dear John,
I hope the weather is good with you.
Very much a nerd, which is okay.
Dear HexoNerd,
I hope the weather is good with you.
damn john you got me all happysad
(One of those so-called horrors of adulthood: losing your place during a speech.)
Thank you, John Green, for being human - very wonderfully human - and by losing your place unintentionally providing an mini example and reminder that we are not alone in being human. You are appreciated. [:
As always, John's ability to smith words together into deep thought provoking sentiment is amazing. Thank you John, and DFTBA.
DFTBA
DFTBA
"But living for ones self, even very successfully, will do absolutely nothing to fill the gasping void inside of you. In my experience, that void gets filled not through strength but through weakness. you must be weak before the world, because love and listening weaken you, they make you vulnerable, they break you open, and it is only when you are weak that you can truly see and acknowledge and forgive and love the weakness in others. Weakness allows you to see other humans not as enemies to defeat but as collaborators and co-creators. In the end, we're making humanness up together as we go along."
Gives me all the feels! DFTBA
This commencement address makes me happy because John Green, without a single doubt, intended it as a response to David Foster Wallace's commencement speech at the same college in 2005.
He first talks, in his own ways, about the mundanity of life that so captivated This is Water, and then he goes off of that and responds directly to the Wallace thesis that liberal arts teaches you how to think with his "it teaches you how to listen".
He also broadens the scope to include systemic racism and marginalization, which Wallace did not include, but if you compare the two speeches, without a doubt Green was very conscious and listening very closely to Wallace.
Quite fascinating. Congratulations, Class of 2016 at Kenyon.
David foster Wallace water speech is amazing
Wherever Nerdfighters go the comment section is nothing but love and admiration. never been more proud of being a member of the best superhero group EVER - Nerdfighteria !!
+
My second favorite commencement speech ever, second only to David Foster Wallace’s (at the same college no less), which John’s speech is clearly a response to. I love it.
All I remember from the speech at my graduation was the guy saying "You won't remember who I was or what I said.. " (*me thinking of course I would remember*) ".. but the one thing I want you to take away from it is this..."
That moment at 0:13 where the announcer looks like "Oh God, got through that without a hitch! It's over! Yes!"
Congrats on delivering an amazing speech, John! DFTBA
We love you, John. Thanks for always inspiring us to be awesome.
So glad this was put up on RUclips so quickly. Thanks, Kenyon! :)
Love this speech. Real, truth, sincere, and made sense even to a 49 year old still trying to find out what I want to be when I 'grow up'. I forgot and stopped dreaming, now that my kid is an adult, I can go back and do what I forgot to do and re-learn to live, dream, and if I want to, grow up.
1:13 the part that makes me cry without fail every single time. My grandfather was one of the most pivotal people in my life until he died ten years ago and I always without fail think of him.
Haha, the guy's look of relief at 0:13 is very relatable.
Oh, and the speech is amazing, typical wiseful John.
Thank you, John Green, for the tears. Very cathartic.
The hand sign translator is amazing in this.
at what age do you become so good at making elegant and insightful conversation?
It takes practice, not age. Getting a job working people helps a lot as you get to practice your conversational skills everyday.
jpchevron yeah true. Joining the debate team in the new year so I can hopefully improve
Thank you John... that was very moving, deep and fun all at the same time. Thanks for providing me with constant inspiration! Thank you!
Probably the most beautiful speech I've ever heard. Thank you John for making my life wonderful. IS THERE RAINING IN YOUR POCKET OF THE WORLD?
No. It's quite sunny.
I didn't even graduate and I thought about life. Great speech!
Paused a dear Hank and John to come listen to this. Beautiful
Me too
I'm usually not one to comment on RUclips videos. But for this I can't resist. Thank you John. For the hope you've given and for making my ass listen intently for 13:57, because you truly do give such amazing speeches. Phenomenal is redefined in your writing and your voice. It gives a deeper meaning to this miracle of human consciousness. Thank you.
at 5:59 the guy behind him is wondering whether allowing John Green to speak to a room full of college students is a good idea
😂😂
that's the president of kenyon
I revisit this when life pulls at my confidence. Thank you for your wise words. Keep humaning the way you do.
there is so much David Foster Wallace in this speech. John cites his commencement speech "this is water" as a major life influence - I recommend that to others who enjoy this speech
I didn't understand some tiny bits of the speech, but I will watch it again, when I'll be fully bilingual.
You are already worlds above me. Best of luck learning how to better speak and understand english.
How are you two going?
"...those people, they're so proud of you right now."
...dammit John. #Imnotcrying #yourecrying
That one guy at the front who didn't close his eyes..
there is a quote that says "the wound is the place where the light enters you"
i was recently in a situation where a group exercised this idea together, to be vulnerable with each other, to connect to one another. it was a very inspiring experience
Oh yeag, I saw that quote on pdfdrive once
Now I remember why I love John Green so much :')
This man is an inspiration
That one dude who doesn't close his eyes 😂
Now I wanna write a song called "Hows the Weather By You?" and have it be about this kinda thing.
Thank you, John! 😭
I’m watching this as I apply. I’m so excited!
Okay, I'm in tears, that was so beautiful
They probably keep inviting John back just for the RUclips views lol
Honestly this video made me feel really good, and I'm a year and a half out of school
Hehehe I can see John's anti-Randian sentiments in this speech as well. Great speech, love it.
I really loved the speech and all, but why the hell is their a man on a throne?
Anyway, great speech from the great and powerful. Almost wished that he'd say DFTBA at the end, but anyway, great messages and congratulations on making me actively listen to speech for more than three minutes without falling asleep.
I think it's the dean or something.
Matthew Tolentino Hehe, dean... Now I kinda want to try to get something like that just for it to fit with my name.
That's Sean Decateur, Kenyon's current college president.
+Dean Goldenstar Like Dean Dean FitzDean?
Matthew Tolentino Exactly!
Thanks for being awesome, John.
Awesome speech! Very moving and thoughtful.
Beautiful!
I love every word so much
How awesome would it be if this was your commencement address?
i could listin to this man talk all of time (still havn't read any of his books)
Well done, John. I like the hat tips to DFW's 'This is water'.
i am a 32 year old woman and i still feel inspired.
great speech!!
When it went to the profile shot I realized that there is an ASL translator next to John. Hopefully, in the future, that will become the norm at all public events where a speaker is involved, worldwide.
John's a smart guy. This was a deep and inspiring speech.
This is fantastic. John is really nice, somehow I like his speeches but not his writing haha
Fair enough. Not everyone is into somewhat sappy YA novels. (I happen to adore them though!)
@@JoyLyte Yep, same here
By the end I found my eyes welling up and an oceans worth of joy in my heart ❤. DFTBA
How did this make me well up with unshed tears? This hurts, because it is true and it is correct and it is right and it is good.
Very good, and much better than the usual cant one hears in such addresses.
Golly this was great!
John Green will always be the author that made the most impression on
me, so much so that I have decided to start a PhD exploring the many
subtleties of his fiction and how he creates unforgettable fictional
landscapes
:0
Those courses exist?
The sad thing is that even though that was an awesome speech, a lot of those kids won't remember a thing.
I think a couple other people mentioned that this speech is definitely an echo of David Foster Wallace's "This is Water" commencement speech at Kenyon in 2005. Just a bump to the top - If you haven't watched DFW's speech, just search "This is Water" and give it a listen. Then read some George Saunders ("The Braindead Megaphone") and call it a day!
It's difficult not to hear DFW in this speech.
There is sooooo much of David Foster Wallace’s This Is Water in this. If you like this, go check This Is Water, you’ll love it
loved it! so inspiring and goosebump-prodcing :)
Well done John. Hit the right tones all the way through. DFTBA
Thanks, youtube. Please keep sending me random john green speeches
Beautiful, by the way.
beautiful! reminds me a ton (im sure intentionally) of this is water.
I would have no problem if I was more than 14 mins.....I can listen to him alllllllllll Day....
Freaking brilliant!
This was really inspirational *impressed face*
I LOVE JOHN GREEN
Not hating on Kenyon College or anything, but why do they get so many good commencement speeches?
Why does the sign language interpreter have a microphone?
equality its 2016. Everyone must have everything everyone else has because otherwise people get offended. :/
You really are a Potato coz that was really stupid
@Senor Potato
The irony of you being salty enough to say something so dumb is so delicious.
DoomedLich Wait it was clear i was being sarcastic right?
Senor Potato It was to me.
amazing :)
Actual tears at the life insurance part
I think he used David Foster Wallace's speech as inspiration. They're both incredible speakers.
did yall notice the static at 3:30 or was that just on my side
I wish John Green would speak at my university
1:49 There's always that one kid who refuses to play along XD
Did anyone else skip the minute of silence.
That guy in the front didn't close his (DAMN) eyes !!
Wow
Lol, I'm going to use that technique next time I have a speech I need to stretch out.
1:54 hey you, yeah you in the bottom rig corner with the green button down shirt underneath your gown, you're supposed to close your eyes!
Damn.
Hahaha I would love it if he was there for my graduation
We had to choose a speech for an assignment in class and everyone else is choosing speeches from presidents and stuff and I’m over here like SHARPIE FACE HAS A SPEECH I HAVE FOUND MY SPEECH HALLELUJAH
That was a long minute.
they literally spend a minute in silence
can I have John at my graduation, too, please?
That's odd..........because I have found growing up(so far, I'm only begining) to be at least in part a process of building emotional strength not hardness to others, but simply the werewithall to function under preassure without opening up when it would not help. Without being weak to those who would only crush you...
I am trying to build myself up as a protagonist, because that is _not_ what I would be otherwise. If I was not the protagonist I would just grind along in the abiss of mundanity. As the protagonist I think, and love, and help when others might not.
5:01 !!!!!!
The guy at the bottom right at 2:23 STARING INTO THE CAMERAS EYES. omg
GUESS WHAT,
GIVE PEWDS HIS DIAMOND PLAY BUTTON