Choices
Michael Friedman peppered his High School Commencement speech with golden nuggets of wisdom. He told his fellow graduates that it was their generation’s turn to make a difference in the world. He shared his perspective about choices, describing how experiences dictate decisions. And that an arsenal of experiences drives the choices we make.
The Choices We Make
“We are now entering the world of choices.” Mikey said, “From now on the decisions we make impact the world that we have so righteously received from our parents. Choice.” Mikey then cited a favorite quote of his, “The choices we make dictate the lives we lead.”
Mikey continued, “Choice. Nothing else matters: our intentions, our thoughts, our beliefs, and dreams all are subject to the will of our choices. We might wish and hope that the world will prosper and grow to a better place, but if our choices fail to reflect this ambition, our intentions will be rendered irrelevant. Every choice we make is a seed. A consequence sprouts from each of these seeds. Ultimately, the consequence stands as the only indicator that a choice was ever made. As thunder trails lightning, consequence is the great betrayer of choice. For this reason, our intentions can only manifest themselves through the consequence of the choices we make.”
Uncovering the Sources that Influence Decisions
Mikey expressed the importance of our own personal history which influence the decisions we make. “And so, it is important to uncover the sources that influence our decisions.” he said, “The answer is: the past. And not just the values and lessons passed down from our parents and mentors, but also the lessons we have learned for ourselves. The experience we have mounted, especially over the past four years, has molded our personality and in so doing has shaped our decision making. But these experiences need not be huge things. Each tiny experience, no matter how trivial or mundane it might seem, we heave onto the pile of our history. And it is this pile of experience that dictates our decisions.”
I Choose Not to Over React
Mikey reflected upon his own experiences and how these experiences impacted the decisions he made. Mikey continued, “This is true of all of us. I know that I have been subjected to many life changing experiences. Some are huge things. But surprising, some the tinniest among them are the ones that cross my mind every time I make a decision. For example, I choose not to over react, not to allow petty things to burden the time I should be enjoying.”
‘And it wasn’t the experience of a doctor telling me “You might have cancer” that has altered my decision making such. Rather, it was a short conversation I had once with my doctor, who has been a great mentor to me. “Some people leave this hospital and are never cured.” Imagine being told that: never cured. But what he meant surpassed the realm of human mortality. He was telling me that if you cannot enjoy life, you have succumbed to a disease far worse that cancer. And so, this one-minute conversation, in the 9 million 500 thousand minutes that have been my life, wields more power that the swiftest of fate of the biggest incidents of my life.’
We March
“Now armed with this arsenal of experience from which we draw or choices, we march.” Mikey said, referring to his fellow students, “We march ahead, moving on from this place, but we will never forget our roots born from the seeds we planted here. These roots keep us grounded; they are the foundation of our fortitude. And I know that our determination will only end in the realization of our intentions.”
“And so, one day, when we have exhausted all of our abilities and contributed everything we can to this world, our children will march as we marched today.” Mikey said, “They will reach out their hands and make that same request we now make. And we will give them the world. And we will take solace in knowing that the world we hand to them is better than the world we received.”
Mikey’s Choices
In Mikey’s short life, the choices he made changed lives and touched hearts. The seeds that he planted included the most selfless decision – his choice to help kids cope with cancer by creating Mikey’s Way Foundation. Mikey left the world a better place than the one he entered. Thank you, Mikey!