The Era of Friends in Low Places

If my bookmarks folder were a garden, it'd be that scary one belonging to those neighbours who've long since moved out, and that's now overrun with menacing weeds, and aggressive foliage. So every now and then I go in with a weed wacker, Tomb Raider style, and hack read through them.

This is Robert Krulwich's commencement speech at Berkeley’s School of Journalism from 2011. Please watch and/or read and/or memorize. It might not change your life, but you'll probably find yourself somehow cured of your ailments.




Our Generation...

When you talk or write or film, you work with the music inside you, the music that formed you. Different generations have different musics in them, so whatever they do, it’s going to come out differently and it will speak in beats of their own generation.

On Loyalty...

Instead, think about getting together with friends that you admire, or envy... Think about not giving your heart to a bunch of adults you don’t know. Think about horizontal loyalty. Think about turning to people you already know, who are your friends, or friends of their friends and making something that makes sense to you together, that is as beautiful or as true as you can make it.

You will build a body of work, but you will also build a body of affection, with the people you’ve helped who’ve helped you back.

A way into Troy...

And maybe, for your generation, the Trojan Horse is what you’ve got, your talent, backed by a legion of friends. Not friends in high places. This is the era of Friends in Low Places. The ones you meet now, who will notice you, challenge you, work with you, and watch your back. Maybe they will be your strength.

Staying Power...

If you can… fall in love, with the work, with people you work with, with your dreams and their dreams. Whatever it was that got you to this school, don’t let it go. Whatever kept you here, don’t let that go. Believe in your friends. Believe that what you and your friends have to say… that the way you’re saying it – is something new in the world.

And don’t stop. Just hold on and keep loving what you love and you’ll see. In the end, they’ll let you stay.

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Transcript can be found here