The Coveted Commandment: THE FINAL ASSIGNMENT:

by Wayne Dan Lewis, Sr.

A Message to the Graduating Class of 2014

1. Good day to the Graduating Class of 2014! I hope that as your graduation day approaches, you are each reasonably prepared for the many challenges ahead. I realize that you can’t be fully prepared, because we just don’t know what life will throw our way on any given day. I do hope that as you graduate, that you will embrace the outstanding accomplishments that you are making, and that you will use the gifts and tools that you have gained over your successful lives, to really make some great strides, for yourselves, family, professionally, and for your communities. Why do I place this challenge at your feet? Because, the world is waiting for you, and you are a very important component to the growth and development of the next generation to come. Please, don’t let us down.

2. My message, as I have prepared it for you, is entitled: The Final Assignment: Preparing for Your Defining Moment. If you have had an opportunity prior to today, I had left word for you to take an opportunity to see a wonderful family movie, entitled: The Bee Movie[1]. If you have not had that opportunity, please, at your earliest convenience, do so. Of course, if you haven’t seen the movie, then that would theoretically make my message here today, null and void. But, knowing that I was asking a lot, I prepared my message for the worst case scenario: you didn’t have a chance to see the movie.

3. I would like to thank my daughter, Jaymee and my grandson, Doo (Josh, Jr) as we affectionately call him, for the inspiration for this message. I and his Mimi have spent a number of enjoyable moments watching this movie, even as we tried during his younger years, to get him to watch other movies. It was one of his favoritest (sp) movies, and we watched it, and watched it, and, watched it. We have no regrets here. It is just one of many enjoyable moments we have been blessed to enjoy, and love having the little fellow in our lives. We are indeed grateful to be his loving grand-parents.

4. The Bee Movie[2]

5. So, with the time that I have, I will give you a blow-by-blow, minute-by-minute account of the life of the main character of this animated movie. Okay, maybe not a blow-by-blow account, but at least a snapshot of what the main character experienced at about the same time that you are in your lives right now. Our main character, Barry Bee Benson, a bee, along with one of his millions of cousins, Adam, were graduating, he was faced the opportunity of a lifetime, to work in the sole industry of bee manufacturing.

6. What Barry soon finds out, and perhaps too late, is that despite his having completed school, he had limited opportunities, as he saw them. Your results may vary from Barry’s, but it is important that we focus on what Barry was facing as he was prepared to go out into the world.

7. For Barry Bee Benson, it was a critical time in his life. He had to decide whether to work in the factory doing the same job that his father, and his father before him, had done for millions of “bee years”. To add to his dilemma, as Barry saw it, his father and mother were pressing him to work in the factory because it was a “good job”. Barry’s cousin, Adam, was not only excited about the prospect of working in the factory, but was adamant about Barry staying the course, of those who had gone on before them.

8. But Barry the bee saw another opportunity to be something that wasn’t presented to him. He saw, the Pollen Jocks! Pollen Jocks were guys who, as Adam pointed out, “were bred for those jobs”, and Barry, according to Adam, would not be able to fulfill those responsibilities. Eventually, Barry would become a Pollen Jock, but it would come at a cost to him. You see, what we discovered about Barry is the same thing that we have to discover about ourselves. And that is, that no matter what job we ultimately find ourselves in, or no matter whether we may have a high school diploma, a PhD., a BS, or JD behind our names, the real concern we have to have is: have we really been prepared for the challenges that life has to throw at us? Have we really been prepared for any number of circumstances that tests as to whom we ultimately become? In other words, have we really been prepared for our defining moments?

9. Despite Barry’s discovery of becoming a Pollen Jock, a job he loved doing, he discovered something else. He discovered that the honey that he and his family of bees had produced for millions of years was being stolen, by humans, no less. For Barry, it would have done him well to just go along, do his job, and say nothing. After all, he had the perfect job, and as we also discovered, he may had a little sweetie on the side, Vanessa, a human (Talking to humans was a violation of Bee Law #1- No Talking to Humans)[3]. Barry had it made, so to speak. But his discovery of what he thought was not right, in that humans were stealing honey to put into their coffee, in their food, and marketing it as though it was rightfully theirs, caused Barry to rethink his priorities. And, as we would soon find out, Barry would take on the humans, in court, to stop them from stealing honey from the entire Bee population.

10. What Will Be Your Defining Moment?

11. I will stop here on the Bee Movie, in hopes that you will, if you haven’t already done so, share this delightful and thought-provoking animation with your families. But I also want to ask you, as graduates, to relate to Barry Bee Benson,[4] just for a few moments.

12. As you prepare for your graduation, many of you may already know what it is you will be doing over the next 5, 10 or 20+ years. Some of you will be going on to higher education. For some of you, this is the end of the road, you have careers lined up, and you will be settling into life as you would have it. If not any of these, please consult with a career counselor, or someone whom you believe can provide you with a great piece of information and direction on how to acquire, or obtain a great rewarding career. But whether or not you are prepared for a job, or going off to higher education, the relevance to Barry B. Benson here is that whatever position in life that you are successful in achieving, you will still have to be prepared for your defining moment.

13. For many of you, preparing to receive your respective degrees, diplomas, or Certificates of Achievements, this may be your perceived defining moment. While I applaud you if that is the case, I will dare to caution you, that it is not. Your defining moment, as I have learned over the years, is not one moment in and of itself, but a collection of life affirming , and in some cases, life altering activities, that you will have faced. Moments, that if you are not at your best, those activities will catch you at the worst possible time. They maybe the kind of activities, that at first glace, may appear to be insignificant. But know that in the total scheme of things, that that per-chance moment maybe the very measure of who you are, for some time to come.

14. How you may react to those off the cuff moments, could very well determine how you live out the rest of your life. So, it will be important for each of you to always be ready to act accordingly. Meaning, that today’s defining moment, your graduation, is the tip of the iceberg, and when all is said and done, the true person that you are has yet to be revealed. Therefore, your final assignment, if you decide to accept it, as did Barry B. Benson in the Bee Movie, is to be at your best, at any given time.

15. Real-World Defining Moments

16. As we all know, life is filled with real-world defining moments as well. If we go back to our history classes, we can rattle off any number of names of world leaders, politicians, public servants and everyday ordinary people, who, when faced with life’s unexpected challenges, stepped up, and took on those challenges, making the world a better place for their efforts. Even if their efforts may have resulted in their unlikely demise.

17. Real-world moments for many of us are too frequent, and in some cases, deadly. But they don’t have to be. We can still look at history and see how people who are with us today, have taken on life’s challenges, and in so doing, may have met their ultimate defining moment. For example, how will history decide on our Governor of Louisiana, Bobby Jindal and his refusal to accept the US Supreme Court’s decision on the Affordable Care Act of 2012?[5] Conversely, how will history reflect on our President of the United States, Barack Obama in his status as the first president to get legislation past enacting the Affordable Care Act of 2012?[6] Will history indicate that this one piece of legislation defined both of these leaders?

18. Additionally, how will history reflect on the men and women whose lives were either lost, or greatly changed on September 11, 2001? Those who were in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 when terrorists crashed two planes into the Twin Towers, as well Flight 93 that crashed into a vacant field in Pennsylvania where passengers were reported to have forced the plane down to save others from harm in the Washington, D.C. area, as well as those lives lost and impacted when a fourth plane crashed into the Pentagon? And how about the men and women who responded to these incidents? Was it not their defining moments, as they themselves put their lives at risk, in order to save the lives of others? [7]

19. Real-world defining moments presents us with heroes, as well as those who fail to make good decisions. While many of us are poised to achieve great things in our lives, the media, nor history will need to be there to record our greatest defining moment. We dare not choose to live so that our efforts are recorded for posterity, but instead, just for the betterment of mankind.

20. If we need a real-world defining moment, reflect if you will, on Chelsney Burnett “Scully” Sullenberger, Captain, Retired, U.S. Air Force. [8] Or, as you may know him as he has been affectionately referred to as ,“Captain Scully”. His real-world defining moment occurred on January 19, 2009. As an airline pilot for US Airways Flight 1549, Captain Scully was piloting an airliner out of New York’s LaGuardia Airport, when a flock of geese struck both engines of his plane. Forced to make an emergency landing, he and his co-pilot, took constructive maneuvers that allowed the plane to emergency land in the Hudson River. Lives lost: zero; Injuries: Zero to minor. From that moment on, Captain Scully would receive notoriety from all over the world as the first pilot to safely land an airliner in water and not loose a single passenger.[9]

21. How About You?

22. Many of us will perhaps go our whole life and never have to face a challenge of the various magnitudes described in these real-world instances. But it is not impossible. As Captain Scully was once quoted as saying in an interview with Talk Show hostess, Katie Couric[10]:

23. "One way of looking at this might be that for 42 years, I've been making small, regular deposits in this bank of experience, education and training. And on January 15 (2009) the balance was sufficient so that I could make a very large withdrawal."[11]

24. Obviously, the story with Captain Scully and Barry the Bee are never to be compared. Animation vs. Real World. But for some of us, either may work. But, I am sure that the real-world will have a greater impact, as it speaks volumes to each of us. Captain Scully’s experience, education, and training, as he indicated, was constantly being deposited throughout his life. One day at a time. One challenge at a time. He was building towards an (unknown) moment, he apparently could never have imagined. It seemed that despite his experiences as a former U.S. Air Force pilot, it would have appeared that he had faced his greatest defining moment fighting for his country. When, on January 15, 2009, a challenge of significant proportions, presented itself to him and the crew on his plane. He was the captain, and all depended on him to make the very best decision, based on his approach to all of his life’s challenges up to that moment. How about you?[12]

25. Are you doing as Captain Scully suggested? Are you willing to deposit into life’s bank your experiences, education and training to prepare for your defining moment? Obviously, we don’t know when that moment will be, but preparation is the key. Even though many of you will be out of the classroom, you will still face tests and challenges in your life. For all that you know, you could be tested on the streets of New Orleans; you could be tested on the streets of Chicago, or, you could be tested on the streets of Patterson, LA (my hometown). You could be tested driving your car, riding on the bus, or even while you are alone on a busy corner in New York.

26. The tests that you will each face, will be to determine if you are who say that you want to be. The tests that you will face, will challenge each of you to prove, that you are either the dishonest, underhanded, sneaky, backstabbing, low-down good-for-nothing rogue that you present to others, or, that you are the trust-worthy, honest, roll-up your sleeve, let’s handle this, above-board person that you want others believe you to be. So, here is your final assignment:

27. Your Final Assignment

28. You final assignment, and I hope you will decide to accept it, is to determine how all that you have done up to this moment in your life, will help you to be the very best person that you can be. Obviously, I am going out on a limb here, believing that each of you, pursuing your respective degrees, diplomas or some level of recognition and achievement, are out to make the world a better place to live. If not, hang around, you may still benefit.

29. Your final assignment will consist of living each day to its fullest. With the life that many of you will be living, you will have no shortage of opportunities to do so. For each day that you are able to rise and face the day in front of you, be prepared to demonstrate what makes you the very best possible person to make a difference in the world in which we live. Live your life as though you will be graded. And please, don’t live just enough to get by. But instead, live each day as though it is your last, and best. In so doing, prepare for your finest hour.

30. How Will You Be Graded on This Assignment?

31. I call this your Final Assignment, because you will not come back here for your grades, or an evaluation. Your final assignment will carry you through the rest tof your life. You will know how you will be graded because of how you will choose to live your life. You will know all of the in’s and out’s of life. You will know right from wrong. You will know ethical behavior, honesty and integrity. Keeping terms such as these as a part of who you intend to be, will make sure that your final assignment will assure you of a passing grade. And if you do as admirable a job as I know that each of you are capable of doing, you will always be on the honor roll of life. You will always be that person whom others can call on, and know that they are getting one of the world’s finest individuals that life has ever produced. Your grade, will always be a passing one, because you are committed to being the very best at who you are, and nothing less.

32. To all of you, the Graduating Class of 2014, I encourage each of you to prepare for your defining moment, as I wish you the very best that life has to offer, and always, continued success.

33. Disclaimer: All information is deemed to be from reliable sources but not guaranteed. No information should be considered as legal counseling or any other relationship not so designated as of this posting. The Coveted Commandment Blog and The Coveted Commandment are copyrighted by Wayne Dan Lewis, Sr. © 2014.