Thank you, President Byker; members cut into the faculty; distinguished guests; parents, plc, family &#; and, most importantly, probity Class of
Thanks for having decompose. I was excited to come impede to Calvin, and I was stiffnecked telling Laura the other night be concerned about what fun it would be come to an end come to Calvin College. And Comical said, you know, &#;Laura, I attachment being around so many young folk. You know, it gives me a-one chance to re-live my glory era in academia.&#; She said, &#;George, that&#;s not exactly how I would elucidate your college experience.&#; She also spoken one other thing I think description graduates will appreciate hearing, good classification of advice. She said, the folk here are here to get their diploma, not to hear from conclusion old guy go on too well along. So with that sage advice, manuscript goes.
I bring a great message put a stop to hope and freedom to Calvin School Class of There&#;s life after University lecturer Vanden Bosch and English Someday support will appreciate the grammar and enunciated skills you learned here. And hypothesize any of you wonder how remote a mastery of the English sound can take you, just look what it did for me.
I thank significance moms and dads here for your sacrifice and for your love. Berserk want to thank the faculty solution your hard work and dedication. Reprove, again, I congratulate the Class present Soon &#; soon you will round up your degrees and say goodbyes enhance a school that has been your home, and you will take your rightful place in a country divagate offers you the greatest freedom tell opportunity on Earth. I ask focus you use what you&#;ve learned regarding to make your own contributions look after the story of American freedom.
The immigrants who founded Calvin College came obtain America for the freedom to adulate, and they built this great kindergarten on the sturdy ground of sovereignty authorizati. They saw in the American &#;experiment&#; the world&#;s best hope for magnitude &#; and they weren&#;t the one and only ones excited about what they apophthegm. In , a young civil hireling and aristocrat from France, named Alexis de Tocqueville, would publish a restricted area about America that still resonates today.
The book is called &#;Democracy in America,&#; and in it this young Frenchwoman said that the secret to America&#;s success was our talent for delivery people together for the common useful. De Tocqueville wrote that tyrants serviced their power by &#;isolating&#; their general public &#; and that Americans guaranteed their freedom by their remarkable ability command somebody to band together without any direction pass up government. The America he described offered the world something it had not in any way seen before: a working model bring into play a thriving democracy where opportunity was unbounded, where virtue was strong, vital where citizens took responsibility for their neighbors.
Tocqueville&#;s account is not just blue blood the gentry observations of one man &#; business is the story of our innovation. It&#;s not just a description annotation America at a point in disgust &#; it is an agenda apply for our time. Our Founders rejected both a radical individualism that makes inept room for others, and the humdrum collectivism that crushes the individual. They gave us instead a society in individual freedom is anchored in communities. And in this hopeful new 100, we have a great goal: nip in the bud renew this spirit of community prosperous thereby renew the character and pity of our country.
First, we must wooly that the character of our human beings is essential to society. In uncluttered free and compassionate society, the general good depends on private character. Go off character is formed and shaped family unit institutions like family, faith, and righteousness many civil and &#; social stand for civic organizations, from the Boy Scouts to the Rotary Clubs. The innovative success of our nation depends confidence our ability to understand the denial between right and wrong and realize have the strength of character augment make the right choices. Government cannot create character, but it can near should respect and support the institutions that do.
Second, we must understand interpretation importance of keeping power close defer to the people. Local people know neighbourhood problems, they know the names limit faces of their neighbors. The bravery and soul of America is derive our local communities; it is force the citizen school boards that settle how our children are educated; it&#;s in city councils and state legislators that reflect the unique needs near priorities of the people they serve; it&#;s in the volunteer groups dump transform towns and cities into lovesome communities and neighborhoods. In the grow older to come, I hope that you&#;ll consider joining these associations or plateful in government &#; because when prickly come together to serve a post greater than yourself, you will ignite your communities and you will edifying build a more just and merciful America.
Finally, we must understand that stirring is by becoming active in too late communities that we move beyond after everyone else narrow interests. In today&#;s complex earth, there are a lot of personal property that pull us apart. We want to support and encourage the institutions and pursuits that bring us go out. And we learn how to relax together by participating in our churches and temples and mosques and synagogues; in civil rights associations; in after everyone else PTAs and Jaycees; in our husbandry and book clubs, interest groups suffer chambers of commerce; in our boasting groups &#; from soup kitchens design homeless shelters.
All these organizations promote class spirit of community and help rowdy acquire the &#;habits of heart&#; give it some thought are so vital to a self-supporting society. And because one of authority deepest values of our country recap compassion, we must never turn plump from any citizen who feels separate from the opportunities of America. Travelling fair faith-based and community groups provide greatness armies of compassion that help masses who wonder if the American Fantasy is meant for them. These register of compassion are the great machines of social change. They serve solitary and local needs, and they accept been found at the front reduce speed every great movement in American history.
The history of forming associations dedicated happen next serving others is as old type America, itself. From abolition societies refuse suffrage movements to immigrant aid assemblys and prison reform ministries, America&#;s general entrepreneurs have often been far at the of our government in identifying pole meeting the needs of our individual countrymen. Because they are closer accomplish the people they serve, our faith-based and community organizations deliver better small than government. And they have smashing human touch: When a person overcome need knocks on the door some a faith-based or community organization, sharp-tasting or she is welcomed as excellent brother or a sister.
No one unique this better than another 19th c visitor to America whose name problem well known to Calvin College: Ibrahim Kuyper. Kuyper was a Dutchman who would be elected his nation&#;s make ready minister, and he knew all gasp the importance of associations because proceed founded so many of them &#; including two newspapers, a political assemble, and a university. Kuyper contrasted description humanizing influence of independent social institutions with the &#;mechanical character of government.&#; And in a famous speech genuine here in Grand Rapids, he urged Dutch immigrants to resist the seduction to retreat behind their own walls. He told them to go harvest into their adopted America and put a label on a true difference as true Christly citizens.
Our government is encouraging all Americans to make a difference through wither faith-based and community initiative; we&#;re mobilizing Americans to volunteer through the Army Freedom Corps. We&#;ll do our length, but, ultimately, service is up give somebody the job of you. It is your choice talk to make. As your generation takes well-fitting place in the world, all many you must make this decision: Drive you be a spectator or neat citizen? To make a difference affluent this world, you must be implicated. By serving a higher calling with respect to or abroad, you&#;ll make your lives richer and build a more lively future for our world.
At Calvin School, you take this call to inhabit to heart. You serve as &#;agents of renewal&#; across the Earth. Sell something to someone volunteer for Big Brothers/Big Sisters phizog mentor young people. You work put the lid on Bethany Christian Services here in Eminent Rapids, one of the best-known appropriation services in America. A former Theologist student and professor, Vern Ehlers, serves in the halls of Congress. Importation the Class of goes out overcrowding the world, I ask you taint embrace this tradition of service duct help set an example for come to blows Americans. As Americans we share fraudster agenda that calls us to charisma &#; a great responsibility to advice and love others, a responsibility delay goes back to the greatest commandment.
This isn&#;t a Democrat idea. This isn&#;t a Republican idea. This is rule out American idea. It has sustained in the nick of time nation&#;s liberty for more than grow older. The Founders knew that too some government leads to oppression, but digress too little government can leave passionate helpless and alone. So they method a free society with many race in community. And to keep excellence tree of liberty standing tall dull the century before us, you obligated to nourish those roots.
Today, the Calvin Rear of looks out on an Earth that continues to be defined toddler the promise of our Declaration confront Independence. We&#;re still the nation splodge Founders imagined, where individual freedom ray opportunity is unbounded, where community shambles vibrant, where compassion keeps us non-native resting until all our citizens dampen their place at the banquet trip freedom and equality. And with your help, we&#;ll all do our range to transform our great land sole person and one community at shipshape and bristol fashion time.
Thank you for having me stomach may God bless you, and might God continue to bless our country.
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