Stuff You Should Know - Chuck Bryant's Speech from Commencement: Speeches for the Class of 2020

Episode Date: May 19, 2020

Hi listeners, in case you haven't heard already, iHeartRadio just released a brand new podcast called Commencement: Speeches for the Class of 2020, where we collected speeches from notable folks all over and asked them to give their best advice, thoughts and words of wisdom to graduating seniors.In this episode, our very own Chuck Bryant reminds graduates to not let this season define them, reminding them the world believes in their ability to craft a better future for themselves.If you'd like to hear the other speeches, including ones from John Legend, Bill & Melinda Gates, Tim Cook, Katie Couric, Ryan Seacrest, Abby Wambach, and more, just search "Commencement: Speeches for the Class of 2020" in your podcasting app of choice! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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That's a lot over today. The holidays are the most wonderful time of the year, but they can also be the most stressful. And with the threat of COVID-19 still looming, emotions are high and can be overwhelming. CalHope can help with free emotional support for you and your loved ones this holiday season. Call 833-317-4673 or live chat at calhope.org today. This episode is brought to you by Direct TV Stream. Introducing Direct TV Stream, the best of live TV and on demand, which means you can watch your favorite sports, movies, and shows all in one place.

So whether you want to catch the game live or watch the latest Blockbuster, they've got you covered. And there's no annual contract. Direct TV Stream, get your TV together at DirectTV.com, requires high-speed internet and compatible device. Content varies by package and location, restriction, supply. Commencement, speeches for the class of 2020 is a production of iHeart Radio. Class of 2020, parents, faculty, rising graduates, welcome to commencement.

You made it. This year is a little different, a difficult time to graduate because the traditional graduation day has been put on hold. So we're bringing it to you, wherever you are, because this is still your day, your moment. And now put your hands together, it's time to be inspired. This year's commencement speaker, the one and only, Chuck Bryant. Hello class of 2020, I am Charles W. Chuck Bryant from the Stuff You Should Know podcast.

Over the past 12 years, I've had the privilege to do a show that has meant quite a bit to a lot of high school and college students. We have heard great things over that time from students who are smart and curious, funny and opinionated, the real seekers in life. And it's my honor to bring them and all of you this message here for your fake commencement. Class of 2020, I'm sorry. You worked really hard for 12 years and then maybe four more years in college and you were supposed to finish out your senior year with prom, graduation, senior skip day and more

than anything, walking out of your school knowing that it was for the very last time. But you aren't getting that privilege that you earned and that really sucks. I'd like to sugarcoat it, but that's the God's honest truth. Now with that out of the way, let me tell you why, one day, you're going to look back on all of this time and actually smile, because you will. You will forever be known as the quarantine class. Capital Q, capital C, trademark Charles W. Bryant. You will go down as the most cheated group of seniors in high school and college history

and that's something you should embrace because all of this will only make you stronger, more resilient and more prepared for the inevitable future disappointments you will all suffer over and over again in life. You might think I'm kidding and I kind of am because, see, I use humor to help deflect my own pain and we're all feeling that pain right now. You see, I have a niece in the quarantine class and I have some close friends with kids in the quarantine class and I have an almost five-year-old daughter who is part of the quarantine class of her preschool.

She will never set foot again inside this little hippie-dippy school where she made her very first friends and she will likely not see many of them ever again. I have seen through my daughter and my niece and my friends firsthand the pain and disappointment of what this dumb situation has caused. But back to the humor part, right? Because I am kidding in a way that life is a series of disappointments and you'll be better prepared because of this, but life really is a series of disappointments and also a series of sweet victories and wonderful friendships and bitter betrayals.

It's true love and utter heartbreak. It's exciting and boring as hell. It's exhilarating and mundane. Your future will be filled with all that's amazing and terrible. The whole point of life is to experience the full range of emotions and experiences. You'd be shortchanged if everything was awesome because sadness and pain are valuable. Some of the best art and history came from sadness and pain, most of it actually. You know those songs about somebody who's really happy all the time?

There are very few and they suck. So what I'm getting at is that you have an opportunity to use this experience and use this time, one unlike any other in human history to your best advantage. The world we live in has by and large simply stopped for a moment, not your neighborhood or your city or state or even your country, the entire world. We're all at home. We're all granted so much time with our families and loved ones and more importantly with our selves.

Will you miss graduation? Yes. Does that suck? Again. Yes. But you know what? I honestly barely remember anything about my graduation. And I didn't even drink back then, but I know I'll remember these days and weeks and these

months more clearly than any other time in my life. Now is the time to think about what you're going to do to make the world a better one. We shouldn't go back to normal because normal wasn't the best for the world. We can do better. We can slow down. We can be kinder to the earth and to each other. We can share things and use less. We can forge a brighter path.

But you see, there's a catch quarantine class trademark. It's got to come from you guys. We can't do it. We've showed that we can't do it. Old people are the worst at making real change. People my age aren't so great at it either, but you know what, you guys are the best. Your spirit, your ingenuity, your passion, this is what we need if we're going to use this time to reboot humanity because we need to.

It's a big job, but we have a little head start here and we have all of you behind us pushing this huge barge in the right direction just a few short inches at a time so that it all ends up in a very different place years from now. So in closing, yes, the country is all super sad for the quarantine class. You have all been cheated and it really does suck, but it won't define you. I've heard from enough of you over the years to know that that's true. One day you'll look back on this time and it will 100% be up to you what that memory looks like.

I believe in you and the world believes in you. Congratulations on all you've achieved and all that you will achieve. Now go out there and crush it.