To all graduates

High school and college seniors have, for the most part, tossed their mortarboards into the air this spring and face new prospects. What lies ahead is less familiar territory than that offered by high school and college classrooms. Some graduates are looking for jobs. Others seek more job training. And many high school graduates are looking forward to college this fall.

It's difficult to give advice to graduates that doesn't seem pat or dog-eared. Goodness knows their relatives, friends and mentors have shared plenty of wisdom.

We would like to suggest a facet of the future that perhaps not every graduate has considered. This is every person's role in their community and the world around them.

It is so easy to think that crucial decisions which affect our lives will be made by someone else. For example, someone else will pass laws we must obey. Or someone else will decide how best to spend funding for public education. Or someone else will write the rules for participating in civic affairs.

To this end, we would encourage graduates to consider the contributions they can make to all of these processes. In order to do that, they must be informed. Newspapers, certainly, are a major source of information that can help individuals form their own opinions. But there are, in this electronic world, many other sources of information.

Use them.

Form opinions based on good information.

Participate.

Encourage those who would act in your best behalf.

Be a player, not merely a spectator, in the future.

The result? We will all benefit from fresh ideas and renewed energy.

To all graduates, best wishes for all that lies in store.