Today was my brother’s graduation day. It comes 5 years after my graduation which was the last time I was in a similar situation so obviously I did start to reminisce about that day in Nottingham all those years ago. This time of course I was on the other ending of the stage so I was able to take the whole event around me with a hell of a lot more detail.

One thing I was very disappointed in was the fact that many people didn’t really dress for the occasion. Graduation is such a unique occasion. The fact of that matter is that NO ONE can take it away from you. It’s not like a wedding which as it seems more often the case ends up in divorce. This is your ticket to the world. Whether you choose to use it or not is up to you. So rather than celebrating this occasion people where wearing jeans and t-shirts, flip-flops and in many ways it took away from the specialness of the occasion. If you don’t dress up now, when exactly do you think would be a good idea?

I’m not saying everyone was dressed like a hobo but I’d venture at least 95% were. In case you were there at the spring graduation for the University of LaVerne and you were dressed as if you were going down to the beach, then I’m talking about you.

I can’t honestly remember the speaker at my graduation speech, mainly because I didn’t actually understand a word he was saying. He was Serbian/Russian with a monster thick accent, and while I did appreciate his accomplishments, his speech obviously left nothing for me. The key speaker at my brother’s graduation was a bit different, the man was Azim Khamisa, who leads the Tariq Khamisa Foundation. Go have a read on the website what it’s all about. I will say that I thought some of the descriptions where a bit heavy for a 10am graduation speech, but it was a powerful one nonetheless. Obviously a lot of it was lost on me, mainly because I guess I can’t honestly relate to serious gun crime that exists in the US, based on the second amendment. The social problems that spiral outwards because of this law have been documented by others in a much better way (mainly ‘Bowling for Columbine'), so that impact was lost on me, however it’s a great story and shows a great deal of commitment to bettering the place around you.

The doves at the end of the ceremony where a great touch, very cool indeed. I also really enjoyed the fact that each faculty had it’s own proper reception and had some decent food to chow on. In England that wouldn’t have happened (at least it didn’t happen in Nottingham, apart from a little bit of tea and buscuits, which is a pretty poor effort to be honest with you).

I remember that during that day I was seriously stressed out. My mother picked up on this fact. Today I noticed my brother in the exact same situation as me. Basically the way I explain it is that we both felt that we were responsible for our family enjoying themselves and appreciating our surroundings and effectively our worlds, at least that what we tell ourselves. The real reason for the stress is the fact that 4 years of stress ended in that one day. However other things start coming into your mind, mainly:

What the fuck am I supposed to do now?

It’s a scary question, since up until now your life has been mapped out for you. Now it’s all up to you to make a decision. It’s up to you to forge the way forward. All I can say is that thousands have been here before, yes it’s scary, yes it’s not easy, but it’s your life and it’s time to grab it by the balls and see where this all takes you.