The best university speeches are the ones that speak to the issues faced not only by those preparing to enter the world, but by all who navigate its tumultuous waters in hope and uncertainty every day.
This is what makes Australian comedian, musician, actor, and sceptic Tim Michin’s 2013 address to The University of Western Australia such a memorable one. Minchin has built a career on being unflinchingly direct while using laughter to ease the blows that strike through his painful truths.
Here, he is looking not so much to inspire as to prepare. “Most people I know who were sure of their career path at 20 are having mid-life crises now,” he warns. That’s a matter of decades, a short amount of time, especially when compared to the 13.8 billion years for which the universe has existed. Looking for purpose, for meaning, in such context is a daunting task, and one in which most fail.
So how do we succeed? Minchin lists nine points in the video below which he believes are important, though it all comes down to this: don’t search for meaning, and you will find it. Happiness is not a guarantee; don’t expect it to be conveniently waiting around the corner after each twist and turn your life takes. Instead, find happiness in each moment. Learn, love, connect, engage, and grow. Live your life. Eventually, you’ll find yourself looking back on it all, and it will be then that you know what happiness is.