Where freedom, innovation, and democratic values reign

Created
Sun, 28/05/2023 - 00:30
Updated
Sun, 28/05/2023 - 00:30
(But not without struggle, it seems) Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, addressed the 2023 graduates of Johns Hopkins University: The time is of the essence, and it is that essence that I would like to talk about today. One of the most common truisms on Earth is the advice to value or at least not waste time. Why has it become so widespread? Every person eventually realizes that time is the most valuable resource on the planet, not oil or uranium, not lithium or anything else, but time. Time. The very flow of time convinces us of this. Some people realize this sooner, and these are the lucky ones. Others realize it too late when they lose someone or something. People cannot avoid it. This is just a matter of time. Now, you can look back at the time you have spent here at the university studying—did you get everything you needed from it? You have even more time ahead of you, a whole lifetime. These are the careers you will build. This is your parents’ pride, which they have every right to, if they raised the children who graduate from Johns Hopkins. These are your families who, I wish you this, will bring you love. These are your children and grandchildren who will inherit a piece of your soul. Will you be able not to waste this time of your life? This topic seems trivial, but these are very, very difficult questions for every person. How you answer them…