Pierre Omidyar was a fine choice for this May's commencement speaker. He is a successful Tufts grad and dedicated philanthropist, a model in many ways for Tufts students. We ought to thank him for his generosity and laud him for his passionate commitment to changing our world for the better. He would make sense as the honored speaker during the ceremonies of this, Tufts' sesquicentennial year. That is, if we couldn't get LeVar Burton.
I've thought about it long and hard, considered all the facts and details, mulled over all the bits and bobs, sent out my feelers, and called in my favors. And my own personal search committee has found the perfect graduation speaker. LeVar Burton, or Jordy, as I like to call him, is warm and friendly. He has a big smile and he can repair the warp speed reactor core of a big outer-space flying ship from the 24th century all the while wearing a super cool stylized visor. He can laugh with the best of them, and share the sorrow of a mourning nation. He transcends boundaries and brings people, countries, and races together. He has been there in our youth, and he should be there as we take the next definitive step into adulthood. He gave us reading. Thank you Mr. Burton, thank you. We would be honored to have you share your words of wisdom with us. Thank you for giving us reading.
Like I said, a ten million dollar donation is impressive and laudable, certainly not something to sneeze at. But alas, it is not reading. Of course, what is?
Every day, during my busy, hectic schedule, I am always reading, reading reading. It is what I do. I read. And yet where would I be without Mr. LeVar Burton - the man who gave us reading? Every time I tackle a book, or skim the paper, or glance at an "Employees Must Wash Hands" sign, I read. And that's when I think about my buddy LeVar and wonder at what a special man he is.
Do you remember Reading Rainbow? I do. It is perhaps the world's most consistently amusing and entertaining television show. While shows like Seinfeld or ER come and go, offering little more than lame laughs and canned drama, RR, as I like to call it, has been tireless in its dedication to introducing us to wild worlds as diverse and fascinating as bowling alleys and hospitals, zoos and science museums.
The first chords of the theme song have always prepared us for an adventure into the unknown territory, tracked and traced only by the words of a creative author . The excitement and giddy chills inspired by those sweeping, spunky softly comfortable notes once made me eager to sit down and do whatever LeVar suggested. As we graduating seniors prepare to venture into the frighteningly unknown territory that is our future, it would only be appropriate to return to the man and his song.
Let us consider his mantra, the lyrics that once welcomed us daily to the adventurous mind-bending, book-bound world of letters, words, sentences, and oh-so colorful illustrations: "Butterfly in the sky/ I can go twice as high/ Take a look/ It's in a book/ A Reading Rainbow."
The first line is an obvious reference to ancient philosopher Chuang-Tzu who once dreamed he was a butterfly and when he awoke, no longer knew if he was a butterfly dreaming he was a man, or a man who had dreamed he was a butterfly. Perhaps LeVar is asking us to reevaluate our own image of self and conception of reality as we step out of a rule-bound world, and into the unfathomable chaos that marks all that is undefined and unknown. What is real? Good question L. You've really made us think.
By the time he taunts us with phrases like "I can go twice as high," "I can go anywhere," and "I can be anything" he's got us. LeVar has pulled us in and piqued our curiosity. "Take a look," he says. "It's in a book" he proffers.
What? What is it LeVar, that is in a book? Could the answer we've been looking for all along be in a book? Could all that web research, all that time spent at career services and counseling, all that arguing with my parents, all that work spent on developing my resume have been for naught? Yes, LeVar assures us, the answer is a Reading Rainbow, and it is found in a book.
So let's welcome LeVar Burton and invite him to be our graduation speaker. If he can teach us how to "be anything" then surely we ought to listen. I will follow that rainbow as far as my noble, kind-hearted Buddha of Public Broadcasting will take me. I will seek its source and find the inspiration for which I have always yearned. It will be glorious. It will be brilliant. It will be serene restful reading rainbow bliss.
So give him a try. After all, you don't have to take my word for it.
