By Pam Pacelli Cooper

President, Verissima Productions

 

We tell stories with video and audio. In the personal histories we create we hope to capture the successes and happy moments, but also the moments of pain, mistakes, and repair. If future generations see only the “great” moments of their grandparents’ lives, they may be cowed and dispirited, rather than inspired, so we try to encourage our subjects to cover the whole terrain–not with sensational “tell all” moments–but with depth, sensitivity, and a regard for their own  humanity. These are the stories that will be remembered, not as “family myths,” but as guiding stars.

 

In that spirit, I offer a link to the 2016 graduation speech at Colgate University, delivered by  Dr.  Omid Safi of Duke University, Professor of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies and also a columnist for the popular podcast “On Being.”

 

It’s  long, but so very rich. And, far more than just advice to 21 year-olds, it’s a reminder to us all in this time of discord, about how we might define success. I graduated long ago, but I find these questions stunningly relevant in  my own life.

 

CLICK HERE to read it (or watch it below) and tell me what you think of it, especially as it relates to how we collect stories–what we ask, what we make forefront, what we push away. And how we tell our own…