Congratulations:
You are free.
But don’t let it all stop here.
I challenge you to continue your education
I hand you a chance at enlightenment
But first, the catch:
You must forgive all those who have wronged you.
You must mend all broken relationships,
Rebuild burned bridges,
Bury longings long since dead,
And drop all prejudices.
This is your one, true chance
No others like this will be given to you so easily.
For this will be the time of your life,
A coming golden age
Fit neatly into an hour glass
That counts down, granule by granule.
Free your mind in order to expand it.
This is your era of self-discovery
Do not waste it on petty grievances.
Search your heart and find you soul,
Become your own ideal,
Seek tailored perfection,
Define individualism.
But don’t forget, this is a challenge,
For how many of you will fail?
How many among you will give up when the going gets tough?
How many of you will fall by the wayside
Into ignorant contentedness?
Spoiled convenience?
Greedy naivety?
Instead, struggle, search, seek—
Eventually you will find yourself
To live in peace with you
To love yourself for who you are.
And if you blanch at what you come to find,
Mold it into your own idea of beauty
And become truly happy.
Of course, one can begin on the path of self-enlightenment at any time or age,
But youth is a terrible thing to waste.