Robert De Niro gave an inspirational and impressive
speech to New York University graduates. “Tisch graduates you made it... and you’re
fucked”, he starts.
And he’s right. Choosing to work in the Arts— and the
Humanities, might I add— entails a huge risk. You get rejected, your best
sometimes is not enough, you rarely get compensated as you should and you are
not independent moneywise.
On top of that, a society in crisis is not the best place
for artists and scholars who criticize the basic functions of capitalism or
merely do not serve it.
But as De Niro aptly notes, you don’t choose to follow
your passion, you just succumb to it. And there is hope since following your
heart is the recipe of success. Or at least that’s what they say.
The best advice from the actor comes last: you have to
know that rejection isn’t personal and just go after your next goal. You have
to say “next” every time you don’t get a straight A because straight As don’t
come with the real life.
My only objection to this speech is that it wasn’t given
before graduation. Most students who are trying to find their passion in life,
their element, are in desperate need of honest and straightforward advice like
De Niro’s.
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