Dear graduates,

I am very much honoured to be given this opportunity to give a commencement address. Actually it's more than an honour; it's a huge responsibility. In the past few days, I wracked my brain and kept asking myself, what should I tell you to help you become happy men or women, for that's all I hope to see in you. And I've decided what I would like to talk to you about is: know thyself. Let me tell you what it means and why it is of primal importance if you want to pursue a happy life.

To Know Thyself is an inscription at the Oracle of Delphi in Ancient Greece, used to discuss the importance of getting to know yourself. It is about discovering and getting to know everything about who you are and who you want to be. It is about looking inside and thinking for yourself about what you like and dislike.

In the past, many philosophers and physicists emphasized its importance. Socrates used this phrase because he believed that self-knowledge was crucial in order to find peace, happiness, and become who we were meant to be in life. Plato suggested that there was something special about each individual; that there was something magical that lay within each of us, something that gives us happiness, knowledge, and the key to the world. Throughout the years many other philosophers and physicists, including Kant, Newton, and Einstein, have repeatedly suggested the same thing. They say that to find peace, comfort, passion and happiness, people must look inside and get to know themselves; and that within ourselves lay limitless knowledge about what we cannot see or touch in the physical world.

Dear graduates, I believe it is of primal importance to get to know yourself, and I am telling you this out of my own experience. By the way, unlike the stories I made up in classes, this is a real one. Looking at you, I cannot help thinking about myself when I was your age. I remember discussing over my future career with my parents. My mom and dad wanted me to become an accountant. But I said, "No, I want to become a teacher." That was because I knew myself. I knew I was never good with numbers. Nor could I stand the dull life of an accountant. Also I knew I was not smart enough to be a businesswoman, or clever enough to survive office politics. I looked into my heart, and found I had a love for language and a passion for teaching. I couldn't imagine choosing any other career. This is who I am and what I am meant to be. All these years I've never regretted that I chose to become a teacher based on my self-knowledge. Now, though I do not enjoy fame or wealth, I dare say I am a happy teacher, for I have a job I enjoyed doing, colleagues I enjoy working with, and above all, I have you, students I'm so proud of.

Dear graduates, if you look around, you can see so many people are caught up in the world around them, that it is as if they are chained within a cave with reality being so distant and blurred that it can only be seen as shadows on a wall. What a shame! That's not the kind of life I would like you to lead. Therefore, you've got to get to know yourself. By getting to know yourself, you can develop your personality, ponder your likes and dislikes and hone your personal tastes. You can discover your dreams, build your self-esteem and confidence, and become the kind of person you want to be. More importantly, you will find your path and you will be happy. That's all I want for you.

Let me end by saying I'm proud of you all, and I always will be. I wish all the best for you in life.

Thank you!