Dear Upper 6th students,

I cannot express in words my disappointment at not being there today to share this moment with you. It would be an enormous disappointment to miss any graduation but this one in particular is one that I have looked forward to for some time and which has very special significance for me, and I can only say that not being with you has left me devastated. But life deals us all sorts of surprises and we have to learn to live with them and learn from them.

Perhaps some people will remember you as the flu generation – the ones who had their final IB exams messed up by the contingencia sanitaria – but they would be people who don’t know you and who have not had the great fortune to live through, to experience and to benefit from your passage through this school.

As you listen to these words I will be thinking of you – probably gazing into a dull, grey, wet, typically English summer evening sky – and I will be going over in my mind all of those moments, those fleeting encounters in which human beings interconnect and momentarily become one, undergoing some indescribable meiotic exchange of spiritual DNA, which leaves them forever changed, forever transformed.

You have set new standards academically at this school, you have seen through what might have been an extraordinarily painful and tortuous change to the IB with an ease and a conviction for which this community should be eternally grateful, you have shown outstanding leadership to your peers, but above all you have given full rein to your humanity, never forgetting that the task of being is the most lofty ambition that a person can have.

I have enjoyed every minute that I have spent with every one of you (well, OK, there must have been some times that I got mad, but I really cannot remember them). My Maths class really was the best class I have ever taught – yes, really. And not because they were the best mathematicians (they weren’t) or because they gave me the nicest teacher day presents (they didn’t) but because it was such a joy to be in the classroom with them. In two years I never witnessed one single argument or fight, not one single nasty comment about a classmate. Really, it’s true, not one. They came to the classroom ready to learn, ready to have a go, to do their best. And I don’t think that they were atypical of the generation. OK, I know that you didn’t all get on with each other all of the time, but in general there was always a pretty positive atmosphere and a strong work ethic.

I feel an extraordinary sense of optimism, of hope, when I think of you all. You have the potential to go out into the world and do something to make it a better place. But you should be wary of the weight of expectancy on your shoulders. You should be mindful of how difficult it is to live up to the hopes and dreams that others place upon you. Let me try to explain what I mean by this.

Just seven months ago an extraordinary thing happened – Barack Obama was elected President of the United States of America. This was extraordinary however you care to look at it. As recently as 40 years ago black citizens in the United States were denied by law some of the most basic civil rights, and now a black man had been elected President. The sense of euphoria went round the planet. It was as if the Messiah had arrived. And yet all I could think of was that it would be impossible for this man to live up to the outrageous expectations that were being voiced. We had seen something similar when Tony Blair broke the monotony of 18 years of Conservative rule, only to disappoint very quickly, or when Vicente Fox ended a much longer period of single party rule here in Mexico and then went on to make very little of the opportunity. Would the same thing happen to Obama? Will the same thing happen to some of you? Will you fail to live up to your expectations? Will you be unable to turn opportunity into achievement? I sincerely hope not. And to help you on your way, to help you convert optimism and hope into dreams fulfilled I want to read out a letter that Alice Walker sent to Barack Obama the day after his famous victory:

Open Letter to Barack Obama from Alice Walker Nov. 5, 2008

Dear Brother Obama,

You have no idea, really, of how profound this moment is for us. Us being the black people of the Southern United States . You think you know, because you are thoughtful, and you have studied our history. But seeing you deliver the torch so many others before you carried, year after year, decade after decade, century after century, only to be struck down before igniting the flame of justice and of law, is almost more than the heart can bear. And yet, this observation is not intended to burden you, for you are of a different time, and, indeed, because of all the relay runners before you, North America is a different place. It is really only to say: Well done. We knew, through all the generations, that you were with us, in us, the best of the spirit of Africa and of the Americas. Knowing this, that you would actually appear, someday, was part of our strength. Seeing you take your rightful place, based solely on your wisdom, stamina and character, is a balm for the weary warriors of hope, previously only sung about.

I would advise you to remember that you did not create the disaster that the world is experiencing, and you alone are not responsible for bringing the world back to balance. A primary responsibility that you do have, however, is to cultivate happiness in your own life. To make a schedule that permits sufficient time of rest and play with your gorgeous wife and lovely daughters. And so on. One gathers that your family is large. We are used to seeing men in the White House soon become juiceless and as white-haired as the building; we notice their wives and children looking strained and stressed. They soon have smiles so lacking in joy that they remind us of scissors. This is no way to lead. Nor does your family deserve this fate. One way of thinking about all this is: It is so bad now that there is no excuse not to relax. From your happy, relaxed state, you can model real success, which is all that so many people in the world really want. They may buy endless cars and houses and furs and gobble up all the attention and space they can manage, or barely manage, but this is because it is not yet clear to them that success is truly an inside job. That it is within the reach of almost everyone.

I would further advise you not to take on other people's enemies. Most damage that others do to us is out of fear, humiliation and pain. Those feelings occur in all of us, not just in those of us who profess a certain religious or racial devotion. We must learn actually not to have enemies, but only confused adversaries who are ourselves in disguise. It is understood by all that you are commander in chief of the United States and are sworn to protect our beloved country; this we understand, completely. However, as my mother used to say, quoting a Bible with which I often fought, "hate the sin, but love the sinner." There must be no more crushing of whole communities, no more torture, no more dehumanizing as a means of ruling a people's spirit. This has already happened to people of color, poor people, women, children. We see where this leads, where it has led.

A good model of how to "work with the enemy" internally is presented by the Dalai Lama, in his endless caretaking of his soul as he confronts the Chinese government that invaded Tibet . Because, finally, it is the soul that must be preserved, if one is to remain a credible leader. All else might be lost; but when the soul dies, the connection to earth, to peoples, to animals, to rivers, to mountain ranges, purple and majestic, also dies. And your smile, with which we watch you do gracious battle with unjust characterizations, distortions and lies, is that expression of healthy self-worth, spirit and soul, that, kept happy and free and relaxed, can find an answering smile in all of us, lighting our way, and brightening the world.

We are the ones we have been waiting for.

In Peace and Joy, Alice Walker

There is so much sound advice in that letter. So many ideas that each one of us can identify with and apply to our own lives and contexts. I invite you to follow Alice Walker’s advice: cultivate happiness in your own life, find success from within, learn not to have enemies, hate the sin but love the sinner, preserve the soul and brighten the world with your smile.

It has been a privilege and an honour to know you, to work with you, to learn with you and to grow with you. I wish you the very best and hope that you fulfill all of your dreams.

Thank you.