Pursuing talents and confronting burdens

Graduates should regard today not as the omega point but as the alpha point of their lives

By James T Riady

My observations over the years lead me to believe that many young people these days are without a clear sense of what they really want to do with their lives – even after graduation. I suggest that each of us has a place in history, and our rightful place will be set by where our skills and talents meet the ‘burdens’ that we confront. I shall explain what these ‘burdens’ are in a minute.

Pursuing our skills is most important. As we grow from childhood, we acquire a great many skills, some innately endowed to us. We should pursue the two or three greatest skills that become apparent in our lives. And when these meet our ‘burden’ – or our calling or vision in life – we then find ourselves a place in history.

Having a ‘burden’ means going beyond ourselves. There is a tendency among the youth of today to think only of themselves and not beyond, yet I believe it is necessary to combine passion with compassion. You can nurture a passion for certain self-interested objectives but should combine it with compassion for something worthwhile and much bigger than yourselves. You should view the world with the right kind of glasses.

Most people today see the world as being in a state of unprecedented prosperity. All over Asia and Australia, we enjoy economic progress and prosperity – despite the current downturn in the stock market. As we look around, we see an unprecedented amount of wealth being created; we see great advancement in knowledge and in technology; and we also see concern for human rights and democracy.

However, I think we would be blind if we did not see the other side of the coin and the many problems around us today – the problems of terrorism and AIDS, the threat of avian flu, armed conflicts, hatred, immorality, divorce and the breakdown of families. I suggest that in contemplating our economic fortunes, we should also look at the other side of the coin. So in participating in and enjoying the growth of the world economy, we should at the same time have a heart for what I have referred to as a ‘burden’, namely, those problems that we see around us. And we should say to ourselves: I want to take part in solving those problems.

To confront the burden without the necessary skills would lead to a frustrated life. Conversely, if we merely pursue our talents and avoid burden, we turn into machines. For the graduates of the Faculty of Economics and Commerce, there is the potential to turn into money machines. I therefore believe we must pursue both objectives – we must pursue and develop skills and accept and confront a burden. The meeting of these two sets will establish our place in history.

The Greek word, kronos, refers to the simple, chronological passage of time. Many things that we do in our lives will not be remembered 20 years later. But there is another word, kairos, which refers to those things in our lives which make a difference. Things that, 10, 20, 30 years later – maybe even a hundred years later – are remembered for making a difference; where people look back and say, ‘That was a wonderful thing to do.’

In today’s society, many people do not accept burdens because they are too focused on themselves – on ‘myself’ and ‘me’, and being at the centre of everything in society. Therefore, my message to you, distinguished graduates, as you go out into the world, is to remember that you should regard today not as the omega point, but as the alpha point of your lives – it’s just the beginning.

And as you project yourselves forward 10 or 20 years, you must ask yourselves: what kind of life do you wish to lead and what legacy would you want to leave behind? What kind of impact would you want to make on society? This calls for us to grow, to use our eyes to see things around us more critically and more deeply, not just at ourselves but beyond ourselves. It is by responding to the issues around us that we will establish our identity. I suggest that this is where we will find true joy and true fulfilment in our lives.

I congratulate you and trust you will be a blessing for very many people and make a great contribution to society.

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An edited version of the Occasional Address delivered at the graduation on 20 December 2007.

Dr James Riady is a Faculty of Economics and Commerce 1978 Alumnus. He is the Deputy Chairman of the Lippo Group, a major Indonesian conglomerate. The Group is involved in commercial banking, corporate finance, property development and investment, financial services, insurance, manufacturing, infrastructure development and investment, fund management and trust services, and venture capital investments. Dr Riady’s success in developing profitable businesses in areas which promote the common good, such as education and health, and in a manner characterised by good corporate governance principles, was recognised on 16 February 2008 with the Australian Alumni Award for Entrepreneurship.

Volume 3 APRIL 2008

Pursuing talents and confronting burdens

By James T Riady