Lady Gaga Urges Graduates to Practice Kindness
YouTube’s ‘Dear Class of 2020’ witnessed some of the most heartwarming commencement speeches from celebrities across the globe. From Beyonce, to Alicia Keys, to Megan Thee Stallion to BTS, everyone pitched in with their stories and performances. And so, we’re looking at one of Pop industry’s queens and what she had to say about it all. Yup, you guessed it, we’re talking about Miss Lady Gaga.
The star began by saying she recorded a different commencement speech that “reflected the shared experience” with COVID-19 that the Class of 2020 has had. But after George Floyd’s passing, she realized that she had much more to say about the Black Lives Matter movement.
She began with this, “My speech was recorded before the murder of George Floyd and the subsequent activist movement…while my original commencement speech may not be directly relevant to what this country most needs right now, I wish to tell you today that though there is much to be sad about, there is also much to be celebrated. You are watching what is a pivotal moment in this [country’s] evolution…change will happen and it will be for the better.”
Lady Gaga Looks Toward Students to Bring About Change
She went on to compare the American society to a forest that’s held up by certain values and morals, but lately, all of it has come crashing down. And that it was up to them as citizens to bring about a change, even if that meant finding the root of the problem, and studying it in order not to repeat past mistakes.
Gaga continued. “I believe in my heart that the people who are going to make this change happen are listening to this speech right now. You are the seeds that will grow into a new and different forest that is far more beautiful [than the one we live in right now].”
“Your morals, principles and values, I strongly believe now, must be sincere and authentic to you. Principles must come from your heart,” Gaga said. “Your values must come from your brain. Morals must be derived from the whole you that you contribute lovingly to humanity.”
Finally, Lady Gaga invited everyone watching to practice kindness. “I encourage you to be kind…when I include that bit about kindness, that’s me making sure during this moment that I am equipped with my morals, values and principles for a very important topic,” she said. “What do we do now? My answer of ‘kindness’ is simple, but it’s mine. Let’s talk. But let’s also listen. If we don’t listen, we don’t learn.”
The singer concluded with this, “Congratulations to the Class of 2020, I can’t wait to see your forest.”
Give us a minute as we scramble to wipe our tears. If you’re looking for more poignant, beautiful speeches from all the artists you love, then just stay tuned. There’s a lot more where that came from.
By: Nina Karun
