吴弭哈佛大学毕业演讲

And also seeing that we can all have a role in fixing them.

You'll hear the wise, worldly advice tomorrow at commencement morning exercises, so I'll just give three things that I've learned about Veritas in the years since leaving the Yard.

First, your own deep truth sets the foundation for your happiness, health, and impact.

Take care of yourself.

Figure out what gets you excited to wake up in the morning, and just as important, listen to your body, and know when is telling you you're not okay.

Surround yourself with friends, immerse yourself in the work that respects your truth, that feeds it and nurtures it, and encourages you to be the truest and most joyful version of yourself.

I need some quiet time by myself at the end of each day, with two kids, that is quite difficult.

And every once in a while, I need a hike in the woods, fear the tree! I find my greatest meaning in building community and helping change people's perspectives on what's possible.

Second, see what is truly real.

There is no substitute for lived experience.

Sure, you can Google almost anything now or watch a TikTok explainer video, but if you're trying to solve a problem in the world, understand what it feels like first, seek out those closest to the challenge and those who will be most impacted by that solution.

I take the T to work because my own deep truth is that I'm a transit nerd, but also because there's no better way to get expertise in transit policy than to experience the system you're trying to improve, day in and day out.

There will always be people who know more than you about a challenge or a solution.

Seek them out and ask questions.

Some might be sitting right next to you here today.

And many are in our neighborhoods and community organizations doing the work on the ground.

Third, tell the truth when it's hard.

I'm not just talking about admitting to a deep love for clam chowder, or even working to break the stigma on mental illness by sharing our stories.

In this age of information overload and misinformation, curated social media feeds that tout connection often drive us further and further apart.

In politics, and in family, and in work, speak your truth and hold true to the urgency you feel, because fundamentally, speaking truth is the only way to build a foundation for trust.

And that is what we are missing in our society and our democracy today.

You know all the facts and statistics on climate risks, housing and childcare costs, our closing window of time to act, yet from pandemic, public health, to student loan debt, basic reproductive rights and gun violence, we're having to fight through a tidal wave in this country of misinformation, before we even reach the barrier of proving that our policy solutions work.

To tackle the challenges we face today, we need to build trust in the urgency of our challenges by seeking the truth of the experiences of those on the ground.

Speaking the truth when it's hard and building the community to solve it.

We must trust in possibility, including the possibility to do the things that seem impossible, that people say are too pie in the sky, or radical to be done.

And Boston is a city whose history is rooted in doing just that, time and time again.

Today, we're proud of our many firsts.

Boston is home to the first public library in the country, first public park, first public school, first subway system anywhere in the United States.

But what we often forget is that the opposition to these foundational public goods that we don't give a second thought to today was once fierce and imaginative, but in all the wrong ways.

Before Boston broke ground on the Red Line and Park Street Station, the first subway line in the country, business owners along Tremont Street formed the Anti-Subway League, petitioning city leaders to oppose the creation of any subway lines, anywhere in the City of Boston.

They collected tens of thousands of signatures from business owners and residents who were afraid.

They were afraid of everything from bringing a curse upon the city by disturbing what might be underground, digging up extensive swaths of the ground and potentially forcing snakes living under the earth to come up to the surface and then take over all of Boston.

These were actually in the documents, in the Boston Archives.

And today, we depend on this system.

We're leading the way in public transportation's vision for a fair, free system that serves all.

So to be bold and creative, harness your imagination to focus on the good we can do when we work together, and let's let go of our instincts to protect the status quo, and harness your leadership, and charisma, and knowledge to help others do the same so that we can all focus more on what we could create if we agreed to get our hands dirty and break ground, rather than worrying about what snakes might lurk beneath the surface.

Most of all, remember, I ended up as the Green New Deal Mayor of Boston due to a love of clam chowder, a reverence for trees, and a belief in possibility.

Wherever you go next, take the time you need to get settled.

Find the space within that place and you can be your truest self.

And if it doesn't exist, build it.

I know better than to try to tell you not to do it all, but I will encourage you to find the time, every now and then, to just be.

Lie in the sun, hug your friends, FaceTime your family and pick up their phone calls, read a few pages of a book, take care of yourself, and everyone you care for thereafter will be grateful that you did.

And when you're ready, seek the truth.

See what's real, what's necessary, and what's not.

Think about the impact, especially for those nearest whatever issue you're trying to solve, but not at the expense of those on the periphery.

And when you find that truth, swim through the waves of misinformation and disbelief and incredulousness, and tell it.

Tell the truth when it's hard and uncomfortable and complex.

And to the extent that you can, hold people through it if they need to be held, but tell the truth.

Tell it so that we can build and rebuild the trust that's needed for our brightest future.

You can do anything.

Choose to make what you do impactful, joyful, and true.

We're all rooting for you, class of 2022.

Congratulations and good luck.