John Hume
John HumeConvocation Address
University of Alberta, June 3, 2002
Eminent Chancellor, Your Honour, Mr President, Mr Chairman of the Board, graduates, friends, and family.
It is a great honour for Pat and myself to be with you here in Edmonton today in the beautiful surroundings of the University of Alberta. I am delighted to accept this Honorary Doctor of Laws, just as I am delighted to be with all of you as you celebrate this great moment of achievement in your lives to date.
For each of you now, life is about to take you in exciting new directions. You have major decisions to make about the paths you will follow. For some, life may now take you into the world of work. For some more, the idea of continuing in education may appeal. For others, the lure of foreign travel may take you to other shores.
Whichever path you choose to follow, I am sure you will always look back on your days at this University with fondness and appreciation — as a time when lifelong friendships were forged and a lifetime of memories were experienced.
One of the people who has inspired me most during my lifetime was Dr Martin Luther King Jr. It was his example as a leader of the civil rights movement in America that taught me of the value of non-violence, of the potency of peaceful protest, of the power of a dignified and determined campaign for a better world for all people.
Dr King's message was quite profound in its simplicity. He believed that each and every human being should be guaranteed equality, justice, and respect, no matter their class, colour, creed, or continent.
I passionately share that belief. I believe that in the diversity of all people lies the fundamental key to our unity. We are all different, each and everyone of us. But those differences are not — nor should they ever be considered — a source of weakness or a reason for deepening divisions. And they should certainly never be used to justify the use of violence. Difference is a positive and healthy component of any outward-looking, forward-thinking, and modern society.
Six months before his assassination, Martin Luther King addressed a group of young Americans with a message that I believe is as powerful and as relevant for you today as it was for that group in Philadelphia then. He said, and I quote:
"I want to suggest some of the things that should be in your life's blueprint. Number one should be a deep belief in your own dignity, your worth, your own somebodiness. Don't allow anybody to make you feel that you're nobody. Always feel that you count. Always feel that you have worth. And always feel that your life has ultimate significance … be the best of whatever you are."
This is the unique blend of challenge and opportunity that lies ahead for each of you. You are ideally placed now to fulfill your true potential, to make good the value of your education. As you do so, I would ask you to remember that alongside opportunity rests responsibility. And you all have responsibilities: to yourselves, to each other, to your communities.
As I mentioned earlier, some of you may be thinking about travelling abroad and seeing the world. For those of you who are considering this option over the next few months and years, I cannot recommend highly enough that you visit Ireland. Make it your mission to see our country and meet our people, North and South.
After more than 30 years of violence and political instability, our people have taken a collective breath and blown away the cobwebs of the past. We have recognized the necessity of equality, partnership, and mutual respect. We have grown to understand that in spite of the differences between us, our collective destiny is to live together, to work with each other, and even to work for each other. We are building a new agreed Ireland upon the rock-solid foundations of the Good Friday Agreement — an Ireland that can truly be as great as our dreams allow.
In the course of the lifetime of many of you here today, the community in Northern Ireland in particular has moved from conflict to consensus, from exclusion to equality, from partisanship to partnership. We are leaving violence behind, though we are conscious of the awful truth that it is too late for so many people and countless broken-hearted families. We are building peace, informed by the tragic experience of the past 30 years and more, and we are determined never to repeat it.
Through our historic Agreement, achieved in April, 1998, we have set out on a new path that will see us leave behind forever the deep distrust and sectarian hatred that have exerted such a terrible toll on our people. We have come a long way. We know there is a long way yet to go. But we draw confidence and inspiration from the fact that day by day our, society in Northern Ireland is changing for the better.
Changing for the better as we make real decisions with each other in the institutions of government instead of making unrealistic demands of each other in an atmosphere of sterility.
Changing for the better as we work to transform the vacant army bases that symbolize the tragedy of our past into vibrant centres of education and employment that epitomize our vision for the future.
Changing for the better, because where once there was despair, now there is hope.
And now, as my remarks draw to a close, I have a particular message for all the young people here today. It is a message I often express to young people in Ireland. Your generation will play a central part in shaping the future direction of your society, your community, and your country. Play your part. Do not choose the course of comfort. Do not leave the job in hand to someone else. It is your job and this is your time.
You are living through the biggest revolution in the history of the world — the transport, telecommunications, and technological revolution. Today's world is much smaller than the one I met when I left university. This reality presents new challenges to your generation though I am certain you will meet them with vigour and determination.
The greatest challenge of all is to make sure that this will be the first century in the history of the world when peace prevails over war. The principles that go to the very heart of the Good Friday Agreement — respect for difference, equality and partnership — are principles that can make this world a better, safer, and more just place for all people. I know you value these principles as much as I do, and I know you are ready for the great challenges that lie ahead.
I thank you very deeply for this great honour and I wish each and every one of you every success as you seek to be the best of whatever you are.