A short monologue (closing advice) urging listeners to "forever oscillate between" productive self-dissatisfaction and deep gratitude. The speaker reads and reflects on Stephen Crane's poem "In the Desert"—using its image of a creature eating its own heart to illustrate bitter self-doubt that nonetheless fuels purpose—and closes with thank-yous to their advisor, university, family, and friends.
And the final piece of advice, I love that picture, okay. Is to look up to the stars and appreciate every single moment you're alive. At the mystery of this world, at the beauty of this world. Again, this is my perspective. Take it with a grain of salt. But I advise to forever oscillate between deep, profound doubt and self dissatisfaction and the deep gratitude for the moment for just being alive. For all the people around you that give you their love, with whom you get to share those moments you share the love. A poem by Stephen Crane that I especially like. In the desert. In the desert, I saw a creature, naked, bestial, who, squatting upon the ground, held his heart in his hands and ate of it, I said, is a good friend. It is bitter. Bitter, he answered, but I like it because it is bitter and because it is my heart. So I would say the bitter is the self dissatisfaction. That's the restless energy that drives us forward. And then enjoying that bitterness and enjoying the moment and enjoying the sweetness that comes from eating your own heart in this poem is a thing that makes life worthwhile. And that is, to me, happiness. So with those silly few pieces of advice, I'd like to continue on the gratitude and say thank you. Thank you to my advisor. Thank you to this university for giving me a helping hand. There you go. And thank you to my family and all the friends that I've had along the way. Thank you for their love. I appreciate it.
