Faculty Speech given by Lotus Perry at the University of Puget Sound Academic Convocation on Commencement Weekend in May 2022
I am honored to be nominated by students and asked by the Provost to speak at this momentous event, as we celebrate our best and brightest. It was three years ago, when I last attended a graduation convocation, at another university as a parent, to celebrate my daughter and her fellow classmates’ achievements. I recall the text message that I sent to my daughter just before the event: a single “tortoise” emoji, which is our family inside code to say “savor the moment.” As we gather here today, as parents and families, faculty and staff, advisors and friends, classmates and peers, to recognize our outstanding students this year, listening to citations of their feats and triumphs, with deep admiration and great pride, I am sharing the same message that I shared with my daughter, yes, the tortoise emoji.
Well, allow me to explain.
We all know the story of the Tortoise and the Hare and that ultimately “slow and steady” won the race. The moral of Aesop’s fable is to keep moving toward your goals, no matter how slow or difficult. Focus on the journey, and pace yourself. In my reading of this story with my daughter when she was young, we always imagined the tortoise as a happy and content soul that stops to smell the roses at every garden, while the hare was racing with rage and seemed to have missed everything along the way. While I was enjoying a teaching moment with my 5-yearold, I did not realize until much later that I was actually reinforcing an important concept of “savoring” in Positive Psychology that aims to help us build a more
balanced and happier life.
What does the term “savoring” mean in psychology? Fred Bryant and Joseph Veroff in their 2007 publication define savoring as “attending, appreciating, and enhancing” positive experiences that occur in one’s life. In this context, savoring is not only an attitude, a mindset, or means to enjoy the journey, but also a practiced skill and a strategy to enhance one’s well-being. In 2018, when Laurie Santos, a Psychology Professor at Yale offered a new 100-level course called Psychology and the Good Life, with the goal to teach students how to lead a happier, more satisfying life, about 1,200 students, or nearly one-fourth of Yale undergraduates enrolled. This record-setting interest among students in such a course should not come as a surprise to college campuses as we are all very familiar with how intense and stressful work life can be for all of us.
As we gather today to celebrate the achievements of our students, I’d like to point out, as Prof. Santos would most likely highlight to students in her class, prestige scholarships, or memberships to honor society, all achievements deserving recognition, but do not necessarily equate to happiness or the Good Life. However, it is the positive experiences, like the celebration we’re now having and other graduation events we will go through this weekend, which are crucial moments in life that will help us better anchor and solidify our personal well-being. The happiness of today’s celebration lies not in the tangible award that one receives, but in the reflection of the work one has done, the challenges one has faced and overcome, and the support gathered along the way, as well as the gratitude such
reflections generate.
So that brings me back to the tortoise and the hare. My five-year-old questioned the ending of the story: “How could this be? The tortoise can’t beat the hare! It is too slow!” The challenges were real for the short-legged tortoise, the race with the fast hare seemed an impossible struggle. Here, the conventional wisdom teaches the young the value of consistent hard work and its ultimate reward of winning at the end. Great lesson! But what I did not want my daughter to miss was that although winning is great, it is NOT the goal. The slow and mindful tortoise did not choose to disengage, but instead benefited from the race itself; at its chosen pace the tortoise could see and be near others along the journey, and could savor the moment rather than counting the time. And THAT was the life lesson I wanted my daughter to learn from the fable: it’s not the end but the process one should focus on; it’s not about the prizes one could win at the end of the race, but what is learned from the race itself.
As an immigrant who came to the United States as an adult, I was fully aware of the pursuit of the American Dream and was particularly struck by the American obsession with competition and with avoiding defeat at all costs. I also came to realize that the concept of winning is not a human universal, but a historical and cultural phenomenon. In my home culture, the definition of success places greater emphasis on health, family happiness, and harmonious interpersonal relationships. I was taught that victory and loss are not endpoints or final destinations but gateways leading us to explore our place in the community. Well-being is a consistent status from the very beginning of the activities rather than a feeling acquired after we actually achieve the goal. Confucius teaching has long concluded for us: if we enjoy the progress in the process, whether or not one finally achieves the goal, we have
already known what well-being is!
So let’s celebrate this moment, by savoring it.
Let’s savor the moment by recalling hardships you overcame (could they be tough classes, challenging workloads, financial difficulties, emotional or social adversity). Let’s savor the moment by counting blessings (good health, clean water, beautiful outdoors, friendships, support teams, and access to a great education). Let’s savor the moment by basking in your achievements (your academic commitment, your strength of character, your discipline, your skill sets, your willingness to help others, your questioning of injustice, your work ethic, and your love for what you do). Let’s savor the moment by self-congratulating (smile, laugh, lap, and throw your hands up in the air when you celebrate).
And most of all, let us savor the moment by acknowledging the role of others that have assisted, guided, and encouraged you, so you could become the version of who you are today.
For our graduating seniors who are on the threshold of a new phase of life, in the pursuit of new goals and dreams, remember, the journey matters more than the end. Learn to nurture a positive outlook, embrace both the highs and the lows of life’s journey, foster gratitude around you, and care for your individual and our collective well-being. Competitive spirit might be the driving force for innovation and social advancement but there needs to be time to step back, to reflect, and be more mindful about the ultimate prize.
I know it can be challenging to focus on the bright side while living in a fast-paced world and being immersed in an influx of information heavily centered on negative events. Our community, nation and world have been through incredible hardships these past two years and still are in great turmoil. Navigating this time we live in, while trying to figure out the next stage of your life, can seem utterly overwhelming.
In the highs of this moment, the uncertainties of the future might not yet have sunk in, but know that when they do, it is all a necessary part of the journey. Embrace your moments of uncertainty, explore the world around you, stop and smell those roses, or grow them ourself when you need to, and most of all, don’t obsess over getting to the finish line so quickly.
Graduates, we are all cheering for you. Unleash the power of savoring, and be the brave, smiling and calm tortoise, be steady, be strong, and be HAPPY! So to each graduate and award recipient, I present to you – the single tortoise emoji.
Notes:
Confucius spoke frequently about concepts closely related to personal well-being, though he did not use that modern term explicitly. His teachings focused on living a virtuous, harmonious, and meaningful life, which align with today’s understanding of well-being. Here are key ideas and passages from the Analects that address personal well-being:
1. 子曰：「學而時習之，不亦說乎？有朋自遠方來，不亦樂乎？人不知而不慍，不亦君子乎？」This passage is found in the first chapter of the Analects, 1.1, titled “學而第一” (“Learning”). It emphasizes the joy of continuous learning, the pleasure of reconnecting with like-minded friends, and the virtue of maintaining equanimity even when unrecognized by others.
2. 子夏為莒父宰，問政。子曰：「無欲速，無見小利。欲速則不達，見小利則大事不成。」
This passage is from Chapter 13 of the Analects, 13.17. This teaching emphasizes the importance of patience and focusing on long-term goals rather than seeking immediate, minor benefits.
3. 子曰：「飯疏食，飲水，曲肱而枕之，樂亦在其中矣。」
This passage is found in Chapter 7 of the Analects, 7.16. This teahcing empasizes that true well-being doesn’t come from wealth or luxury but from inner contentment and simple living.
