MOORHEAD-On Sunday afternoon, former U.S. Vice President Walter Mondale stood before almost 600 soon-to-be Concordia College graduates and told them they could change the world.
“If I could leave one message with today’s graduates, it’s you can do it. Others have,” said Mondale, 87, who served with President Jimmy Carter. “Believe in yourself, and go for it.”
The former U.S. senator for Minnesota centered his commencement address around Concordia’s mission statement: “to influence the affairs of the world by sending into society thoughtful and informed men and women dedicated to the Christian life.”
“I don’t think the world has ever been in such need of thoughtful, honorable men and women more than it is today,” Mondale told a packed Memorial Auditorium.
In a press conference before the speech, Mondale said the largest difference between the world when he graduated and the world today is the pace of information-sharing. He cautioned students of the dangers that come with modern technology.
“Interconnectedness can do immense good, but it also can serve to isolate us, to make it easier for us to obtain information from biased sources that reaffirm our beliefs and vision while allowing us to ignore those with whom we disagree,” he said.
Mondale highlighted several people who came from humble backgrounds and went on to change the status quo, himself included.
Born in the small town of Ceylon, Minn., Mondale said his peers through law school and political campaigns challenged him to think about the world around him. They helped him realize that people accomplish more when they overcome their divisions and work together.
As a U.S. senator, Mondale was a chief sponsor of the Fair Housing Act, and as vice president, he continued to be a leading voice in the civil rights movement.
“Did I think that was possible? Not a chance,” he told the students. “And a lot of people today tell me it was a mistake.” The crowd laughed.
Mondale listed numerous problems the graduates could tackle: economic inequality, global warming, human rights abuses and the nation’s “growing ideological rigidity and paralysis, which is causing us great harm, both at home and abroad.”
He said a liberal arts education, combined with interconnectedness, “gives you the power to stand up and ask for a different way.”
“Please don’t shy away,” he said. “Jump in.”
