Advice From a Conservative Ivy League Prof to Graduating Seniors
Toward the end of each academic year, the senior class of Princeton University hosts “Last Lectures” in which members of the faculty are invited to give advice to the graduating seniors as they prepare to move on to graduate programs or into their professional careers. I have frequently given these, and today I had the pleasure of giving one jointly with my colleague and friend Amaney Jamal. Although the theme was “active citizenship,” and I offered some thoughts and advice a…bout that, I also took the opportunity to urge them not to wait too long to get married and have children. This is advice young people–especially young overachievers–rarely hear. Yet it it the most important advice. I realize that not everyone is called to the vocation of marriage, but most are. And we have become a culture that fails to teach our young people about the dignity and importance of marriage and the joy and blessing of children. It is almost as if people are afraid to say anything about it, leaving young people with the impression that what matters most are professional success, money, prestige, social standing, etc. Of course it is possible for people to make the error of marrying while still too young. And I don’t want to encourage that. But what seems more common these days is people delaying marriage until their late thirties or even forties and then not having children, or trying to deal with infertility issues. Anyway, family success is far more important, and more central to human flourishing and happiness, than career success, wealth, social standing, and the like. And grown ups shouldn’t be afraid to say so when speaking with young people.
Robert George is Chairman at United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, McCormick Professor of Juriprudence at Princeton University, Visiting Professor at Harvard Law School, and author of Conscience and Its Enemies: Confronting the Dogmas of Liberal Secularism.
Trending Now on Affluent Christian Investor
Democrats Willing To Kill 90,000 COVID Patients To Discredit Trump
Data Confirms Big Tech’s Left-Wing Bias
Gramsci’s Plan to Overwhelm Christianity With Socialism Using Culture
Europeans Discover The Myth About ‘Safety Nets’ The Hard Way
5 Things The Millionaire Next To You Is Doing With Their Money That You’re Not
5 Things Christians Can Do To Win With Money
Biggest Economic Drivers Are Most Poised To Come Back
What’s Wrong With Limited Liability Corporations?
Our Dishonest Ruling Class
Innovation Springs From Liberty
Social Justice Warriors Must Address Core Problems
The Most Important Chart For 2013
Things Are More Dangerous Than People Think
The 2020 Election And Your Portfolio
The Destructive Obsession With Equality
The American Covenant: How American Independence Arose from the Colonial Pulpits
Fascism Is Socialism: Here’s The Proof
Follow Us
The Affluent Mix
Data Confirms Big Tech’s Left-Wing Bias September 17, 2020 | Charles Bowyer
Democrats Willing To Kill 90,000 COVID Patients To Discredit Trump... September 17, 2020 | Roger McKinney
Biggest Economic Drivers Are Most Poised To Come Back... September 17, 2020 | Jerry Bowyer
The Destructive Obsession With Equality September 17, 2020 | Jim Huntzinger
The 2020 Election And Your Portfolio September 17, 2020 | David Bahnsen
Europeans Discover The Myth About ‘Safety Nets’ The Hard Way... September 17, 2020 | John Tamny
Inflation By Fiat September 17, 2020 | Michael Pento
Innovation Springs From Liberty September 17, 2020 | Daniel McLaughlin
Manufacturing A Recovery September 17, 2020 | Jerry Bowyer
5 Things The Millionaire Next To You Is Doing With Their Money That You’re... September 17, 2020 | Eric Schrum
Politicians And Pundits Vs. The People September 11, 2020 | Frank Vernuccio
If You Want To Worry About Something, Worry About This... September 11, 2020 | David Bahnsen
Dismiss The Federal Reserve Alarmism, There’s No Such Thing As ‘Dollar Short... September 11, 2020 | John Tamny
National Reconstruction Begins September 11, 2020 | Jerry Bowyer
Q2 Was Tough On Those Who Panicked At The End Of Q1... September 11, 2020 | Jerry Bowyer
The Founding Fathers Understood September 11, 2020 | Jim Huntzinger
Things Are More Dangerous Than People Think... September 11, 2020 | Daniel McLaughlin
5 Things Christians Can Do To Win With Money... September 11, 2020 | Eric Schrum
Social Justice Warriors Must Address Core Problems... September 4, 2020 | Daniel McLaughlin
Our Dishonest Ruling Class September 4, 2020 | Frank Vernuccio
The Fed In A Post-COVID World September 4, 2020 | David Bahnsen
Dear Conservatives: Excess Taxes ‘Voluntarily’ Paid By Liberals Are A Tax On... September 4, 2020 | John Tamny
Join the conversation!
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, vulgarity, profanity, all caps, or discourteous behavior. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain a courteous and useful public environment where we can engage in reasonable discourse.