The title of this post was Paul Hawken's message to the graduating class at the University of Portland on May 3rd. The Class of 2009, he said, will have to "figure out what it means to be a human being on earth at a time when every living system is declining, and the rate of decline is accelerating." The challenge really applies to the entire generation. "The earth needs a new operating system," he told the crowd, "you are the programmers, and we need it within a few decades."

I missed my own graduation and commencement address because my study in Spain had not yet ended, but I am happy to adopt this one as the message that frames the world in which I will put my education to use. I see in this address a message of urgency and, more importantly, of hope. But each person will respond to the message in his or her own way, so read the whole transcript on CharityFocus. What do you think?