In her June 2008 commencement speech at Harvard, JK Rowling reminds fledgling Harvard graduates that they may be driven as much by a fear of failure as a need to succeed. She describes her own failure, finding herself seven years after college graduation a divorced single parent living in poverty, as the "rock bottom which became a solid foundation upon which I rebuilt my life." In our quest to climb the next career ladder, to appear "put together" in all aspects of our lives, to create images of ourselves that measure up to our ideals, what parts of our humanity do we miss? A beautifully written talk.
J.K. Rowling Speaks at Harvard Commencement from Harvard Magazine on Vimeo.