Mr. Stroud, faculty, staff, parents and most importantly, the graduating class of 2008, it is an honour to be here today.

It is also a proud moment for me as a father to speak to the graduating class of this excellent school.

I have watched my daughter Brooke grow over these past few years into a fine young woman and it is clear to me that Tabor Academy has played a big part in her development, as it has to you her schoolmates, many whom I have come to know through our association with the school.

There are many things that contribute to the making of an individual. One of the most important is exposure to a school environment that nourishes talent, excites the intellect and encourages curiosity; while building self-discipline and self-confidence.

From my perspective Tabor Academy has done these things and, if I may be so bold as to speak for the parents of those who are graduating , I want to say thank you to the teachers and the staff of Tabor Academy for all that you've done.

This is a great school and long may you continue your good work, which I think is ultimately about building a better world through the good young men and women you send forth each year.

Today I want to speak to the graduating class about that world and to offer some words of encouragement and advice on facing the challenges that will inevitably rise up before you, and to help you realise the goodness and particular talent that lies in each and every one of you.

I have spoken with enough people in recent years to know there are many who, when asked about the future, shudder with thoughts of terrorism, nuclear proliferation, global warming, the clash of civilizations, $200 a barrel oil and economic decline. The world to these people has become a dangerous and threatening place.

I understand these feelings. We have been fed a steady diet of bleakness and doubt for a few years now and there is some basis for it: threats do exist, and they must be managed and turned back, but I see too many people who are giving in to pessimism; who are seeing the glass half empty.

I challenge you today; do not give in to this type of pessimism.

There is another way to look at the world, because there is another reality, a reality that is more positive, more promising and more real because it is based on undeniable global trends that can set you free to live as citizens of the world, contributing to its well-being in ways never before possible.

In this reality, the glass is not just half full; it is brimming with amazing possibilities, possibilities that are part of your world; possibilities that each of you can grasp to make it even better than it is.

I see a world where freedom of choice continues to be greater than at any time in history, where economic expansion across the globe is helping more people live better lives than ever before, a world in which traditional borders will be less important, less impeding; a world where communications will continue to obliterate geography; where we will be closer to one another day in day out on a scale that was nearly unimaginable just 20 years ago.

It will be a world where individual freedom will take on a three dimensional quality; where one voice, riding the wave of amazing technological advances, can join with others from around the world, to speak out on any issue in any place at any time.

It will be a more compassionate world, a world where the goodness in people will be brought to the fore as never before, where the media's instantaneous reporting of calamity in any corner of the globe will appeal to our impulse to reach out and stop the suffering, where we will have the means for direct action with the click of a mouse.

It will be a world in which the search for global solutions to climate warming, deforestation, water production, the spread of deserts and alternative energy will bring people together from all over the globe as fellow citizens and neighbours working together in a truly global village.

No one can predict the future with any certainty but the trends today are very positive.

We are living through one of the most sustained periods of peace and non-violence in history. It may not seem that way but it's true.

The number of wars has been declining since the 1980s and is now at their lowest levels since the 1950s – a decade of relative peace in a century of conflict.

We are also living in a period of unprecedented prosperity. Without discounting the severity of economic dislocation that continues across the globe – and the ongoing need to do something about it – the fact is that more people in more places are living better quality lives than ever before.

More people are being freed to contribute beyond the immediate needs of their families, to use their energies in ways that can make more healthy communities.

I envision a world of increasing complexity. To those with untrained eyes, and I'm probably speaking here to older generations, it will seem as though we are moving from the predictability of a square dance to the anarchy of a mosh pit. But to the young men and women of the 2008 graduating class, I believe you already are creatures of this new world, already equipped with the basic skills and the mindset to move into it like fish to water.

I see it in your eyes, I hear it in your words and I feel it in your enthusiasms.

In saying goodbye to Tabor, you will take your first steps into that wider world.

I say embrace it. Open your eyes to the possibilities before you, whether in school or not.

Most of you will be going to university and I urge you to think of it as a giant buffet. Be hungry, be curious. Sample things, fill your plate. Think: 'Nothing ventured, nothing gained.'

University is a time to experiment, to find out. Don't leave it with regrets that you should have tried this or that, but never did.

Your aim should be to find what you like to do and to do it. But don't get hung up on having to make the right career choice the first time. You've got plenty of time to make the decisions that are right for you.

Whether you pursue medicine or photography, chemistry or computers, helping the poor or making money, know the importance of being passionate about what you do.

Know the importance of getting up each morning wanting to go to work.

Know the importance of getting paid for doing what you like to do.

Some of you may think what I'm saying is obvious, that it doesn't need to be said, but take my word; I've seen too many people who get their schooling only to end up in jobs that have nothing to do with what interests them. It happens to a lot of people.

For many of them, for any number of reasons, it is an acceptable fate, but for you on this day when your whole world lies before you full of possibilities and dreams, it is something you will want to guard against.

Today you are starting the journey of the rest of your life.

In this journey you will be tested and challenged all the way and in everything important to you: your skills, your beliefs, your values, your choices and your dreams.

How you respond to these challenges will be the story of your life.

You can rely on attaining a good education, on your training and on trusted people to help you get through these tests, but one of the most important things you can bring to bear will be your character.

What do I mean by character?

Character is what you are made of. It's the thing that gets you up off the ground to try again when you've been knocked down.

Character makes you stand up for what is right.

Character is the courage to stop a bully.

Character keeps you at your desk until the work is right.

Character, in the moral sense, helps you to do the right thing in any situation.

Apply your moral character and it will be the cement that holds together the building blocks of your life.

Martin Luther King Jr. saw clearly the importance of moral character. He said:

The function of education… is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. But education which stops with efficiency may prove the greatest menace to society. The most dangerous criminal may be the man gifted with reason, but with no morals. We must remember that intelligence isn't enough. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education. The complete education gives one not only the power of concentration, but worthy objectives on which to concentrate…"

Character says who you are. It can carry you through all the challenges in your life, but each of you must see that it does because character – moral character – is not a given, it is a decision. It is something revealed in the moment, in how a person responds to any given situation.

As you go forward, your character will be tested in many, often subtle ways.

How you react, if you react, is up to you and you alone.

There will be situations where you will see right and wrong hanging in the balance but also the opportunity to quietly turn away.

There will be situations where the consequences of stepping forward will stop you in your tracks, or where you have no option but to deal with it head on.

In whatever situation that arises, you will always have the opportunity to do the right thing.

One character-forming episode in my life was the death of my father when I was a junior in high school. My father was a young man at 40; fit, strong but he smoked and suddenly passed due to a stroke.

He was my role model, who along with my mother helped form my character. This was a tragic defining moments in my life where in hindsight my future started to form.

I had to step forward and start thinking about what I wanted to do be involved in; our family business or chase my dream of playing professional golf. My mother stepped in and ran the business but I knew she had no intention of doing anything but holding the fort until my brother and I showed our hand.

The decision was an easy one for me, so when summer arrived there were good times to be had but I was also grinding in the dairy production plant at 3 am daily knowing full well that I needed to get up to speed as fast as I could in a business that was in my blood.

Those summers as a teenager taught me a few keys to life that along with a good education will never let you down. Since then, I can say that my life has been about hard work, perseverance and sacrifice, and I believe these disciplines have held me in good stead and helped define my character and who I am.

For the Graduating Class of 2008, as each of you prepare for the journey ahead, I urge you to:

Believe in yourselves. Believe in what you're doing. When you believe in yourself others will also believe in you.

Persevere, sacrifice and work hard. Nothing truly meaningful comes without perseverance, sacrifice and hard work.

Along the way you might not have the progress you expect; and in accomplishing your goals, you might have some bumps in your road.

But don't be afraid of failure. Failure is often the stepping stone to success.

We have all failed, the most successful people fail and fail more than they might choose to admit, and this will never change.

Often it is not when you fail that matters – it's what you do afterwards that makes the difference.

And don't forget to have fun. Nothing makes sense if you don't have fun. If you do not enjoy doing what you are doing and if you do not have a sense of humor.

This is a world of amazing possibilities and you are on its threshold.

Enjoy your journey, a journey that has just started and as I close a few thoughts to ponder:

In your journey in life it is not where you start that matters most – it is where you end up and how you get there.

Remember always do unto others as you would have them do unto yourself.

Finally, enjoy this moment. This is a golden time in your lives. Full of promise and hope, and that is as it should be. Take time to reflect on what you have accomplished.

Savour this time with your family and friends and dream about the road ahead and remember during your graduations celebrations to be Smart, Safe and Sober.

May God Bless you and guide you and I wish you all the best.