[Editor's

note: The following speech was delivered May 24 at the

Fayette County High School baccalaureate service by

Fayette Superior Court Judge Chris Edwards. It is

reprinted here with his permission.]

Thank you,

Mr. Adams.

Mr.

Phillips, Mrs. Ridgeway, Mr. Greenhaw, Mr. Sheets, Mr.

Martin, Mrs. McVae, honorable members of the faculty,

much loved parents and grandparents, honored guests, and

most of all to the fabulous Fayette County High School

Class of 2000.

Good

evening.

I am

Griffin Judicial Circuit Superior Court Judge Chris

Edwards.

I quote and

paraphrase without attribution tonight from Jesus and

several he loved: Moses, Solomon, David, Elijah, Paul,

Twain, Adlai Stevenson, Coolidge, Churchill, Eisenhower,

Dr. Ira Slade and my adored wife, Jenny. Now that you're

graduating, remember, one source is plagiarism, but two

or more is research.

I am aware

that countless moralists, like me, are rising in

countless pulpits and platforms all over America to tell

thousands of helpless captives, like you, in exactly 12

minutes, how eternal truths should be applied to their

lives in these uncertain times. These speakers are

telling these seniors everywhere about their role as

responsible, privileged, educated citizens in a free

society. Thank you for the honor of speaking with you.

My humble

graduation gift to you is a few words that I hope ring

true wherever my tears and laughter meet yours.

First, on

persistence:

The

greatest graduation speech ever is this: "Never,

never, never give up," from Winston Churchill.

To that,

add President Calvin Coolidge: "Nothing in the world

can take the place of persistence. Talent will not;

nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.

Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.

Education will not; the world is full of educated

derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are

omnipotent. Many of life's failures are people who did

not realize how close they were to success when they gave

up."

I implore

you to persist first and always in discovering the truth

about God's existence and if you are convinced he exists,

persist in discovering who God is, and whom you shall

serve. You can make yourself a god to yourself, called

selfishness; you can choose among the many gods available

after asking around; or you can ask out loud, when your

desperation finally exceeds your embarrassment, for God

to reveal himself to you. The meaning of your life and

death depends on what you believe. The meaning of your

life is revealed not in how you die, but in what belief

you were willing to die for.

On being

politically correct:

You've

heard about the delicate business of being politically

correct. The real truth is, the root of being political

is merely being polite. Good manners is the art of making

others feel comfortable. No impolite person is

politically correct and no polite person can be

politically incorrect. Love and respect are reflected in

politeness to all. Your heart will follow your words.

On

relativity:

You may

have heard that everything is relative. This is not true.

Right and wrong, truth and falsehood, are not matters of

taste and mere opinion, and this will never change. Live

in truth and you live in peace.

On social

change:

If you want

to make enemies, try to change something. The truth is,

the existing system is the result of thousands of years

of sacrifice, creativity, genius, and constant change.

You cannot

change the world unless you first change the human heart,

meaning, what you believe, beginning with yourself. You

cannot change the hearts and attitudes of others unless

your own heart is changed first. The best way to improve

the world is to first improve yourself beginning with

what you believe and then your family. On the way there,

you will help others, just being who you are.

As real

life begins, you'll go from writing poetry to writing

grocery lists, from reading Faulkner to reading Consumer

Reports, from discussing the great artists until late

into the night to doing the dishes until late into the

night, and in real life, for those so blessed, changing

the world is first achieved by changing diapers.

In college

there is lots of cynical talk from some professors, and

students, about how bad past generations have left the

world. Let me tell you again, you only really believe

what you are willing to die for. My dad believed in every

one of you at Anzio. My uncle, for whom I am proud to be

named, believed in you as a Pacific prisoner of war

tortured every day for three years, 10 months at the

hands of your country's enemies, 85 pounds when found, so

you could be free.

Twice in

this century your noble ancestors, American soldiers,

have delivered the world from certain conquest by

alliances of madmen claiming to lead master races. Anyone

who doesn't appreciate this, understands nothing.

Your

parents and teachers have given their lives and

sacrificed higher incomes to bring you to this very

moment. They believe in you. When you have children,

remember this: their financial success as adults is

largely determined by how much they are read to as

infants and how much they practice reading as little

children. Their every other success depends on your

unselfishness as a model for them to follow.

On

addictions:

You may

have heard that only weak-willed people get addicted. The

truth is, addiction runs in families, by proven genetic

predisposition and also by environmental exposure. Look

at your family and friends and assess your genetic and

environmental risk of addiction. If you're using tobacco,

alcohol, or other drugs and tell yourself, "I can

handle it," or "I can quit when I want,"

you may already be believing the addict's twin lies.

Addictions

steal destinies, turning lives into human train wrecks.

Addiction is the single biggest threat to your future.

The legal drugs, nicotine and ethyl alcohol, both highly

addictive, will kill more people, ruin more lives,

destroy more families, cost more jobs and careers, cost

society more money, and inflict more misery to your

generation, than all other drugs combined, evil as they

are. Fun does not include sudden or gradual

self-destruction.

On friends:

A true

friend, if you have one that sticks closer than a

brother, is a wonderful gift. The truth is, bad company

corrupts your good character. Do not waste your life or

risk your future hanging around so-called friends who

engage in self-destructive behaviors, like complaining,

disloyalty, procrastination, drugs, habitual lying,

acting without purpose, alcohol, bragging, talking about

who and what they hate, abusing trust, smoking, avoiding

duties, slandering others, cheating.

Beware of

those who brag about how much good they've done for

others, because these people are wrongly motivated,

without understanding that there is no lasting reward in

the approval of mere men. If you lack good judgment, then

for starters avoid unreliable people and look for

reliable people. Unreliable people are often also

untruthful and unfaithful. A true friend is one who would

trade his life for yours. Don't let the users and abusers

make a fool out of you.

On Art:

You may

have been told that art, music, and maybe even writing,

are not the best ways to make money. If you have been a

little discouraged this way, I encourage you now, without

neglecting your education or work, to go try to do these

things you wanted to do as a little child. Discover your

gifts now before they are stolen by any unintended

discouraging words. You are not too old to start painting

or buy a guitar, but soon you may be. And, fill your new

homes with great art, great music, and great literature,

and you will discover the greatness of the greatest

creative minds God has placed on earth.

On love and

money:

You have

heard, go to college or technical school to make money.

The truth is, happiness is the ability to work and to

love.

Never

forget that love and charity begin at home. Your brothers

and sisters will be your true friends when other

friendships may fade, and the greatest contribution to

the community is hollow when your own house is not in

order. It is like the flight attendant's speech at the

beginning of a flight - first put the oxygen mask on

yourself, then on your own children and family, then on

others. Unless you first are saved, you cannot save

others. Giving back to your community means first

improving yourself beginning with what you believe, then

improving your family by loving them, then others by

loving them. We have a deep desire to love others

deposited in us, so prepare your own heart first, then

enjoy the richness of loving and helping others.

Here is a

secret: The Golden Rule, doing good toward others, is

really nothing but man's love for God but expressed

toward other men, because they are made in the image of

God.

Remember,

at the end of life, all you take with you is what you

gave away.

To parents:

Get ready.

It is a

scientifically proven fact that the smartest person in

the world is a college freshman home for Christmas. I

pray you have patience as you persist in teaching and

modeling wisdom, while remembering, our children are

loaned to us.

Graduates

of the fabulous Fayette County High School class of the

year 2000: from you now, to your much loved parents,

grandparents, aunts, and uncles, brothers and sisters,

faculty, administration, and all who got you here, please

stand up and say "thank you" and "we love

you" now with your applause.

The Lord

bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face shine upon

you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift his face upon

you, and give you peace.

Good night.