And the truth is, graduates, after four years of thoughtful, respectful discussion and debate here at Oberlinthose seminars where you explored new ideas together,those late-night conversations where you challenged each other and learned from each otherafter all of that, you might find yourself a little dismayed by the clamor outside these wallsthe name-calling, the negative ads, the folks yelling at each other on TV.After being surrounded by people who are so dedicated to serving others and making the world a better place,you might feel a little discouraged by the polarization and gridlock that too often characterize our politics and civic life.And in the face of all of that clamor,you might have an overwhelming instinct to just run the other way as fast as you can.You might be tempted to just recreate what you had here at Oberlinto find a community of like-minded folks and work with them on causes you care about, and just tune out all of the noise.And that's completely understandable.In fact, I sometimes have that instinct myself -- run!
