Learning Through Involvement

Actor and activist Robert Redford talks to the 2013 graduating class of Westminster College in his graduation speech. He speaks about his childhood and how his education suffered because he felt disengaged and uninterested in learning. He talks about how disengagement is dangerous and how it continues well into adulthood.

Redford goes into his graduation speech to discuss how, as a young man travelling through Europe, he came to realize the need for people to get involved in society in politics and activism, in order to get their voices heard and to strengthen the dissent that makes democracy possible. Redford emphasizes the need to keep one's eyes and ears open to always be absorbing information and constantly learning. He expresses his hopes that the graduates will go forward with their education and take chances.