A pundit once suggested that commencement speakers refrain from frightening graduating seniors by telling them the world was theirs.

The world as we travel through the 17th year of the 21st century is a troublesome place.

War, disease, social injustice, financial woes and poverty still tear our planet apart.

Looking over past years, we sometimes wonder if we have made progress.

The First World War was supposed to be the war that was going to make the world safe for democracy, yet in regions across the globe there are still leaders who value holding power in their own fists above the welfare of their people.

The dawning of the Age of Aquarius in the 1960s was supposed to usher in harmony, understanding, love, and peace. Well.... we’re not exactly there yet.

Sometimes we wonder if the world is getting better or worse.

Yet out the mire of the world’s despair rise heroes.

The soldiers on the battlefield fighting for freedom.

The doctors, nurses, and scientists who strive to save us from the scourge of disease.

The teachers who open the door to tomorrow to their students.

The technology experts who make our lives safer, more interesting, and easier.

These are just some of our heroes.

As you look back on your achievements and look forward to future challenges and successes, consider the heroes who inspired you to do more than you thought you ever could.

You’ll probably see that over the years your idea of heroism becomes deeper.

“Superman or Captain Marvel. If someone had asked me what a champion is when I was a child, I probably would have answered by naming these two superheroes of the day. During this time, I didn’t realize how the kindness of a few key people could parallel the life-saving feats superheroes regularly performed... instead of muscles of steel, they protected me with the strength of their kindness,” journalist Bob Danzig once wrote.

Actor, Christopher Reeve, who became a superhero to the handicapped, said: “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.”

Former US Congressman and former Alabama Governor Bob Riley may have put it best: “Hard times don’t create heroes. It is during the hard times when the ‘hero’ within us is revealed.”

Class of 2017, we wish you well.

We wish you a hero.