Illinois Governor JB Pritzker's commencement speech at Northwestern University - 2023

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker delivered a rather unique commencement address to the Northwestern University Class of 2023 on Monday, sharing wisdom from the hit television show "The Office" to help send graduates "forward on the right path in life." “If you want to be successful in this world, you have to develop your own idiot detection system. The best way to spot an idiot? Look for the person who is cruel,” adding, “When we see someone who doesn't look like us, or sound like us, or act like us, or love like us, or live like us—the first thought that crosses almost everyone's brain is rooted in either fear or judgement or both. That's evolution. We survived as a species by being suspicious of things we aren't familiar with.” “In order to be kind, we have to shut down that animal instinct and force our brain to travel a different pathway. Empathy and compassion are evolved states of being. They require the mental capacity to step past our most primal urges,” Mr Pritzker explained. Stressing the importance of being kind, Mr Pritzker added, “I'm here to tell you that when someone's path through this world is marked with acts of cruelty, they have failed the first test of an advanced society. They never forced their animal brain to evolve past its first instinct. They never forged new mental pathways to overcome their own instinctual fears. And so, their thinking and problem-solving will lack the imagination and creativity that the kindest people have in spades… Over my many years in politics and business, I have found one thing to be universally true—the kindest person in the room is often the smartest.” Sharing an excerpt of the speech on Twitter, Mr Pritzker wrote, “‘Whenever I'm about to do something, I think ‘Would an idiot do that?' and if they would, I do not do that thing.' – Dwight Schrute. And what is the best way to spot an idiot? Look for the person who is cruel.”