Chief Justice hard harsh, but necessary words for a group of young men graduating 9th grade at a New Hampshire school recently.
Among other things, Roberts told the graduates he wishes them occasional bad luck - injustice, betrayal - so that they understand and appreciate the value of being treated fairly and having truly loyal friends.
In short, what Chief Justice Roberts was saying is he hoped these young men faced challenges that they would be forced to overcome so that they would understand that life isn't always a picnic and sometimes you have to deal with and defeat struggles. Or in other words, you cannot expect everything to go your way in life and you need to be prepared for the fallout when it doesn't.
Similar words have been said by many people over the years, but when they are said by the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, they carry more weight.
The truth is, many people in today's world - especially in the United States - have had it far too easy. I lived in Pakistan - a far less prosperous country that was not so kind to religious minorities like myself - and had some truly terrible experiences. My daughter's, much as I love them, and much as they have worked hard for everything they have accomplished, have not been exposed to those same experiences.
I would never want that for them and I am glad everyday that I do not have to worry about them facing any of that. But deep down, I do wonder how well they would handle it if something major not only didn't go their way, but somehow went horribly wrong. I hope that never happens, but if it does, I hope I've done a good enough job as a father to have instilled in them the strength to overcome.
I think this was really what Chief Justice Roberts was saying. He wants these young men to succeed, but also wants them to know failure so they can grow from it and learn to appreciate success. He wants them to get knocked down so they can get back up and know how to continue to do so any additional times they get knocked down.
Essentially, he wants these young men to deal with real life issues we all encounter every single day and be well-equipped to handle them. He wants them to be normal, functioning adults in a world that seems to far too often produce grown people who have been encouraged to prolong adolescent fantasies of what life is really like.
Good for him for saying it. Those young men will be better off for hearing those words and so will every other young person who reads them.