Fellows,
We live in dark times. Around the world, democracies are backsliding; trust in institutions is eroding; polarization is deepening; technological change is outpacing regulation; and disinformation abounds.
YB Yeats once described such moments in haunting words:
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold/…. The best lack all conviction, while the worst/Are full of passionate intensity.
A time of monsters, as Gramsci, the Italian philosopher, wrote from a Fascist prison.
I’ve been listening to this year’s Reith lectures. Rutger Bregman describes how we live in an age in which billionaires avoid taxes, politicians chase popularity over the public good, and media empires profit from lies and hatred. We see people in power who are immoral, not serious, and shameless.
The Roman elite fiddled while Rome burned. Today, our brightest and best, in the top universities, speak idealistically about changing the world – but many are funneled into consultancy, finance, and corporate law, applying their talents to preserving the status quo, making money, and serving themselves rather than the public. Others become tech bros, distracting us with clickbait, addicting us to our screens, and feeding us all-consuming consumerism.
A famous Nigerian rock star sang: “There is fire on the mountain top. And no one is a running.”
There’s a pandemic of hopelessness, paralyzing people and preventing them from believing that a better future is possible.
But we must not succumb to cynicism. In difficult times such as these, we must plant the seeds of a better future. We must help people see that light is possible. What the world needs now is not more despair, but more vision. Not more resignation, but more audacity. Not just critics of what is broken, but leaders who can stretch our imagination of what is possible — and inspire good people to act.
Rutger Bregman calls for a moral revolution. It is in dark times such as these that the seeds of renewal take root – that people of integrity and courage step forward, driven by the belief that the purpose of power is to do good. Individuals who step into the arena, who commit to something bigger than self, who strive, who fail, and who strive again.
And you, World Fellows – you are those individuals.
Margaret Mead reminded us, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
You are hope spots.
You are people of courage and of purpose.
You expand political imagination
You speak truth and do not bow to pressure
You stand up for the most vulnerable and the voiceless
You are journalists who check facts – and put truth before your own safety
You are lawyers who do not betray principles
You innovate to conserve our ecosystems
You are creatives who lift the human spirit
You are techies who use tools for humanity.
You are the hope spots, the stars in the sky, the light in the dark, the beacons in the night – Â shining for the world to see. Giving hope for humanity.
And hope, in itself, is resistance.
You are not waiting for others to step forward. You are stepping forward yourselves – Â addressing the biggest issues of our time.
You are revolutionists.
You are possibilists. Not pessimists or optimists, but realists who expand what is possible.
Thank you for everything you have done for us at Yale.
Thank you for mentoring our students, for speaking in New Haven schools, for showing your films, for sharing books – three fellows have had their books published this semester. A record! For sharing your expertise across the university, at climate week in New York, and in our seminar for UN officials.
You’ve spoken about
The Congo Basin and the Amazon forest.
Resisting authoritarianism
Transformations in the Caucasus
Bhutan’s model of governance
The future of democracy
Women’s leadership in tech
Floating schools for communities going underwater
Bearing witness through film
Reimagining capital
Sustainable finance
Wildlife protection
Combatting violence against women
You’ve been so active, generous, extraordinary role models.
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I want to take a moment to thank all those who supported you.
The liaisons, who helped organize your events and welcomed you into their colleges and communities.
My amazing team: Lily, Yuval, Anne, Kelly, Julia – David, Daryn, William…
The heads of colleges, Manuscript, salon speakers, the Jackson School.
The Starr Foundation.
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2025 World Fellows
Your time with us at Yale has come to an end. And we are sad to see you go.
But as you leave us, leave with smiles on your face and joy in your hearts,
Leave rejuvenated, with boundless energy
Leave sure of your purpose and mission in life
Leave sustained by the encouragement of your fellow Fellows.
This is not the end. It is the end of the beginning.
You are now part of a remarkable global network of Fellows.
Once a Fellow, always a Fellow.
World Fellows for life.