Gibson at Loyola Marymount

Turns out all of the controversy surrounding the selection of Mel Gibson as keynote speaker at LMU's commencement was mostly wasted air, as he actually gave a pretty good keynote, even if it was fairly standard as far as keynotes go.

Following a standing ovation by the crowd, Gibson began his address "I could hit you with a dozen cliches today. Follow your dreams. Fight for what you believe in... until the cops show up."

Delivering a speech peppered with wry humor and anchored with sincerity, Gibson's address focused on society's constant search to be happy in life.

"Perfect happiness is not attainable in this imperfect world we live in," he said. "This creates a void, and people seek to fill that void with relationships, drugs, alcohol, or work... I hope you look to fill that void in an unlikely place. Treading boldly where you would rather not, and inhabiting the place that seems most likely not to fill the void is often where peace can be found."

... Closing his speech, Gibson advised, "I hope you can learn to love not only yourself and those who love you, but love those who don't love you. If you can do that, your life will be rich and full in ways the world can never make it."

I would've asked him to talk about why, in his movie Braveheart, the Battle of Sterling Bridge was missing the bridge! But then maybe his keynote would not have been as inspirational!