In the final, dramatic, courtroom scene of Arthur Miller's, The Crucible, our hero, John Proctor, confronted with the mistakes of his past and the uncertainty of his future, cries out, "God in heaven, What IS John Proctor? What is John Proctor." For John, this was the ultimate moment of truth: Either to lie and save his life, or to dare to peer into the depths of his soul and confront whatever demons resided within. Ultimately, John choose to case away all forms of pretense, tear away the restraints confining his soul, and finally accept whatever he found, no matter what the consequences were. However, although what John experienced was a severe test of character, it was also a great opportunity.

As you continue on this journey many poets and authors refer to as life, you will be faced with many of these instances in which who you truly are will be known, and more often than not, you will look back upon these times as mile markers in your life; vivid glimpses into the soul of humanity itself. As you encounter these moments, I encourage you to approach them with bravery, dignity, and self respect. After all, the only way you can be true to others is to be true to yourself.

This past summer, as I was working as a counselor at Camp Courage North, I was approached one evening by one of my fellow counselors. He asked me to step aside and said, "Hey Jason man, I really want to apologize about last night, you know, teasing you about you and Emily going out the night before and having a good time. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. You see, I was going through your CD's during lunch and I saw some Barbara Streisand albums and I might be going out on a limb here, but you're gay right?"

Now, I've been asked this question enough times to make even Ru Paul seem tame, but during that split second, I knew that however I answered that question would mean more than a simple "Yes" or "No." Ten months later, I don't regret my answer. First of all, I love Barbara Streisand, and secondly, I am gay. I've been gay since I was born and I will be gay for the rest of my life, granted it lasts longer than my leaving the parking lot.

It's a joke, you can all laugh. Humor helps us heal.

Anyway, for me, that was my first true moment of ultimate truth, the first time I was ever comfortable enough with myself to actually answer that formerly dreaded question with a clear conscience and not feel sorry for myself afterwards. It felt great.

As humans, searching for our own identities is the most natural and most confusing thing we can possibly do. We look to define ourselves in so many ways, when in all actuality, we need no more definition othe than we are human. We are all people capable of loving and being loved, of making mistakes and of being forgiven. Life is full of challenges and everyone of us, no matter how different, had been given all the tools and resources he or she will ever need. At times it may be overwhelming, but much like a VCR, we only need to figure out how to read the manual and use the tools we've been given. They may be incomprehensible, but they will always be there.

Learn to trust yourselves and your bodies. Listen to what your body is telling you. Pain, be it emotional or physical, is one of our greatest gifts. It means stop what you are doing, please, you're hurting me. Something needs to change. As we go our separate ways, let us not forget who we are and the people that helped us develop into that unique individual. In whatever you do, may you build a life filled with deep meaning, wide-open heartfeltness, and abundant soulfullness.