New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman has always been a favorite speaker at college graduation ceremonies. But after September 11, 2001 his stock on the commencement circuit rose as dramatically as the Twin Towers fell.

And no wonder.

Friedman is a astute observer of the world and likes to advise people what he sees as a result of his travels and contacts.

His September 2003 lecture at Washington University was titled, "What Kind of International Borders Will Exist in the 21st Century?" Although it was not a graduation speech, rather an Arts & Sciences Conversation, even the title shows Friedman's interest in global issues. This was a lecture leading up to the thoughts he set forth in this book, "The World is Flat."

In coming up with the basis for this book, Friedman demonstrates how easily his personal thoughts are merged with his work. He got the idea for the philosophy behind the theories while on a golf course in Asia.

Mr Friedman has the ability to speak in a language easily understood by both the intelligencia as well as by office worker sitting down with the newspaper after dinner.

His communication skills have achieved the highest level in non-fiction writing for both newspaper and books; he has also mastered the art of the television appearance. He is a thoughtful and well spoken guest on talk shows whether he is scheduled for one segment or the entire show.

Here are some buzz words that give you a brief of his dossier:

• 1983 Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting
• 2002 Pulitzer for Commentary
• Bachelor's Degree, Brandeis University (Mediterranean Studies)
• Oxford University, Masters Degree, Modern Middle East Studies achieved on a Marshall Scholarship

"When you entered these grounds the number on everyone's lips was 'Y2K.' As you leave these grounds, the number on everyone's lips is still '9-11.'

"For me Lesson #1 is that in this Age of Terrorism, when we know so much about all the threats out there, you basically have two choices about how to live your life. One is to be a survivor and the other is to be a thriver. Be a thriver.

"I first learned about survivors and thrivers as a reporter in Beirut during the Lebanese civil war in the late 1970s. . . . Survivors were called survivors because they were just barely getting by. They spent all of their days worrying about every conceivable threat.

"Thrivers, by contrast, were people who learned to live with uncertainty, mainly by learning to view their environment very selectively. They would see an Israeli plane going overhead and say, 'Hey, there's an Israeli plane flying overhead. I don't think it's going to bomb me or my neighborhood. I'm going golfing.'

"We must not overreact to 9/11. My daughter's high school orchestra trip from Washington to New Orleans was cancelled this year because of the school board's fear of terrorism. I thought this was absolutely nuts. At some point you have to ask whether al-Qaeda operatives are really sitting around a cave in Afghanistan and saying, 'Hey, Osama, remember that high school orchestra competition in New Orleans? Well, it's coming up again next week. Let's really make a splash and go after it.'

Lesson #2 for me is how to thrive. The best way to thrive, very frankly, is to do what you love. Because if you do what you love you'll always love what you do, and 100% of people who love what they do end up thriving, either emotionally or financially. This is particularly important in the post-9/11 age, when planning one's future seems a little more uncertain than ever before.

(Thomas Friedman, Graduation Advice is continued)

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