Alan Alda, the beloved actor best known for playing Hawkeye Pierce on 'M*A*S*H,' delivered this commencement address at Connecticut College in 1980. At the time, he was at the height of his fame — 'M*A*S*H' was one of the most-watched shows in television history — but his speech was anything but superficial. Alda used the metaphor of leaving a comfortable city for an uncharted wilderness to describe the journey of self-discovery that awaits after graduation. The image resonated because it captured both the terror and the promise of stepping into the unknown. There's no bus, no shortcut, no map — only the willingness to risk and to work. The payoff, Alda suggested, isn't some external reward but something far more valuable: genuine self-knowledge.