Clarification and my words of advice

To all of you that have expressed your opinions on my comments about my status as director at Southwest and my intentions, I think I have started something I never intended. Many of you are asking about my future and where I will be next year. The fact is that I have every intention of returning for another year at Southwest barring any unseen offer that I cannot refuse. I have so many outspoken opinions on the state of things and feel as if I will always be compared to previous standards but the fact is, I do not care what critics, dissenters and students feel about me. I am who I am and nothing will change that. Love me or hate me, I love making great music by great composers. Music is my life and what I do. That may be hard for many to understand but my only passion in life is music; whether I am conducting, writing or even listening, there is nothing more powerful to me than music and its effect on the soul and human condition. I could have any career I choose because of my intellect but nothing was more satisfying than music. I love astronomy and physics and even thought I would have liked to get a degree in astrophysics to pursue a career as a cosmologist, but the call of music was too great to ignore. There was even a time in high school that I thought I would make a great medical examiner/ forensic pathologist but pursuing a passion is for what we should always aim. I have become a product of my desires and whether being a teacher was my ultimate goal or not, I am who I am. Anyone is welcome to have opinions of me but it is irrelevant in what I can do. Nothing anyone can say will change that. As a final life lesson to graduates and anyone withing hearing distance, do what you love. You get a chance at happiness in life; do what you love and makes you happy, not what makes you rich or satisfying to others. You all have one life to live--live it for YOU and for no one else. Pursue your dreams and let nothing stand in the way of what you love. Yes, our world and opinions of others is focused, unfortunately, on what we make and what we consider to be important but these qualities diminish what we all hold dear. We have become a culture of those that have looking down on those that have not and we need to take a stand and determine, as a civilization, what is important to our existence. Is the fact that the "Real Housewives" had a bad day or that Brett Michaels has to have a show to find a date what we have become? According to many, it is important to way too many people. Does Oprah represent the human race? Does Dr. Phil speak for all of us? Are we nothing more than cattle that have to be lead to slaughter? The answer, unfortunately, is yes in too many ways. All I ask of anyone that knows me, is be yourself, forget what the media and popular culture forces upon you, and be what you want to be, strive for what you feel is important in your life and live for yourself. Only you can control your destiny and make your life what it was meant to be.