Last week, during Mark Zuckerberg’s Harvard commencement speech, he talked about God and prayer in a way not usually seen in commencement speeches.
As he wrapped up the speech, he mentioned the Jewish prayer, “Mi Shebeirach,” he sings to his daughter nightly and that he leans on before he has to face something difficult.
Quoting the Debbie Friedman version of the prayer, he said: “It goes, ‘May the source of strength who blessed the ones before us help us find the courage to make our lives a blessing.’ I hope you find the courage to make your life a blessing.”
In December, Zuckerberg talked about leaving atheism, saying he now believes “religion is very important.”
He also talked to the graduating students about working toward a greater purpose.
[lborder]I’m here to tell you that finding your purpose isn’t enough. The challenge for our generation is to create a world where everyone has a sense of purpose. When our parents graduated, that sense of purpose reliably came from your job, your church, your community, but today technology and automation are eliminating many jobs. Membership in a lot of communities is declining. Many people feel disconnected and depressed, and are trying to fill a void. … To keep our society moving forward, we have a generational challenge — to not only create new jobs, but create a renewed sense of purpose.
