His black regalia whipped in the wind like the cape of a superhero. Cap in hand, the baby-faced, twenty-something-year-old young man ran at a fevered pace toward the Humphrey Coliseum. I was picturing his parents, grandparents, and siblings already seated and scanning the room for their soon-to-be graduate. I imagined hopes were high along with his blood pressure.

I was in the car with my family, stuck in traffic. We were attending the commencement ceremony for our oldest son, Colton, who was graduating with a business degree at Mississippi State University. That’s when I noticed the sprinting graduate. I remarked that it would make a great modern-day Norman Rockwell depiction, perhaps titled something to the effect of “Late for His Own Future.”

I haven’t attended a college graduation since that of my step-half-sister, Freyja, at Ole Miss in the early ’90s. I don’t remember much about it other than the atmosphere being that of a tailgate party beforehand.

Today’s version of college graduation is a far cry from that experience decades ago. I didn’t graduate from college, so my frame of reference is narrow, but this recent event at MSU was, for lack of better words, streamlined.

From the moment we parked to the last of the 2,232 photographs taken by my wife, we were in and out before we even knew what happened. We listened to speeches made up of quotes from deceased heads of state, some attendees indulged in concessions primarily made up of water and soda; and I spent the better part of my time scanning the online Harvey’s menu while waiting for the business school students to be recognized.

There was a prayer beforehand, which I actually found to be interesting and inspiring. I’m paraphrasing, but the young man who delivered it began by saying that since we are all made up of different views and beliefs, he would simply be giving “thanks.” At no point was his prayer directed at any certain religion. It was inclusive, decent, and thankful.

After we said “amen,” I leaned over to my son Landon and stated, “anyone that can find a problem with that is looking for a problem.”

Looking back, I’m still not sure what I was expecting that day. Perhaps a little more pomp and circumstance. I just couldn’t shake the feeling that colleges now treat everything like a business decision rather than a rite of passage.

In today’s society, more often than not, inspiration seems lost. Everything is about efficiency rather than authenticity. Frankly, I’m surprised they didn’t try to squeeze in a concert or sporting event between one of the several ceremonies.

I must clarify that I’m not picking on MSU, though. I’ve spoken to friends who have attended graduations at other universities and described the exact same scenario, even down to the graduate and family being told to exit the building once the diploma exchanged hands.

Gone are the days of caps being tossed into the air for celebration. You can forget about that, but do make sure you find the nearest exit as the real world awaits.

Don’t get me wrong, I side with efficiency. For me, sitting through any ceremony over 30 minutes long equates to waterboarding. There’s only so many idioms and platitudes that I can stand to hear from the mouth of a person with “Doctor” in front of their name before it becomes verbose and self-indulgent.

Albeit, that doesn’t mean we should bastardize certain momentous occasions so that everyone can get home a little sooner.

As for our graduate, Colton, I can’t speak for him, but the fact that he was texting us during the ceremony alluded to him having one foot out the exit door and one foot in Harvey’s restaurant. He was just ready to be done.

Truth be told, I think those ceremonies are more for the families than the graduates anyway. Maybe that’s why we left feeling a little empty, or perhaps that’s just life: ever fleeting, while taking photos of what’s already gone.

As for the aforementioned galloping graduate, I hope he made it in time – especially since diplomas are no longer given alphabetically, but first come, first served. Given the former, the only thing that could have added insult to that injury would have been if his last name began with an “A.”

After a very short two hours, we made our way to Harvey’s to have lunch with our three children and my mother. I glanced across the table at Colton, who looked happy but uncertain. I hoped he knew it was all gonna be okay.

I, on the other hand, was feeling very certain – especially about lunch, as I had the entire Harvey’s menu memorized before Colton’s diploma touched his hands.

Clay Bowen is a Columbus native who cooked professionally as a chef in fine dining for 12 years and appeared on the third season of Top Chef. He is also a licensed landscape horticulturist and is currently the general manager of a local landscaping company. Bowen writes in his free time and is working on a book about his experiences and travel.