Responsibility for public interest

"It seems to me incumbent upon this and other schools' graduates to recognize their responsibility to the public interest... unless the graduates of this college... are willing to put back into our society those talents, the broad sympathy, the understanding, the compassion... then obviously the presuppositions upon which our democracy are based are bound to be fallible."--John F. Kennedy

The reason we learn and go to school is not simply to fulfill our pursue of knowledge or have the skill to live well financially after we graduate. Yet we must get jobs. Our ultimate goal of life is to enjoy living. We should find something, such as jobs, that we enjoy doing because we can present our talents and make contribution that feed back the society. These contributions will add on to our achievement. It is a fair positive feedback loop. When we have achievement, we have more self-confident, respect to ourselves, and therefore respect to others. In turns, we have self-actulization, which is at the top level of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, and that's the state of enjoy living. 

The idea democracy, freedom of people to govern themselves, is based on the presume that people are educated so they have the critical thinking to make the right decision. It therefore is a goal aimed by education. Taking advantage if this, we have the responsibility to take account to the public decisions. However, many of us today don't have this public interest. For example, many well educated people who have the skill and ability to take part the politic society do not want to take the opportunity. Even though most of us do care about public affair, we value more on our personal achievements that we have more control over. In school, the leaders or student counsels are not usually the people with the best ideas or critical thinking, but people with willingness to take the responsibility of leadership. 
Somehow, I agree that we have the responsibility to have public interest. =3=