六十年前,乔治·马歇尔也是在这个地方的毕业典礼上,宣布了一项计划,帮助欧洲国家的战后建设。他说:"我认为,困难在于这个问题太复杂,报纸和电台源源不断地向公众提供各种事实,使得大街上的百姓难于清晰地判断形势。事实上,经过层层传播,想要真正地把握形势,是根本不可能的。"
Thirty years after Marshall made his address, as my class graduated without me, technology was emerging that would make the world smaller, more open, more visible, less distant.
马歇尔发表这个演讲之后的三十年,我那一届学生毕业,当然我不在其中。那时,新技术刚刚开始萌芽,它们将使得这个世界变得更小、更开放、更透明、距离更近。
The emergence of low-cost personal computers gave rise to a powerful network that has transformed opportunities for learning and communicating.
低成本个人电脑的出现,使得强大的互联网有机会诞生,它为学习和交流提供了全新的机会。
The magical thing about this network is not just that it collapses distance and makes everyone your neighbor. It also dramatically increases the number of brilliant minds we can have working together on the same problem – and that scales up the rate of innovation to a staggering degree.
网络的神奇之处,不仅仅在于它跨越了距离,使得天涯犹若比邻。它还汇聚了英才,为共同理想而一起奋斗——这就能促进革新,以惊人的速度发展。
At the same time, for every person in the world who has access to this technology, five people don't. That means many creative minds are left out of this discussion -- smart people with practical intelligence and relevant experience who don't have the technology to hone their talents or contribute their ideas to the world.
与此同时,世界上有条件上网的人,只是全部人口的六分之一。这意味着,还有许多具有创造性的人才不能参与讨论——那些具有实践经验和相关经历的杰出人才,却没有办法磨砺他们的才智,发挥他们思想。
We need as many people as possible to have access to this technology, because these advances are triggering a revolution in what human beings can do for one another. They are making it possible not just for national governments, but for universities, corporations, smaller organizations, and even individuals to see problems, see approaches, and measure the impact of their efforts to address the hunger, poverty, and desperation George Marshall spoke of 60 years ago.
我们需要尽力让更多的人有机会掌握这一新技术,因为这些进步会引发一场革命,人类将因此可以互相帮助。新技术不仅仅能够让政府,还能够让大学、公司、小机构、甚至个人发现问题、找到解决办法、评估他们努力的结果,从而去解决那些马歇尔早在六十年前就谈到过的所有问题——饥饿、贫穷和绝望。
Members of the Harvard Family: Here in the Yard is one of the great collections of intellectual talent in the world.
在座的所有哈佛人,你们都是全世界的精英,今天汇集在此。
What for?
我们为什么而来?
There is no question that the faculty, the alumni, the students, and the benefactors of Harvard have used their power to improve the lives of people here and around the world. But can we do more? Can Harvard dedicate its intellect to improving the lives of people who will never even hear its name?
毫无疑问,哈佛的师生、哈佛的校友和哈佛的资助者已经尽力改善了在座各位的的生活,也改善了世界各地人们的生活。但是,我们还能够再做什么呢?哈佛人能够将他们的才智奉献出来吗?哈佛人能够改善那些甚至没有闻"哈佛"之名的人们的生活吗?
Let me make a request of the deans and the professors – the intellectual leaders here at Harvard: As you hire new faculty, award tenure, review curriculum, and determine degree requirements, please ask yourselves:
各位院长,各位教授,你们是哈佛知识分子的领袖,请允许我提出一个请求——当你们雇用新任教师、授予终身教职、评估全部课程、决定学位颁发标准的时候,请问你们自己如下的问题:
Should our best minds be dedicated to solving our biggest problems?
我们最优秀的人才是否在致力于解决最困难的问题?
Should Harvard encourage its faculty to take on the world's worst inequities? Should Harvard students learn about the depth of global poverty … the prevalence of world hunger … the scarcity of clean water …the girls kept out of school … the children who die ** diseases we can cure?
哈佛是否鼓励其教师去解决世界上最严重的不平等问题?哈佛的学生是否了解全球性的贫困?是否了解世界性的饥荒?是否了解水资源的缺乏?是否了解辍学的女童?是否了解那些死于非恶性疾病的儿童?
Should the world's most privileged people learn about the lives of the world's least privileged?
那些养尊处优的人们,你们是否了解那些含辛茹苦的人民?
These are not rhetorical questions – you will answer with your policies.
我并不是在设问,请用你行动的方针来做答。
My mother, who was filled with pride the day I was admitted here – never stopped pressing me to do more for others. A few days before my wedding, she hosted a bridal event, at which she read aloud a letter about marriage that she had written to Melinda. My mother was very ill with cancer at the time, but she saw one more opportunity to deliver her message, and at the close of the letter she said: "** those to whom much is given, much is expected."
在我被哈佛大学录取的那一天,我母亲倍感自豪,但她一直敦促我,要为他人谋取更多的福祉。在我结婚典礼的前几天,她特意主持了一个仪式。在这个仪式上,她高声朗读了一封信,是写给梅林达的,关于婚姻方面的问题。那时,我母亲已经因癌症而病入膏肓,但她还是抓住了一线机会,传播她的信念。在信的结尾,她写道:"天赋于斯,大任在肩,得到越多,期望更大。"
When you consider what those of us here in this Yard have been given – in talent, privilege, and opportunity – there is almost no limit to what the world has a right to expect ** us.
在座各位,请想一想吧,你们得到了什么——天才、特权、机遇——既如此,全世界的人都在期望,期望我们做出无穷无尽的贡献。
In line with the promise of this age, I want to exhort each of the graduates here to take on an issue – a complex problem, a deep inequity, and become a specialist on it. If you make it the focus of your career, that would be phenomenal. But you don't have to do that to make an impact. For a few hours every week, you can use the growing power of the Internet to get informed, find others with the same interests, see the barriers, and find ways to cut through them.
同这个时代的期望一样,我也要勉励各位毕业生去解决一个问题,一个复杂的问题,那就是去解决这种明显的社会不平等问题,然后把自己变成这方面的专家。如果你们能够以此作为你职业的目标,你将脱颖而出。但是,你不可以仅仅为扩大影响而为。你可以一周花几个小时,从日益壮大的互联网上获得信息,找到志同道合的朋友,发现困难之所在,找到解决困难的捷径。
Don't let complexity stop you. Be activists. Take on the big inequities. It will be one of the great experiences of your lives.
不要让这个复杂的世界阻碍了你前进的脚步。做一个行动主义者。将解决人类的不平等视为己任,它将成就你生命历程中的最辉煌。
You graduates are coming of age in an amazing time. As you leave Harvard, you have technology that members of my class never had. You have awareness of global inequity, which we did not have. And with that awareness, you likely also have an informed conscience that will torment you if you abandon these people whose lives you could change with very little effort. You have more than we had; you must start sooner, and carry on longer.
诸位毕业生,你们所处的时代是一个神奇的时代。当你们离开哈佛的时候,你们拥有了我们那时未曾拥有的技术,你们认识到了我们那时未曾认识的社会不平等现象。既然认识到了这个问题,如果你弃之不管,你可能就会受到良心的谴责,因为一点小小的努力,你就可以改变那些人的生活。既然你们比我们拥有更大的能力,你们就应该争朝夕,谋长远,持之以恒地做下去。
Knowing what you know, how could you not?
既知之,怎能无动于衷?
And I hope you will come back here to Harvard 30 years ** now and reflect on what you have done with your talent and your energy. I hope you will judge yourselves not on your professional accomplishments alone, but also on how well you have addressed the world's deepest inequities … on how well you treated people a world away who have nothing in common with you but their humanity.
我希望,30年后,你们再到哈佛,回想你们用青春和才智换来的一切。我希望各位,在那个时候,你们不仅仅用自己专业成就来衡量自己;还要用你们如何为消除社会的不平等的努力来衡量自己;还要用你们如何善待那些远隔千山万水的世人来衡量自己;他们与你们,或许无一点相似,但他们都是人类。
Good luck.
祝福好运。
[ 本帖最后由 郁闷的猫 于 2008-3-19 10:51 编辑 ] |