《To Make the World a Better Place》歌词

歌曲： To Make the World a Better Place

所属专辑：美国名校励志演说 17篇

歌手： 英语演讲

时长： 26:00

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To Make the World a Better Place - 英语演讲[00:00:02]

Go Beyond the Boundary of [00:00:07]

Material Comfort --[00:00:10]

Commencement Address by Barack Obama [00:00:11]

at Arizona State University[00:00:15]

Well, thank you.[00:00:18]

Thank you, President Crow,[00:00:22]

for that extremely generous introduction,[00:00:25]

for your inspired leadership,[00:00:27]

as well, here at ASU.[00:00:28]

I want to thank the entire ASU community[00:00:30]

for the honor of attaching my name to[00:00:33]

a scholarship program that will help[00:00:36]

open the doors of higher education to[00:00:39]

students from every background. [00:00:41]

What a wonderful gift. Thank you.[00:00:43]

That notion of opening doors of opportunity[00:00:46]

to everybody, that is the core mission of this school;[00:00:52]

it's the core mission of my presidency;[00:00:56]

and I hope this program will serve as a model[00:01:00]

for universities across this country. [00:01:05]

So, thank you so much.[00:01:06]

I want to obviously congratulate the class of 2009 [00:01:07]

for your unbelievable achievements. [00:01:13]

I want to thank the parents, the uncles,[00:01:16]

the grandpas, the grandmas, cousins, calabash cousins,[00:01:18]

everybody who was involved in helping[00:01:23]

these extraordinary young people arrive at this moment.[00:01:28]

I also want to apologize to the entire state[00:01:29]

of Arizona for stealing away your [00:01:35]

wonderful former governor, Janet Napolitano.[00:01:38]

But you've got a fine governor here, [00:01:41]

and I also know that Janet is now [00:01:44]

applying her extraordinary talents to [00:01:48]

serve our entire country as the secretary [00:01:50]

of homeland security, keeping America safe.[00:01:53]

And she's doing a great job.[00:01:57]

Now, before I begin,[00:01:59]

I'd just like to clear the air about [00:02:02]

that little controversy everybody [00:02:05]

was talking about a few weeks back. [00:02:08]

I have to tell you, I really thought[00:02:09]

this was much ado about nothing, [00:02:13]

but I do think we all learned an important lesson. [00:02:15]

I learned never again to pick another team [00:02:19]

over the Sun Devils in my NCAA brackets.[00:02:23]

It won't happen again.[00:02:27]

President Crow and the Board of Regents[00:02:29]

will soon learn about being audited by the IRS.[00:02:32]

Now, in all seriousness, [00:02:36]

I come here not to dispute the suggestion[00:02:41]

that I haven't yet achieved enough in my life.[00:02:44]

First of all, Michelle concurs with that assessment.[00:02:47]

She has a long list of things [00:02:52]

that I have not yet done, [00:02:54]

waiting for me when I get home.[00:02:57]

But more than that, I come to embrace the notion [00:02:58]

that I haven't done enough in my life.[00:03:04]

I heartily concur. I come to affirm[00:03:07]

that once titled, even a title like president [00:03:11]

of the United States, says very little about[00:03:15]

how well one's life has been led. [00:03:17]

That no matter how much you've done[00:03:20]

or how successful you have been, [00:03:22]

there's always more to do, always more to learn,[00:03:25]

and always more to achieve.[00:03:30]

And I want to say to you today, graduates,[00:03:32]

Class of 2009, that despite having achieved [00:03:38]

a remarkable milestone in your life, [00:03:42]

despite the fact that you and your families[00:03:44]

are so rightfully proud, you too cannot rest on your laurels. [00:03:47]

Not even some of those remarkable young people [00:03:53]

who were introduced earlier, not even that young lady [00:03:56]

who's got four degrees she's getting today.[00:03:59]

You can't rest. Your own body of work is also yet to come.[00:04:02]

Now, some graduating classes have marched into[00:04:08]

this stadium in easy times, times of peace and stability,[00:04:14]

when we call on our graduates simply to keep things[00:04:19]

going and don't screw it up.[00:04:23]

Other classes have received their diplomas [00:04:25]

in times of trial and upheaval,[00:04:29]

when the very foundations of our lives, [00:04:31]

the old order has been shaken, [00:04:33]

the old ideas and institutions have crumbled,[00:04:36]

and a new generation is called upon to remake the world.[00:04:39]

It should be clear to you by now [00:04:44]

the category in which all of you fall,[00:04:48]

for we gather here tonight in times of [00:04:51]

extraordinary difficulty, for the nation and for the world.[00:04:54]

The economy remains in the midst of a historic recession,[00:04:58]

the worst we've seen since the Great Depression,[00:05:03]

the result, in part, of greed and irresponsibility[00:05:06]

that rippled out from Wall Street and Washington,[00:05:11]

as we spent beyond our means and failed to make hard choices.[00:05:15]

We're engaged in two wars and a struggle against terrorism.[00:05:20]

The threats of climate change, nuclear proliferation,[00:05:27]

and pandemic defy national boundaries[00:05:32]

and easy solutions. For many of you, [00:05:35]

these challenges are also felt in more personal terms.[00:05:39]

Perhaps you're still looking for a job.[00:05:42]

You're struggling to figure out [00:05:45]

what career path makes sense in this disrupted economy.[00:05:47]

Maybe you've got student loans -[00:05:51]

no, you definitely have student loans.[00:05:56]

Or credit card debts. And you're wondering[00:05:59]

how you'll ever pay them off. [00:06:04]

Maybe you've got a family to raise.[00:06:06]

And you are wondering how you'll ensure[00:06:09]

that your children have the same opportunities[00:06:12]

you've had to get an education and pursue their dreams.[00:06:15]

Now, in the face of these challenges, [00:06:19]

it may be tempting to fall back on the formulas [00:06:23]

for success that have been peddled so frequently[00:06:26]

in recent years. It goes something like this -[00:06:30]

you're taught to chase after all the usual brass rings.[00:06:34]

You try to be on this who's who list or that top 100 list.[00:06:39]

You chase after the big money [00:06:44]

and you figure out how big your corner office is. [00:06:46]

You worry about whether you have a [00:06:50]

fancy enough title or a fancy enough car.[00:06:52]

That's the message that's sent each and every day - [00:06:56]

or has been in our culture for far too long[00:07:01]

that through material possessions, [00:07:06]

through a ruthless competition pursued[00:07:09]

only on your own behalf, [00:07:11]

that's how you will measure success.[00:07:13]

Now, you can take that road and it may work for some.[00:07:16]

But at this critical juncture in our nation's history,[00:07:23]

at this difficult time, let me suggest[00:07:27]

that such an approach won't get you [00:07:30]

where you want to go. [00:07:33]

It displays a poverty of ambition, [00:07:34]

that in fact the elevation of appearance over substance,[00:07:37]

of celebrity over character, [00:07:41]

of short-term gains over lasting achievement[00:07:43]

is precisely what your generation needs to help end.[00:07:47]

Now, ASU, I want to highlight - [00:07:51]

I want to highlight two main problems[00:07:57]

with that old, tired, me-first approach to life.[00:08:00]

First of all, it distracts you [00:08:05]

from what's truly important.[00:08:09]

And it may lead you to compromise [00:08:11]

your values and your principles [00:08:14]

and your commitments. Think about it. [00:08:16]

It's in chasing titles and status, [00:08:18]

in worrying about the next election rather than [00:08:21]

the national interests and the interests of those [00:08:24]

who you're supposed to represent.[00:08:27]

Those politicians so often lose their ways[00:08:31]

in Washington spend time thinking about polls, [00:08:34]

but not about principles.[00:08:38]

It was in pursuit of gaudy,[00:08:40]

short-term profits and the bonuses [00:08:45]

that came with them that so many folks [00:08:47]

lost their way on Wall Street, [00:08:49]

engaging in extraordinary risks with other people's money.[00:08:52]

In contrast, the leaders we revere, [00:08:56]

the businesses and institutions that last,[00:09:01]

they are not generally the result of[00:09:04]

a narrow pursuit of popularity or personal advancement,[00:09:07]

but of devotion to some bigger purpose. [00:09:10]

The preservation of the union [00:09:14]

or the determination to lift a country [00:09:16]

out of a depression, the creation of a quality product,[00:09:19]

a commitment to your customers, your workers, [00:09:23]

your shareholders, and your community.[00:09:28]

A commitment to make sure that an institution [00:09:31]

like ASU is inclusive and diverse [00:09:35]

and giving opportunity to all.[00:09:39]

That's the hallmark of real success.[00:09:41]

That other stuff - that other stuff,[00:09:44]

the trappings of success, may be a by-product [00:09:50]

of this larger mission,[00:09:53]

but it can't be the central thing.[00:09:55]

Just ask Bernie Madoff. [00:09:57]

That's the first problem with the old attitude.[00:10:00]

The second problem with the old approach[00:10:03]

to success is that a relentless focus on[00:10:08]

the outward markers of success [00:10:11]

can lead to complacency, [00:10:13]

it can make you lazy. [00:10:15]

We too often let the external, [00:10:17]

the material things, serve as indicators[00:10:19]

that we're doing well, even though something [00:10:23]

inside us tells us that we're not doing our best; [00:10:26]

that we're avoiding that which is hard,[00:10:29]

but also necessary; that we're shrinking[00:10:32]

from rather than rising to the challenges of the age.[00:10:36]

And the thing is, in this new hyper-competitive age,[00:10:40]

none of us - none of us can afford to be complacent.[00:10:47]

That's true whatever profession you choose. [00:10:50]

Professors might earn the distinction of tenure, [00:10:54]

but that doesn't guarantee [00:10:58]

that they'll keep putting in the long hours [00:11:01]

and late nights and have the passion[00:11:02]

and the drive to be great educators.[00:11:04]

The same principle is true in your personal life.[00:11:07]

Being a parent is not just a matter of[00:11:13]

paying the bills, doing the bare minimum.[00:11:16]

It's not just bringing a child into the world [00:11:19]

that matters, but the acts of love [00:11:23]

and sacrifice it takes to raise [00:11:25]

and educate that child and give them opportunities.[00:11:28]

It can happen to presidents as well.[00:11:32]

If you think about Abraham Lincoln [00:11:36]

and Millard Fillmore had the very same title. [00:11:39]

They were both presidents of the United States,[00:11:43]

but their tenure in office and their legacy [00:11:46]

could not be more different.[00:11:49]

And this is not just true for individuals; [00:11:51]

it's also true for this nation.[00:11:54]

In recent years, in many ways we've become[00:11:57]

enamored with our own past success, [00:12:03]

lulled into complacency[00:12:05]

by the glitter of our own achievements. [00:12:08]

We've become accustomed to the title of [00:12:10]

"military super-power" forgetting the qualities [00:12:13]

that got us there, and not just the power of our weapons, [00:12:17]

but the discipline and valor [00:12:21]

and the code of conduct of our men [00:12:24]

and women in uniform.[00:12:26]

The Marshall Plan, and the Peace Corps,[00:12:28]

and all those initiatives[00:12:33]

that show our commitment to working [00:12:35]

with other nations to pursue the ideals [00:12:37]

of opportunity and equality and freedom [00:12:40]

that have made us who we are; [00:12:42]

that's what made us a super power.[00:12:44]

We've become accustomed on our economic dominance [00:12:48]

in the world, forgetting that it wasn't reckless deals [00:12:54]

and get-rich-quick schemes that got us where we are,[00:12:58]

but hard work and smart ideas, [00:13:01]

quality products and wise investments.[00:13:04]

We started taking shortcuts.[00:13:08]

We started living on credit instead of building up savings. [00:13:11]

We saw businesses focus more on re-branding [00:13:15]

and repackaging than innovating [00:13:19]

and developing new ideas that improve our lives.[00:13:22]

All the while the rest of the world[00:13:25]

has grown hungry, more restless, [00:13:30]

in constant motion to build and to discover,[00:13:33]

not content with where they are right now,[00:13:36]

determined to strive for more. They're coming.[00:13:39]

So, graduates, it's now abundantly clear [00:13:44]

that we need to start doing things [00:13:50]

a little bit different.[00:13:52]

In your own lives, you'll need to continuously[00:13:53]

adapt to a continuously changing economy.[00:13:58]

You'll end up having more than one job [00:14:01]

and more than one career over the course of your life.[00:14:05]

You'll have to keep on gaining new skills, [00:14:09]

possibly even new degrees.[00:14:12]

And you'll have to keep on taking risks,[00:14:14]

as new opportunities arise.[00:14:17]

And as a nation, we'll need a fundamental change[00:14:20]

of perspective and attitude. [00:14:26]

It's clear that we need to build a new foundation,[00:14:28]

a stronger foundation for our economy [00:14:32]

and our prosperity, rethinking how we grow our economy, [00:14:35]

how we use energy, how we educate our children, [00:14:40]

how we care for our sick,[00:14:44]

how we treat our environment.[00:14:47]

Many of our current challenges are unprecedented.[00:14:49]

There are no standard remedies, [00:14:55]

no go-to fixes this time around. [00:14:58]

And Class of 2009, that's why we're going to need your help. [00:15:00]

We need young people like you to step up.[00:15:06]

We need your daring; we need your enthusiasm; [00:15:09]

we need your energy; we need your imagination.[00:15:13]

And let me be clear, when I say young, [00:15:17]

I'm not just referring to the date of [00:15:22]

your birth certificate.[00:15:26]

I'm talking about an approach to life, [00:15:27]

a quality of mind and a quality of heart, [00:15:30]

a willingness to follow your passion[00:15:33]

regardless of whether they lead to fortune and fame, [00:15:36]

a willingness to question conventional wisdom[00:15:39]

and rethink old dogmas. [00:15:43]

A lack of regard for all the traditional markers[00:15:45]

of status and prestige, and a commitment instead [00:15:50]

to doing what's meaningful to you, [00:15:53]

what helps others, what makes a difference in this world.[00:15:56]

That's the spirit that led a band of patriots,[00:16:01]

not much older than most of you, [00:16:07]

to take on an empire and to start this experiment [00:16:10]

in democracy we call America. [00:16:13]

It's what drove young pioneers west to Arizona and beyond.[00:16:16]

It's what drove young women to reach for the ballot,[00:16:20]

what inspired a 30-year-old escaped slave[00:16:24]

to run an underground railroad to freedom.[00:16:28]

It's what inspired a young man named Cesar [00:16:32]

to go out and help farm workers,[00:16:36]

what inspired a 26-year-old preacher [00:16:39]

to lead a bus boycott for justice.[00:16:42]

It's what led firefighters [00:16:44]

and police officers in the prime of [00:16:47]

their lives up the stairs of those burning towers [00:16:50]

and young people across this country to drop[00:16:53]

what they were doing and come [00:16:56]

to the aid of a flooded New Orleans.[00:16:58]

It's what led two guys in a garage [00:17:00]

named Hewlett and Packard to form a company [00:17:05]

that would change the way we live and work,[00:17:09]

what led scientists in laboratories [00:17:11]

and novelists in coffee shops to labor [00:17:14]

in obscurity until they finally succeeded in [00:17:17]

changing the way we see the world.[00:17:21]

That's the great American story:[00:17:23]

young people just like you following their passions,[00:17:27]

determined to meet the times on their own terms.[00:17:31]

They weren't doing it for the money. [00:17:34]

Their titles weren't fancy: [00:17:39]

ex-slave, minister, student, citizen.[00:17:41]

A whole bunch of them didn't get honorary degrees. [00:17:45]

But they changed the course of history, and so can you, ASU.[00:17:49]

So can you, Class of 2009. So can you.[00:17:55]

With a degree from this outstanding institution,[00:18:03]

you have everything you need to get started. [00:18:08]

You've got no excuses.[00:18:11]

You have no excuses not to change the world.[00:18:13]

Did you study business? Go start a company.[00:18:16]

Or why not help a struggling not-for-profit [00:18:22]

find better and more effective ways to serve folks in need?[00:18:25]

You study nursing? Go understaffed clinics[00:18:30]

and hospitals across this country are desperate for your help.[00:18:37]

You study education? Teach in a high-needs school[00:18:40]

where the kids really need you.[00:18:47]

Give a chance to kids who can't -[00:18:49]

who can't get everything they need maybe, [00:18:52]

in their neighborhood, maybe not even their home, [00:18:55]

but we can't afford to give up on them.[00:18:58]

Prepare them to compete for any job anywhere in the world.[00:19:01]

You study engineering? [00:19:05]

Help us lead a green revolution, [00:19:10]

developing new sources of clean energy [00:19:12]

that will power our economy and preserve our planet.[00:19:16]

But you can also make your mark in smaller,[00:19:19]

more individual ways. [00:19:24]

That's what so many of you have already done [00:19:26]

during your time here at ASU, tutoring children,[00:19:29]

registering voters, doing your own small part [00:19:33]

to fight hunger and homelessness, AIDS and cancer.[00:19:37]

One student said it best when she spoke about [00:19:40]

her senior engineering project,[00:19:46]

building medical devices for people with [00:19:48]

disabilities in a village in Africa.[00:19:51]

Her professor showed a video of the folks [00:19:53]

they had been helping, and she said, [00:19:57]

"When we saw the people on the videos,[00:20:00]

we began to feel a connection to them.[00:20:02]

It made us want to be successful for them."[00:20:05]

Think about that. It made us want to be successful for them. [00:20:08]

That's a great motto for all of us.[00:20:16]

Find somebody to be successful for. [00:20:19]

Raise their hopes. Rise to their needs. [00:20:23]

If you think about your life after graduation [00:20:27]

as you look into the mirror tonight after the partying is done - [00:20:30]

that shouldn't get such a big cheer -[00:20:35]

you may look in the mirror tonight [00:20:37]

and you may see somebody who is not really sure [00:20:40]

what to do with their lives. [00:20:43]

That's what you may see.[00:20:45]

But a troubled child might look at you [00:20:48]

and see a mentor. A homebound senior citizen might see a lifeline.[00:20:53]

The folks at your local homeless shelter might see a friend.[00:20:59]

None of them care how much money is in your bank account [00:21:04]

or whether you're important at work, [00:21:07]

or whether you're famous around town. [00:21:10]

They just know that you're somebody who cares, [00:21:12]

somebody who makes a difference in their lives.[00:21:16]

So Class of 2009, that's what building a body of [00:21:19]

work is all about. It's about the daily labor,[00:21:26]

the many individual acts, the choices,[00:21:30]

large and small that add up over time,[00:21:33]

over a lifetime to a lasting legacy.[00:21:36]

That's what you want on your tombstone.[00:21:39]

It's about not being satisfied with the latest achievement,[00:21:43]

the latest gold star, because the one thing I know[00:21:49]

about a body of work is that it's never finished.[00:21:53]

It's cumulative. It deepens and expands with each day[00:21:57]

that you give your best, each day that you give back[00:22:01]

and contribute to the life of your community and your nation.[00:22:06]

You may have setbacks and you may have failures, [00:22:11]

but you're not done. You're not even getting started,[00:22:16]

not by a long shot. And if you ever forget that, [00:22:20]

just look to history. Thomas Paine was a failed corset maker,[00:22:25]

a failed teacher and a failed tax collector before [00:22:31]

he made his mark on history with a little book [00:22:35]

called "Common Sense" that helped ignite a revolution.[00:22:39]

Julia Childs didn't publish her first cookbook[00:22:43]

until she was almost 50. Colonel Sanders didn't o[00:22:48]

pen his first Kentucky Fried Chicken until he was in the 60s.[00:22:54]

Winston Churchill was dismissed as little[00:22:58]

more than a has-been who enjoyed Scotch a little bit[00:23:02]

too much before he took over his Prime Minister [00:23:06]

and saw Great Britain through its finest hour.[00:23:09]

No one thought a former football player stocking shelves [00:23:14]

at the local supermarket would return to the game[00:23:19]

he loved to become a Super Bowl MVP [00:23:23]

and then come here to Arizona [00:23:26]

and lead your Cardinals to their first Super Bowl. [00:23:29]

Your body of work is never done.[00:23:33]

Each of them at one point in their life[00:23:36]

didn't have any title or much status to speak of, [00:23:40]

but they had passion; a commitment to following [00:23:44]

that passion wherever it would lead, [00:23:49]

and to working hard every step along the way.[00:23:51]

And that's not just how you'll ensure [00:23:54]

that your own life is well-lived,[00:23:58]

it's how you'll make a difference in the life of our nation.[00:24:01]

I talked earlier about the selfishness[00:24:04]

and irresponsibility on Wall Street [00:24:09]

and Washington that rippled out[00:24:12]

and led to so many of the problems [00:24:14]

that we face today. I talked about the focus on [00:24:17]

outward markers of success that can help lead us astray.[00:24:20]

But here's the thing, Class of 2009 - [00:24:24]

it works the other way, too. [00:24:30]

Acts of sacrifice and decency, [00:24:33]

without regard to what's in it for you, [00:24:36]

that also creates ripple effects, [00:24:39]

ones that lift up families and communities, [00:24:41]

that spread opportunity and boost our economy,[00:24:45]

that reach folks in the forgotten corners of the world,[00:24:48]

who when committed young people like you see[00:24:52]

the true face of America, our strength, [00:24:55]

our goodness, our diversity, our enduring power, our ideals.[00:24:59]

I know starting your careers in troubled times[00:25:05]

is a challenge, but it is also a privilege,[00:25:10]

because it's moments like these that force us [00:25:14]

to try harder and dig deeper, and to discover gifts[00:25:18]

we never knew we had, to find the greatness [00:25:22]

that lies within each of us. So, don't ever shy [00:25:26]

away from that endeavor. Don't stop adding to[00:25:31]

your body of work. I can promise that you [00:25:35]

will be the better for that continued effort,[00:25:39]

as will this nation that we all love.[00:25:42]

Congratulations, Class of 2009, on your graduation.[00:25:45]

God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.[00:25:51]