[00:00:02] To Make the World a Better Place - 英语演讲
[00:00:07] Go Beyond the Boundary of
[00:00:10] Material Comfort --
[00:00:11] Commencement Address by Barack Obama
[00:00:15] at Arizona State University
[00:00:18] Well, thank you.
[00:00:22] Thank you, President Crow,
[00:00:25] for that extremely generous introduction,
[00:00:27] for your inspired leadership,
[00:00:28] as well, here at ASU.
[00:00:30] I want to thank the entire ASU community
[00:00:33] for the honor of attaching my name to
[00:00:36] a scholarship program that will help
[00:00:39] open the doors of higher education to
[00:00:41] students from every background.
[00:00:43] What a wonderful gift. Thank you.
[00:00:46] That notion of opening doors of opportunity
[00:00:52] to everybody, that is the core mission of this school;
[00:00:56] it's the core mission of my presidency;
[00:01:00] and I hope this program will serve as a model
[00:01:05] for universities across this country.
[00:01:06] So, thank you so much.
[00:01:07] I want to obviously congratulate the class of 2009
[00:01:13] for your unbelievable achievements.
[00:01:16] I want to thank the parents, the uncles,
[00:01:18] the grandpas, the grandmas, cousins, calabash cousins,
[00:01:23] everybody who was involved in helping
[00:01:28] these extraordinary young people arrive at this moment.
[00:01:29] I also want to apologize to the entire state
[00:01:35] of Arizona for stealing away your
[00:01:38] wonderful former governor, Janet Napolitano.
[00:01:41] But you've got a fine governor here,
[00:01:44] and I also know that Janet is now
[00:01:48] applying her extraordinary talents to
[00:01:50] serve our entire country as the secretary
[00:01:53] of homeland security, keeping America safe.
[00:01:57] And she's doing a great job.
[00:01:59] Now, before I begin,
[00:02:02] I'd just like to clear the air about
[00:02:05] that little controversy everybody
[00:02:08] was talking about a few weeks back.
[00:02:09] I have to tell you, I really thought
[00:02:13] this was much ado about nothing,
[00:02:15] but I do think we all learned an important lesson.
[00:02:19] I learned never again to pick another team
[00:02:23] over the Sun Devils in my NCAA brackets.
[00:02:27] It won't happen again.
[00:02:29] President Crow and the Board of Regents
[00:02:32] will soon learn about being audited by the IRS.
[00:02:36] Now, in all seriousness,
[00:02:41] I come here not to dispute the suggestion
[00:02:44] that I haven't yet achieved enough in my life.
[00:02:47] First of all, Michelle concurs with that assessment.
[00:02:52] She has a long list of things
[00:02:54] that I have not yet done,
[00:02:57] waiting for me when I get home.
[00:02:58] But more than that, I come to embrace the notion
[00:03:04] that I haven't done enough in my life.
[00:03:07] I heartily concur. I come to affirm
[00:03:11] that once titled, even a title like president
[00:03:15] of the United States, says very little about
[00:03:17] how well one's life has been led.
[00:03:20] That no matter how much you've done
[00:03:22] or how successful you have been,
[00:03:25] there's always more to do, always more to learn,
[00:03:30] and always more to achieve.
[00:03:32] And I want to say to you today, graduates,
[00:03:38] Class of 2009, that despite having achieved
[00:03:42] a remarkable milestone in your life,
[00:03:44] despite the fact that you and your families
[00:03:47] are so rightfully proud, you too cannot rest on your laurels.
[00:03:53] Not even some of those remarkable young people
[00:03:56] who were introduced earlier, not even that young lady
[00:03:59] who's got four degrees she's getting today.
[00:04:02] You can't rest. Your own body of work is also yet to come.
[00:04:08] Now, some graduating classes have marched into
[00:04:14] this stadium in easy times, times of peace and stability,
[00:04:19] when we call on our graduates simply to keep things
[00:04:23] going and don't screw it up.
[00:04:25] Other classes have received their diplomas
[00:04:29] in times of trial and upheaval,
[00:04:31] when the very foundations of our lives,
[00:04:33] the old order has been shaken,
[00:04:36] the old ideas and institutions have crumbled,
[00:04:39] and a new generation is called upon to remake the world.
[00:04:44] It should be clear to you by now
[00:04:48] the category in which all of you fall,
[00:04:51] for we gather here tonight in times of
[00:04:54] extraordinary difficulty, for the nation and for the world.
[00:04:58] The economy remains in the midst of a historic recession,
[00:05:03] the worst we've seen since the Great Depression,
[00:05:06] the result, in part, of greed and irresponsibility
[00:05:11] that rippled out from Wall Street and Washington,
[00:05:15] as we spent beyond our means and failed to make hard choices.
[00:05:20] We're engaged in two wars and a struggle against terrorism.
[00:05:27] The threats of climate change, nuclear proliferation,
[00:05:32] and pandemic defy national boundaries
[00:05:35] and easy solutions. For many of you,
[00:05:39] these challenges are also felt in more personal terms.
[00:05:42] Perhaps you're still looking for a job.
[00:05:45] You're struggling to figure out
[00:05:47] what career path makes sense in this disrupted economy.
[00:05:51] Maybe you've got student loans -
[00:05:56] no, you definitely have student loans.
[00:05:59] Or credit card debts. And you're wondering
[00:06:04] how you'll ever pay them off.
[00:06:06] Maybe you've got a family to raise.
[00:06:09] And you are wondering how you'll ensure
[00:06:12] that your children have the same opportunities
[00:06:15] you've had to get an education and pursue their dreams.
[00:06:19] Now, in the face of these challenges,
[00:06:23] it may be tempting to fall back on the formulas
[00:06:26] for success that have been peddled so frequently
[00:06:30] in recent years. It goes something like this -
[00:06:34] you're taught to chase after all the usual brass rings.
[00:06:39] You try to be on this who's who list or that top 100 list.
[00:06:44] You chase after the big money
[00:06:46] and you figure out how big your corner office is.
[00:06:50] You worry about whether you have a
[00:06:52] fancy enough title or a fancy enough car.
[00:06:56] That's the message that's sent each and every day -
[00:07:01] or has been in our culture for far too long
[00:07:06] that through material possessions,
[00:07:09] through a ruthless competition pursued
[00:07:11] only on your own behalf,
[00:07:13] that's how you will measure success.
[00:07:16] Now, you can take that road and it may work for some.
[00:07:23] But at this critical juncture in our nation's history,
[00:07:27] at this difficult time, let me suggest
[00:07:30] that such an approach won't get you
[00:07:33] where you want to go.
[00:07:34] It displays a poverty of ambition,
[00:07:37] that in fact the elevation of appearance over substance,
[00:07:41] of celebrity over character,
[00:07:43] of short-term gains over lasting achievement
[00:07:47] is precisely what your generation needs to help end.
[00:07:51] Now, ASU, I want to highlight -
[00:07:57] I want to highlight two main problems
[00:08:00] with that old, tired, me-first approach to life.
[00:08:05] First of all, it distracts you
[00:08:09] from what's truly important.
[00:08:11] And it may lead you to compromise
[00:08:14] your values and your principles
[00:08:16] and your commitments. Think about it.
[00:08:18] It's in chasing titles and status,
[00:08:21] in worrying about the next election rather than
[00:08:24] the national interests and the interests of those
[00:08:27] who you're supposed to represent.
[00:08:31] Those politicians so often lose their ways
[00:08:34] in Washington spend time thinking about polls,
[00:08:38] but not about principles.
[00:08:40] It was in pursuit of gaudy,
[00:08:45] short-term profits and the bonuses
[00:08:47] that came with them that so many folks
[00:08:49] lost their way on Wall Street,
[00:08:52] engaging in extraordinary risks with other people's money.
[00:08:56] In contrast, the leaders we revere,
[00:09:01] the businesses and institutions that last,
[00:09:04] they are not generally the result of
[00:09:07] a narrow pursuit of popularity or personal advancement,
[00:09:10] but of devotion to some bigger purpose.
[00:09:14] The preservation of the union
[00:09:16] or the determination to lift a country
[00:09:19] out of a depression, the creation of a quality product,
[00:09:23] a commitment to your customers, your workers,
[00:09:28] your shareholders, and your community.
[00:09:31] A commitment to make sure that an institution
[00:09:35] like ASU is inclusive and diverse
[00:09:39] and giving opportunity to all.
[00:09:41] That's the hallmark of real success.
[00:09:44] That other stuff - that other stuff,
[00:09:50] the trappings of success, may be a by-product
[00:09:53] of this larger mission,
[00:09:55] but it can't be the central thing.
[00:09:57] Just ask Bernie Madoff.
[00:10:00] That's the first problem with the old attitude.
[00:10:03] The second problem with the old approach
[00:10:08] to success is that a relentless focus on
[00:10:11] the outward markers of success
[00:10:13] can lead to complacency,
[00:10:15] it can make you lazy.
[00:10:17] We too often let the external,
[00:10:19] the material things, serve as indicators
[00:10:23] that we're doing well, even though something
[00:10:26] inside us tells us that we're not doing our best;
[00:10:29] that we're avoiding that which is hard,
[00:10:32] but also necessary; that we're shrinking
[00:10:36] from rather than rising to the challenges of the age.
[00:10:40] And the thing is, in this new hyper-competitive age,
[00:10:47] none of us - none of us can afford to be complacent.
[00:10:50] That's true whatever profession you choose.
[00:10:54] Professors might earn the distinction of tenure,
[00:10:58] but that doesn't guarantee
[00:11:01] that they'll keep putting in the long hours
[00:11:02] and late nights and have the passion
[00:11:04] and the drive to be great educators.
[00:11:07] The same principle is true in your personal life.
[00:11:13] Being a parent is not just a matter of
[00:11:16] paying the bills, doing the bare minimum.
[00:11:19] It's not just bringing a child into the world
[00:11:23] that matters, but the acts of love
[00:11:25] and sacrifice it takes to raise
[00:11:28] and educate that child and give them opportunities.
[00:11:32] It can happen to presidents as well.
[00:11:36] If you think about Abraham Lincoln
[00:11:39] and Millard Fillmore had the very same title.
[00:11:43] They were both presidents of the United States,
[00:11:46] but their tenure in office and their legacy
[00:11:49] could not be more different.
[00:11:51] And this is not just true for individuals;
[00:11:54] it's also true for this nation.
[00:11:57] In recent years, in many ways we've become
[00:12:03] enamored with our own past success,
[00:12:05] lulled into complacency
[00:12:08] by the glitter of our own achievements.
[00:12:10] We've become accustomed to the title of
[00:12:13] "military super-power" forgetting the qualities
[00:12:17] that got us there, and not just the power of our weapons,
[00:12:21] but the discipline and valor
[00:12:24] and the code of conduct of our men
[00:12:26] and women in uniform.
[00:12:28] The Marshall Plan, and the Peace Corps,
[00:12:33] and all those initiatives
[00:12:35] that show our commitment to working
[00:12:37] with other nations to pursue the ideals
[00:12:40] of opportunity and equality and freedom
[00:12:42] that have made us who we are;
[00:12:44] that's what made us a super power.
[00:12:48] We've become accustomed on our economic dominance
[00:12:54] in the world, forgetting that it wasn't reckless deals
[00:12:58] and get-rich-quick schemes that got us where we are,
[00:13:01] but hard work and smart ideas,
[00:13:04] quality products and wise investments.
[00:13:08] We started taking shortcuts.
[00:13:11] We started living on credit instead of building up savings.
[00:13:15] We saw businesses focus more on re-branding
[00:13:19] and repackaging than innovating
[00:13:22] and developing new ideas that improve our lives.
[00:13:25] All the while the rest of the world
[00:13:30] has grown hungry, more restless,
[00:13:33] in constant motion to build and to discover,
[00:13:36] not content with where they are right now,
[00:13:39] determined to strive for more. They're coming.
[00:13:44] So, graduates, it's now abundantly clear
[00:13:50] that we need to start doing things
[00:13:52] a little bit different.
[00:13:53] In your own lives, you'll need to continuously
[00:13:58] adapt to a continuously changing economy.
[00:14:01] You'll end up having more than one job
[00:14:05] and more than one career over the course of your life.
[00:14:09] You'll have to keep on gaining new skills,
[00:14:12] possibly even new degrees.
[00:14:14] And you'll have to keep on taking risks,
[00:14:17] as new opportunities arise.
[00:14:20] And as a nation, we'll need a fundamental change
[00:14:26] of perspective and attitude.
[00:14:28] It's clear that we need to build a new foundation,
[00:14:32] a stronger foundation for our economy
[00:14:35] and our prosperity, rethinking how we grow our economy,
[00:14:40] how we use energy, how we educate our children,
[00:14:44] how we care for our sick,
[00:14:47] how we treat our environment.
[00:14:49] Many of our current challenges are unprecedented.
[00:14:55] There are no standard remedies,
[00:14:58] no go-to fixes this time around.
[00:15:00] And Class of 2009, that's why we're going to need your help.
[00:15:06] We need young people like you to step up.
[00:15:09] We need your daring; we need your enthusiasm;
[00:15:13] we need your energy; we need your imagination.
[00:15:17] And let me be clear, when I say young,
[00:15:22] I'm not just referring to the date of
[00:15:26] your birth certificate.
[00:15:27] I'm talking about an approach to life,
[00:15:30] a quality of mind and a quality of heart,
[00:15:33] a willingness to follow your passion
[00:15:36] regardless of whether they lead to fortune and fame,
[00:15:39] a willingness to question conventional wisdom
[00:15:43] and rethink old dogmas.
[00:15:45] A lack of regard for all the traditional markers
[00:15:50] of status and prestige, and a commitment instead
[00:15:53] to doing what's meaningful to you,
[00:15:56] what helps others, what makes a difference in this world.
[00:16:01] That's the spirit that led a band of patriots,
[00:16:07] not much older than most of you,
[00:16:10] to take on an empire and to start this experiment
[00:16:13] in democracy we call America.
[00:16:16] It's what drove young pioneers west to Arizona and beyond.
[00:16:20] It's what drove young women to reach for the ballot,
[00:16:24] what inspired a 30-year-old escaped slave
[00:16:28] to run an underground railroad to freedom.
[00:16:32] It's what inspired a young man named Cesar
[00:16:36] to go out and help farm workers,
[00:16:39] what inspired a 26-year-old preacher
[00:16:42] to lead a bus boycott for justice.
[00:16:44] It's what led firefighters
[00:16:47] and police officers in the prime of
[00:16:50] their lives up the stairs of those burning towers
[00:16:53] and young people across this country to drop
[00:16:56] what they were doing and come
[00:16:58] to the aid of a flooded New Orleans.
[00:17:00] It's what led two guys in a garage
[00:17:05] named Hewlett and Packard to form a company
[00:17:09] that would change the way we live and work,
[00:17:11] what led scientists in laboratories
[00:17:14] and novelists in coffee shops to labor
[00:17:17] in obscurity until they finally succeeded in
[00:17:21] changing the way we see the world.
[00:17:23] That's the great American story:
[00:17:27] young people just like you following their passions,
[00:17:31] determined to meet the times on their own terms.
[00:17:34] They weren't doing it for the money.
[00:17:39] Their titles weren't fancy:
[00:17:41] ex-slave, minister, student, citizen.
[00:17:45] A whole bunch of them didn't get honorary degrees.
[00:17:49] But they changed the course of history, and so can you, ASU.
[00:17:55] So can you, Class of 2009. So can you.
[00:18:03] With a degree from this outstanding institution,
[00:18:08] you have everything you need to get started.
[00:18:11] You've got no excuses.
[00:18:13] You have no excuses not to change the world.
[00:18:16] Did you study business? Go start a company.
[00:18:22] Or why not help a struggling not-for-profit
[00:18:25] find better and more effective ways to serve folks in need?
[00:18:30] You study nursing? Go understaffed clinics
[00:18:37] and hospitals across this country are desperate for your help.
[00:18:40] You study education? Teach in a high-needs school
[00:18:47] where the kids really need you.
[00:18:49] Give a chance to kids who can't -
[00:18:52] who can't get everything they need maybe,
[00:18:55] in their neighborhood, maybe not even their home,
[00:18:58] but we can't afford to give up on them.
[00:19:01] Prepare them to compete for any job anywhere in the world.
[00:19:05] You study engineering?
[00:19:10] Help us lead a green revolution,
[00:19:12] developing new sources of clean energy
[00:19:16] that will power our economy and preserve our planet.
[00:19:19] But you can also make your mark in smaller,
[00:19:24] more individual ways.
[00:19:26] That's what so many of you have already done
[00:19:29] during your time here at ASU, tutoring children,
[00:19:33] registering voters, doing your own small part
[00:19:37] to fight hunger and homelessness, AIDS and cancer.
[00:19:40] One student said it best when she spoke about
[00:19:46] her senior engineering project,
[00:19:48] building medical devices for people with
[00:19:51] disabilities in a village in Africa.
[00:19:53] Her professor showed a video of the folks
[00:19:57] they had been helping, and she said,
[00:20:00] "When we saw the people on the videos,
[00:20:02] we began to feel a connection to them.
[00:20:05] It made us want to be successful for them."
[00:20:08] Think about that. It made us want to be successful for them.
[00:20:16] That's a great motto for all of us.
[00:20:19] Find somebody to be successful for.
[00:20:23] Raise their hopes. Rise to their needs.
[00:20:27] If you think about your life after graduation
[00:20:30] as you look into the mirror tonight after the partying is done -
[00:20:35] that shouldn't get such a big cheer -
[00:20:37] you may look in the mirror tonight
[00:20:40] and you may see somebody who is not really sure
[00:20:43] what to do with their lives.
[00:20:45] That's what you may see.
[00:20:48] But a troubled child might look at you
[00:20:53] and see a mentor. A homebound senior citizen might see a lifeline.
[00:20:59] The folks at your local homeless shelter might see a friend.
[00:21:04] None of them care how much money is in your bank account
[00:21:07] or whether you're important at work,
[00:21:10] or whether you're famous around town.
[00:21:12] They just know that you're somebody who cares,
[00:21:16] somebody who makes a difference in their lives.
[00:21:19] So Class of 2009, that's what building a body of
[00:21:26] work is all about. It's about the daily labor,
[00:21:30] the many individual acts, the choices,
[00:21:33] large and small that add up over time,
[00:21:36] over a lifetime to a lasting legacy.
[00:21:39] That's what you want on your tombstone.
[00:21:43] It's about not being satisfied with the latest achievement,
[00:21:49] the latest gold star, because the one thing I know
[00:21:53] about a body of work is that it's never finished.
[00:21:57] It's cumulative. It deepens and expands with each day
[00:22:01] that you give your best, each day that you give back
[00:22:06] and contribute to the life of your community and your nation.
[00:22:11] You may have setbacks and you may have failures,
[00:22:16] but you're not done. You're not even getting started,
[00:22:20] not by a long shot. And if you ever forget that,
[00:22:25] just look to history. Thomas Paine was a failed corset maker,
[00:22:31] a failed teacher and a failed tax collector before
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