金墉美国东北大学2013届毕业典礼演讲

金墉美国东北大学2013届毕业典礼演讲Thank you, good morning

谢谢你们早上好

Since I was a basketball player in high school

我原来在高中是篮球运动员

I've always wanted to perform at the Garden, and here I am

我总想在花园球场一展身手今天我做到了

President Joseph E. Aoun

约瑟夫·E·奥恩校长

Distinguished faculty members and administrators

尊敬的各位教职员工和行政人员

Members of the Class of 2013

2013届的全体毕业生们

Ladies and gentlemen

女士们先生们

It's truly a great privilege for me to be here today with all of you

今天在这里与在座各位欢聚一堂是一个莫大的荣幸

especially the members of the Class of 2013 and your families and friends 特别是2013届毕业生以及你们的家人和朋友

You should be very proud

你们应该感到非常自豪

This is a day for memories, a day to savor

这是难以忘怀的一天值得体味的一天

A day, also, to join in honoring those who two weeks ago

这一天我们也要对那些在两周前

responded so courageously in the face of tragedy--

勇敢面对悲剧的人们

including Northeastern students and staff

包括东北大学的学生和员工致敬

who provided critical care and support to victims of the attack

他们为爆炸受害者提供了重要的关爱和支持

It's an honor to stand before you

此时此刻我站在各位面前

just at the moment when you are leaving this great University

正值你们即将离开这所伟大的学府

and about to step into your life

即将踏入你们的人生

the script of which is yet to be written

人生脚本还是一张白纸之际我深感荣幸

Throughout my years in the academy, I've loved commencements 在我投身学术界的岁月里我曾很喜欢毕业典礼

It's one of the rare moments in our modern culture when ritual 因为它代表着我们现代文化中那些罕见的时刻当仪式

tradition and even a bit of pageantry brighten our lives

传统和一点点排场照亮了我们的人生

But I'm sure many of you are out there today

但是我敢肯定你们中许多人

concerned about what the future will bring

对于未来将会带来什么有点担心

and I just want to say to you

我只是想对你们说

that not only is your future uncertain

不仅仅是你们的未来不确定

but the overwhelming likelihood is that it's far more uncertain than you know 而最大的可能性是它远比你所知的更不确定

And you know what, that's a good thing

你们知道吗这是一件好事

A recent study by a group of psychologists in the journal Science

几位心理学家最近在《科学》杂志上发表了一篇研究论文

found that people are extremely poor at predicting their futures

他们发现人极其不擅长预测自己的未来

The study showed

他们的研究显示

that, for example, a typical 20-year-old woman's predictions

例如一个典型的20岁女性

for life changes in the next decade of her life

对自己未来十年人生变化的预测

were not nearly as radical

绝不像一个典型的

as the typical 30-year-old woman's recollection of how much she had changed in her 20s

30岁女性对自己在20来岁时有多大变化的回忆那么激进

In other words, 20-year-olds had little idea of

换句话说20岁的人对于自己

just how much they would change over the next ten years

在未来十年会有多大变化几乎没有概念

This discrepancy persisted among respondents all the way into their 60s

这种差异在受访者中一直延续到60多岁的人

This study's findings are essentially the story of my life

这项研究结果基本上也是我的人生故事

In fact, even before I was born, given the obstacles my parents faced

事实上即使在我出生之前鉴于我父母所面临的重重障碍

I would never have predicted that, in fact, I would be born

事实上我都不敢预测我会出生

My father spent his childhood in North Korea

我的父亲在朝鲜度过了他的童年

At the age of 17, he escaped across the border into South Korea

他在17岁那年偷越边境逃到韩国

leaving his parents, his brothers and sisters, his entire extended family --

离开他的父母他的兄弟姐妹他的所有亲朋好友

everything he had ever known --

离开了他所熟悉的一切

He had no money. Still

他身无分文但是

somehow he managed to enroll in the Seoul National University Dental School

他还是设法进了首尔国立大学牙科学院

and became a dentist

后来成为一名牙医

He told me stories about how he had so little money

他告诉我他口袋里只有一点点钱

he often could only afford to buy lunch from the illegal noodle vendors in the street 常常只能买得起街上非法小摊贩卖的面条当午餐

Once when he was eating his contraband ramen

有一次他正在无照小摊旁边吃面

next to the vendor, police started chasing the vendors and all the customers

警察来了开始驱赶小摊贩和顾客

But my father told me

但我的父亲告诉我

that as he was running, he kept eating his noodles

他一边跑一边还在吃他的面

because he knew he wouldn't be able to afford any more

因为他知道自己买不起另一碗面了

My mother was born in China near Shanghai

我的母亲出生在中国上海附近

among a small community of Korean expatriates

一个韩国侨民居住的小社区

After returning to Korea, on a day she will never forget

回到韩国后有一天她永远都不会忘记

my grandmother went outside to hang the laundry and she never saw here again

我的外祖母出去晾衣服就再也没有回来

she was probably either taken or killed by North Korean soldiers

她可能是被北朝鲜士兵绑架或杀害了

With the war closing in around her

随着战争的临近

at the age of 15, my mother became a refugee

我的母亲在15岁时成了难民

and literally walked, with her younger brother on her back

为了躲避战火她背着她弟弟

for 200 miles to escape the fighting

徒步走了200英里

Luckily, she was able to resume her schooling in a tent in the southern city of Masan

幸运的是她在南部马山市的一顶帐篷里得以继续学业

She was an excellent student and with great good luck

她是一个好学生非常幸运地

she received a scholarship from a secret women's society in the United States 获得了美国一个秘密妇女学会提供的奖学金

and enrolled as a freshman at Scarritt College in Nashville, Tennessee

进入田纳西州纳什维尔的斯卡里特学院

Through almost unthinkably divergent and unlikely paths

通过几乎是无法想象的完全不同和不可能的路径

my parents ended up meeting in New York City at a Christmas party

我的父母最终在纽约市的一次圣诞聚会上邂逅相遇

that gathered together the few hundred Korean students

那次圣诞聚会聚集了几百名当时居住

who were living in the United States at that time

在美国的韩国学生

They fell in love, married

他们坠入爱河缔结良缘

my older brother was born in New York City

在纽约市生下我哥哥

and then returned to Korea

然后回到韩国

I was born in Seoul and when I was five

我出生在首尔在我五岁时

my family moved back to the United States

我们举家搬回到美国

and we eventually settled in Muscatine, Iowa

我们最终定居在爱荷华州的马斯卡廷

My father opened his dental practice

我的父亲开了自己的牙科诊所

and my mother set to work on her PhD in philosophy at the University of Iowa 我的母亲在爱荷华大学研修哲学博士学位

In the late 60's, influenced by my mother's passion for social justice

在60年代末受我母亲热衷于社会公正的影响

we watched the civil rights and anti-war movements

我们看到民权和反战运动

unfold from our living room in Muscatine

从马斯卡廷我们家的客厅展开

We lived, as you can tell

你们可以想象我们有着

the classic All-American, Korean family grows up in a small town in Iowa story 在爱荷华州一个小镇的经典的韩裔美籍家庭中成长的经历

We fully embraced our lives in the heartland of this great country

我们完全接受了在这个伟大国家中心地带的生活

As you might imagine

正如你们可以想象

there weren't a lot of Asians in Iowa in the 60's and 70's

在60年代和70年代爱荷华州的亚洲人并不多

but happily, one of the most popular shows at that time was Kung Fu 但令人高兴的是当时最受欢迎的一个节目是《功夫》

the story of a former Shaolin priest

故事讲的是一个少林和尚

half-American, half-Chinese

一半美国血统一半中国血统

who comes to the United States to find his American father

到美国来寻找他的美国父亲

So while we were outsiders in a profound sense in Iowa

所以虽然我们从深层意义上讲在爱荷华州属于外人

at least the bully kids left us alone

但至少爱欺负人的孩子不招惹我们

because they thought all Asians knew Kung Fu

因为他们认为所有的亚洲人都会功夫

even my sister, and she was 3 when we moved to Iowa

甚至我妹妹她到爱荷华州的时候才只有三岁

I played quarterback on the football team in high school--

我在高中橄榄球队打四分卫

but don't be too impressed

但别以为我们有多了不起

we had the longest losing streak in the nation by the time I graduated as a senior 在我毕业那年我们是全国连败最长的队

Years and years without a victory

一年又一年我们一次都没赢过

It was said that grandfathers of my teammates

有人说我同学的爷爷们

had contributed to the multi-generational loosing streak

早就为子孙后代的连败打下了基础

After high school, I eventually ended up at Brown University

高中毕业后我最终考进了布朗大学

and I remember vividly one particular day when I returned from college

有一次从大学回家我尤其记忆犹新

My father picked me up at the airport

我的父亲到机场接我

and when we were driving home, he asked me in the most casual way

在我们开车回家的路上他很随便地问了我一句

Jim, what are you thinking of studying?

金墉你想学什么呢

I told him I was excited about philosophy and political science

我说我对哲学和政治学很感兴趣

I thought I could make a difference in the world

我认为我可以改变这个世界

and I was thinking of going into politics

我在考虑从政

My father put the blinker on

我父亲打开车子的闪光灯

slowly pulled over to the side of the road, turned off the car

把车缓缓开到路边停下

looked back at me and said, "Hey

他转过身来看着我说"听着"

once you finish your medical residency, you can do anything you want

你只要完成了医生实习期就可以做任何你想做的事情

Now, I see some Asian parents in audience nodding their heads

我看到在座的亚洲家长正在点头

saying, what's funny about that?

说这有什么好笑的

But you see, my father knew all about uncertainty

不过你们看到我父亲十分懂得不确定性

He knew that it's impossible to be sure about where you might end up in life 他很清楚一个人不可能知道自己最终会做什么

And he worried that his own success

而且他很担心自己的成功

might have deprived his children of the opportunity to understand deeply

有可能会使自己的子女没有机会深入理解

the meaning of running away from the noodle police 从警察身边跑开当然同时还要

while, of course, finishing your noodles

吃完剩下的面条意味着什么

He wanted me to have a skill

他希望我掌握一门本领

and he wanted me to butt my head up against the joy 他希望我能冲向自己的兴趣

but also the hard reality of finishing medical school 但也希望我能刻苦读完医学院

finishing residency

完成实习期

and caring for patients in life-or-death situations

照顾同生与死作斗争患者们

I'm so grateful to my father

我很感谢我的父亲

So far I've told you that life is uncertain

到目前为止我告诉你们说人生是不确定的

but you already knew that

但你们已经了解了这一点

What I really want you to know

我真正想让你们了解的是

is that you have abundant tools to face that uncertainty

你们拥有大量的工具来直面这种不确定性

and to lead an extraordinary life, even beyond your wildest dreams 成就不平凡的人生甚至超出你最疯狂的梦想

Roy Baumeister is a psychologist

罗伊·鲍迈斯特是一位心理学家

who has devoted his career to studying the qualities in human beings 终生研究能够带领人类取得

that lead to what he calls "positive outcomes"

他称之为"积极的结果"的人类素质

In this fascinating field, researchers have found

在这个令人着迷的领域研究人员发现

that two traits are most consistently associated with success:

有两个特质始终与成功相伴

intelligence and willpower

智力和意志力

In Baumeister's book entitled Willpower

从鲍迈斯特所著的《意志力》一书中

we learn that efforts to permanently increase intelligence have failed 我们了解到虽然永久地提高智力的努力归于失败

but people can in fact improve their willpower

但人其实是可以提高自身的意志力的

Baumeister and his colleagues

鲍迈斯特和他的同事们

have shown that taking certain actions to improve willpower

已经证明采取某些行动来提高意志力

is the surest way to a more successful life

是实现更成功的人生的最可靠的途径

Moreover, they've shown that willpower is like a muscle

此外他们也已证明意志力就像肌肉

that can be built with practice

可以通过锻炼来强化

but also that if you don't actively exercise your willpower

而且如果你不积极锻炼你的意志力

your capacity to do so will atrophy

你的能力就会像你的腹部肌肉一样

just like your stomach muscles if you stop doing sit-ups

在停止做仰卧起坐之后会出现萎缩

They've even learned that because willpower is associated with a certain part of your brain

他们甚至还了解到由于意志力与大脑的某些部位有关

maintaining glucose levels in your blood to feed that part of your brain

保持血液里的血糖水平来滋养大脑的这个部位

is critical for sustaining your willpower

对于维持意志力至关重要

Looked at from another angle

从另一个角度看

a group of researchers has shown that, more than talent

一些研究人员已经证明与天赋相比

practice is what determines mastery over any given skill or ability

实践才是决定能否掌握任何技能或能力的主要因素

Malcolm Gladwell, in his book Outliers

马尔科姆·格拉德威尔在他的《局外人》一书中

popularized an important body of work that showed

推广的一项重要研究成果表明

that the path to mastery requires 10,000 hours of practice

达到精通之路需要10000个小时的练习

Books with titles like "talent is overrated" have been published to make the point 《天赋被高估了》等书的出版就是为了说明这一点

Now I want you to know

现在我希望你们了解

that there's really good news here

这里实际上有个好消息

especially for Northeastern graduates

尤其是对东北大学的毕业生来说

By graduating today, you've shown the entire world

通过今天的毕业你们已经向全世界证明

that you have more than enough IQ points to achieve anything you want 你们有足够的智商去获得任何成就

Willpower, discipline and focus --

意志力纪律和专注

the essential qualities for success that everyone needs --

每个人都需要的成功的必备素质

are in your hands to develop and build

就掌握在你们手中靠你们去开发和建立

As Baumeister shows in his book

鲍迈斯特在他的书中揭示

you can indeed go to the willpower gym

你的确可以去意志力健身房

and come out mentally buff, ready to take on the world

强健精神准备好挑战世界

Now about the 10,000 hours it takes to achieve mastery

现在来谈谈达到精通所需要的10,000个小时

Well, because you've studied here at Northeastern

由于你们已完成在东北大学的学业

you've got a head start

你们已经有了一个良好的开端

My own estimate is that, through your cooperative education in which

我个人的估计是通过合作式教育

you've received both classroom knowledge and practical knowledge

你们学到了课堂知识和实践知识

you all deserve at least a couple of thousand hours of discount off the standard 10,000

你们可以至少从10,000个标准小时中扣除2000个小时

Good for you and congratulations

干得好祝贺你们

But in addition to thinking about uncertainty and willpower

但是除了思考不确定性和意志力之外还有一件事

there's one more thing I want you to try to will yourself to remember today

今天我希望你们能够用自己的意志力记住

I want you to think about how you can use time effectively

我希望你们想一想怎样才能有效地利用时间

and for good in this complex world

在这个复杂的世界里持之以恒

Back in Iowa

早在爱荷华州时

my mother used to read to me the writings of Martin Luther King

我的母亲曾经读马丁·路德·金的著作给我听

In Dr. King's "Letter from a Birmingham Jail"

金牧师在"寄自伯明翰监狱的信"中

he writes about the need to understand the urgency of the present

写了他对现实紧迫性的理解的需要

He writes about an experience with a white moderate --

他写道与一位白人温和派人士

an ally of the civil rights movement --

民权运动盟友的交流

who wrote to him saying that he, Dr. King was in too great a hurry

此人写信给他说他金牧师过于性急

and that "the lessons of Christ take time to come to earth"

而且"基督的教义传播人世总要花费时日"

African Americans, the white moderate said

这位温和派人士认为非裔美国人

would eventually -- eventually -- be granted their civil rights

最终最终会获得民权

Dr. King responded, and I quote

金牧师回应说我在此引用他的话

"Such an attitude stems from a tragic misconception of time

"

这样的态度乃源自对时间的可悲误解

and a strangely irrational notion that there is something in the flow of time

源自一种不合理的奇特观念认为在时间之流当中

that will inevitably cure all ills

会有什么东西必将疗治所有的邪恶

Actually, time itself is neutral

实际上时间是中立的东西

It can be used destructively or constructively

它可以用于建设也可以用于破坏

More and more I feel that the people of ill will have used time

我越发觉得邪恶的人之利用时间

much more effectively than the people of goodwill

将会比善良的人更其有效

We will have to repent in this generation not merely

我们得在这一代进行忏悔不仅因

for the hateful words and actions of the bad people

坏人们充满仇恨的言辞与行为

but for the appalling silence of the good people

也因好人们骇人听闻的沉默

For myself, with all the willpower I can muster

就我自己而言我集中全部的意志力

I try to bring the sense of urgency in Dr. King's words to my work today

试图将金博士所说的紧迫感带入我今天的工作

I do this with an understanding that I still have no idea of what the future may bring

我这样做是因为我了解我仍不知道未来可能会带来什么

After all, I had no idea that I would not only get my medical degree

毕竟我没有想到我不仅获得了医学学位

but also a PhD in anthropology

而且还获得了人类学博士学位

at an institution that is known as a "small technical school" just

我获得博士学位的地方就在东北大学历史传奇校园外

just up Huntington Ave from the historic legendary campus of Northeastern University

亨廷顿大街往上的那所"小技术学校"(哈佛)

I had no idea that I would help found an organization, Partners in Health

我没有想到我会和我的同事保罗·法默一起帮助创建了

with my colleague Paul Farmer

一个机构"健康伙伴"

and eventually work in 10 countries

并最终在全世界10个国家开展了工作

I had no idea that my experience at Partners In Health

我没有想到我在"健康伙伴"的工作经历

would lead me to take charge of the World Health Organization's HIV/AIDS initiative

会为我带来主管世界卫生组织艾滋病计划的工作

where we try to get 3 million people treatment by the year 2005

并开展了一场到2005年治疗3百万名艾滋病患者的运动