Speech演讲

Thank you. “My husband and I …” That's how the Queen speaks. All right, you probably don't know that. Well, it's a bit intimidating following, especially following Corley . What a wonderful speech that was! I was very impressed with her words. And speaking as a much older person than she is, I can tell you: It's all true what she said; it's very, very accurate. President Fitts, members of the Board, faculty, parents, friends, the brilliant Branford Marsalis , the indomitable ^[1] Diane Nash , the fascinating Shelley Taylor , RipTide the Pelican , and last but certainly never least, the great graduating Class of 2017—my greetings to you all.

And to all the graduates—and of course, as President mentioned, the families here, the moms and dads, brothers and sisters, grandparents, uncles, aunts, wives, husbands, and live-in lovers, not just hello, but congratulations to you! We salute you. And to the students: You did it! I mean, all those essays, all those classes, all those discussions and lectures, all those nights at the computer … and perhaps a greater test of endurance, all those nights at the Camellia Grill, and the Boot, and the F＆M and all those parties. And yet here you are. You finished the race. You made it through. Now you just have to listen to one more person talk—and I will do my best not to make it a lecture.

President Fitts, thank you for that lovely introduction. And I want to assure to you that President, you can relax—I've done my homework for today.

Because you know, whenever I take on a role, I do my research to truly understand the character I'm playing. So when I played a secret agent, a sniper, in Red , I learned how to fire a gun; and when I played the Queen, I learned how she talks, how she walks, and how she interacts with her advisers; and when I played a sadistic, horrible teacher in Teaching Mrs. Tingle , I went to observe some professors at LSU. Yes, they taught me everything.

And to prepare for today, I did my research on what people expect from a commencement speaker. You know, there are hundreds of tips out there—but just three really big ones.

First—Keep it short. No one wants to hear a 30-minute speech. So, that's it. I'm done. See you at the bar. I'll have a vodka martini straight up with a wedge of lime, thank you. The lime is because you know, I'm a bit of a health fanatic.

The second point about commencements speeches is: talk about your journey and connect it to everything you have in common with your audience. So, today's speech will contain advice for any of you born in England who decide to become Shakespearean actresses, and end up doing nude scenes in 10 films. I just mentioned that just to see if any of your fathers, you know, are getting out their cellphones right now to Google me. Dads, stop it. Inappropriate. Put it away. I mean the phone!

And number three. Everyone advises a commencement speaker to say the one thing that the students will remember 40 years from now. Now that was very difficult—I just thought and thought and thought about this. It took me weeks to come up with it. And then it came to me, in the small hours of the morning, something I believe that you will remember in the year 2057 because it is so true. Here it is. Get ready: Whether you're in Tipitina's , the French Quarter or the Oval Office, no good can ever come from tweeting at 3 a.m.

Now speaking of 3 a.m., it's so great to be back in this incredible city where I never seem to get to bed before 3 a.m.

Spending the past few days reacquainting myself with New Orleans, going to dinner, walking around your campus, I just have one question: Why the hell are you graduating? I mean, what possible reason is there to leave here and go find jobs? I mean it makes no sense. It's not too late. Tell the dean to keep your diplomas and go back to the dorm.

Now, I am not a New Orleans virgin. I have loved The Big Easy all the way back to when my husband, Taylor, brought me here to introduce the city, me to the city, that he loves as much as he loves his hometown of Los Angeles. In fact, you know, this is true—the first words out of my mouth when we turned off the I-10 for the Quarter and I looked down from the ramp was: “I want to die in this place.”

For a while, we owned a home here, and my stepson Rio started his bar empire here—Pal's Lounge, Mid City, hope you know it, and One Eyed Jack's in the Quarter—and thank you so much for supporting it with your parents' hard-earned money.

But I am still a tourist, but I'm one with history. New Orleans is my spiritual, my artistic home.

After all, it was inevitable that I would fall for a place where it is virtually obligatory to have at least one feathered costume in your wardrobe at all times, a city where you can walk the streets with a cocktail in your hand, let alone one where you can turn a corner at 5 o'clock in the morning, find a solitary sax player providing the soundtrack to your morning commute.

It's funky ^[2] ; it's beautiful; it's raunchy ^[3] ; it's sophisticated; it's elegant; it's raw and imaginative and witty and cultured—and violent and sleepy. Believe me—long after you graduate, New Orleans will remain a part of your soul.

Okay, good, four minutes in. Now this is the moment in a traditional commencement speech where the speaker tries to share some pearls of wisdom.

And I will try to rise to the challenge for today is a really great, an important moment in your lives. You arrived here as nervous, excited freshmen about to enter the uncertain world of higher education … and you now leave as a nervous and excited senior about to enter the even more uncertain world of adulthood. So hello cellphone bills, hello rent, hello car insurance, hello office politics, hello Netflix subscriptions, hello ambition, hello disappointment, and hello to the nerve-wracking ^[4] yet heady moments when nothing goes to plan…and also hello to those rare, but even more exciting and headier moments when something actually does go to plan.

Now some of you have a clear idea of a plan and where adulthood will take you. You have probably known since you were about five years old. Others of you have no idea. But don't worry, because both ways work. Do you know my nephew, Simon, left school at 16? He became a bartender in London and then a plasterer and he finished up as an extremely successful writer in Hollywood. I did not go to drama school, as I very much wanted to, but instead I went to a teacher's training college, where I absolutely did not want to go. But we both, my nephew and I, ended up where we were supposed to be.

You see, the trick, and this is absolutely the trick. Really Corley mentioned it. The trick is to listen to your instinct, grab the opportunity when it presents itself and then give it your all. It's very simple. You will stumble and fall; you will experience both disaster and triumph, sometimes in the same day, but it is so important to remember that like a hangover, neither triumphs nor disasters last forever. You know, they both pass and a new day arrives. So you just try to make that new day count.

And, so, to help you along the way, I am going to share a few rules that I picked up during my life of disasters and triumphs. I call them “Helen's Top 5 Rules for a Happy Life.”

Rule number one: Don't be in a rush to get married. You know, I married my husband Taylor a lot later in my life and it's worked out great. And always give your partner the freedom and support to achieve their ambitions.

Number two: Treat people just like people. A long, long time ago, an actress friend of mine did the most simple thing and taught me a huge lesson. We were in the backseat of a car being driven to the location where we were filming, and she was a smoker, in those prehistoric days when you could smoke in a car, and she got out her cigarettes and before she lit up, she offered the driver one. So simple, you know? But thoughtful. To her, he wasn't a “driver person,” but a “person person,” a “person person” who might want a smoke. Today she would probably be arrested for attempted murder but that's a lesson I never forgot, and I am grateful to my actress friend to this day. So, remember that every single person, whether they have dominion over your life or not, deserves equal respect and generosity.

I do have an addendum ^[5] to rule number two. No matter what sex you are, be a feminist. You know, in every country and culture that I have visited, from Sweden to Uganda, from Singapore to Mali, it is very clear that when women are given respect, and the ability and the freedom to pursue their personal dreams and ambitions, life improves for everyone. You know, I didn't define myself as a feminist until really quite recently, but I had always lived like a feminist and always believed in the obvious: that women were as capable and as energetic and as inspiring as men. We have quite a few of them up on this podium—I might add. But to join a movement called feminism just seemed too didactic, too political for me. However, I have come to understand that feminism is not an abstract idea, but it's a necessity if we—and really by “we,” I mean you guys—are to move us forward and not backward into ignorance and fearful jealousy. So now, I am a declared feminist and I would encourage you to be the same.

Oh, actually, an addendum to the addendum—never again allow a group of old, rich white men define the health care of a country that is 50.8% women and 37% other races.

Okay, back to the rules.

Number three: Ignore anyone who judges the way you look, especially if he or she is some anonymous creep lurking on the Internet. And if you are that person lurking on the Internet—STOP IT. Just stop it. Go outside and do something. Weed the garden!

Number four: don't be afraid of fear. These words bring me back to my high school and our headmistress. She went by the name of Dame Mother Mary Mildred. She was an ancient Nun—is there any other type? —with one drooping eyelid and a lifetime lived behind the walls of a convent. She said these words to me the moment I walked into her office, as a trembling 11-year-old about to enter high school. I will never forget the words of that headmistress. She said: “Don't be afraid of fear.” I think what she meant was, don't let fear rule you. Now, sometimes it's wise to be afraid, like when you are about to take a dive into a pool with not enough water in it, or drive drunk. In moments like that—be afraid, be very afraid and absolutely do not do it.

And if you want more information on this fact, please visit a paraplegic ^[6] ward. But for the moments when you are challenged by other fears—like “Am I good enough?” “Am I smart enough?” “Will I fail?”—throw caution to the winds; look fear straight-away in its ugly face, and barge forward. And when you get past it, turn around and give it a good swift kick in the ass. And thank Dame Mother Mary Mildred.

And Helen's rule number five for a happy life: Don't overcomplicate things. You can navigate each day just by following some very practical advice that I'm going to give you right now, a few dos and don'ts, okay?

Don't put hot cups on waxed wooden surfaces.

In fact, don't wax wooden surfaces.

As Corley said, don't procrastinate ^[7] .

Do say thank you when it is merited. Don't procrastinate, especially in saying thank you when it is merited.

Don't lose your sense of humor. I know, I'm safe with that one, because you are here; you're in Tulane; you guys have got a sense of humor.

Do confront bullies.

Don't procrastinate.

Do open your heart to love.

Don't confuse sex with love. You know, love generally lasts longer than two minutes.

Don't smoke tobacco … or chew it.

And I'm going to say it again—don't dive into water if you don't know how deep it is.

And one more thing—don't procrastinate.

Actually, You know, I would have had a lot more dos and don'ts but typically I waited to the last minute this morning to make my list.

Oh wait wait … one more thing: do call your parents at least once a week. Tell them you love them. Tell them you love them. Then ask for the money. Not the other way around.

And parents—I know this is where my speech gets a little bit serious—please know that however much your children shock and horrify you, it's all in the natural order of things.

My parents' generation were born at the end of World War I. They survived a global economic meltdown, and then fought a second world war, World War II. And of course, for their incredible heroic noble efforts they were rewarded by my generation deciding to reject everything they stood for.

And you know what? We weren't altogether wrong.

Because the young never are. They carry intrinsically within them the energy and the idealism that will regenerate human life on this planet as it hurtles through time and space.

And we do need you, we need you to fix things, to make things right, to answer the big and troubling questions of this world.

I mean how is it that we have figured out how to put everything, from our resting pulse rate to every book or song we've ever read or listened to, on our iPhones—and yet for six years we haven't found a way to stop little children in Syria from being murdered by poisonous gas?

How is it that we have taken diseases like AIDS and turned them into manageable viruses controlled by revolutionary drugs—and yet we look around the world and see millions of people displaced, without homes, more than at any time since after World War II—suffering in teeming refugee camps?

And how is it that we have more billionaires under the age of 40—and some of you may become one of those billionaires, and yet we know that the ravages of poverty that America witnessed here in the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina still linger not far from the magnificence of today's commencement?

And that's where you guys come in. We're counting on you to be our “Generation Empathy”—our “Generation Cares,” our “Generation Game-changers.”

Because that's how I see your generation—as empathetic, as caring, above all as game changers—but also as one that is radical, brave and often making trouble. And I hope you'll never stop because you are doing the right things at the right time at the right age.

Simply put—your decisions, based on your instincts, are pretty well inevitably correct.

So even if you decide tonight to come home late tonight with a tattoo from Electric Ladyland, that tattoo is right for you … unless it's a Mike Tyson face tattoo. That's never a good idea.

And that brings me to something else that maybe tie us together: tattoos. I know, it's hard to believe, but actually Dame Helen Mirren does have a tattoo. But I got my tattoo when only Hells Angels , sailors and convicted felons had them. I'll share you the story.

When I was on my journey through young adulthood, in that glorious and confusing time that was the early 70s, I looked in a lot of different places for answers—eastern, western, all over the place.

And when I found one inspiring answer in Mayan wisdom that said so much in so few words, I had it tattooed on my body.

It's a simple phrase: “Inlakesh.”

It means: “You are my other self. We are one. I am another yourself.” In the Bible, it says: “Love thy neighbor.” The Mayans were on to something.

Because if I'm you—I have a responsibility to you. If you're me—you have a responsibility to me.

The Mayans just had a more beautiful way of saying “we're all in this together.”

We're all in this together—remember that, so that you can make some sense and fix this crazy world.

I know you'll do it. I know that the world you will build will be so different from that world my parents envisioned. A smart phone to them would have been as alien as a little green man from Mars. For you, it is just the starting point of the tools that will be at your disposal to fix much of what is broken. Robotics, computer intelligence, medical advances, the constant restless search for knowledge—your lives will be so exciting, revelatory, awesome, in the truest sense of that word.

And yet, the timeless truths of our common humanity, the ones that Shakespeare, Confucius, Moses, Christ, your grandparents and the Mayans understood, those truths will never change.

You are me and I am you.

Inlakesh.

And Class of 2017—also remember the five words I know you learned at Tulane: Laissez les bons temps rouler !

Thank you!

谢谢大家。“我和我的丈夫……”女王便是这样说话的。好吧，你们可能并不知道这一点。跟在……尤其是跟在科利后面发言，真有点儿让人胆怯。她的发言好棒啊！她的话给我留下了深刻的印象。身为比她年长得多的人，我可以告诉你们：她所说的都是真的，非常非常准确。菲茨校长、董事们、教职工、家长们、朋友们、出色的布兰福德·马萨利斯、不屈的戴安娜·纳什、迷人的谢莉·泰勒、冲浪鹈鹕，还有，最后当然也是最重要的，2017届的优秀毕业生们——向你们致以问候。

对所有的毕业生们，当然还有校长提到的来到现场的家人们：爸爸妈妈、兄弟姐妹、爷爷奶奶、叔叔阿姨、妻子、丈夫、同居的爱人们，不止要说一句你好，还要祝贺你们！我们向你们致敬。我要对同学们说的是——你们做到啦！我指的是，你们熬过了所有的论文、所有的课程、所有的讨论和讲座、所有坐在电脑前的夜晚……以及可能更挑战忍耐力的，所有在茶花烤肉店、布特酒吧和F＆M酒吧度过的夜晚，以及所有那些派对。现在你们坐在这里，已经完成了这一长跑，你们挺过来了。现在你们仅需再多听一个人的讲话——我尽量不让它沦为一场讲座。

菲茨校长，谢谢你刚才亲切友好的介绍。向你保证，校长，你放心——为了今天的演讲，我做了功课。

因为你们知道的，一旦接了一个角色，我就会去做研究，真正了解我要扮演的人物。在《赤焰战场》里扮演特工，那个狙击手时，我学会了开枪。扮演女王时，我学会了她的说话方式、走路方式以及与顾问的交流方式。在《给汀格尔老师上一课》中扮演一个有施虐倾向的、可怕的老师时，我观察路易斯安那州立大学的一些教授。是的，教授们倾囊相授。

为了今天的演讲，我研究了人们期望从毕业典礼演讲者那里获得什么。要知道，建议有成百上千条——但是只有三条是真正重要的。

第一：尽量简短。没人想听一场长达30分钟的演讲。所以，演讲完毕。我说完了。咱们酒吧见。我要杯加一小片青柠的伏加特马丁尼，不加冰，谢谢。为什么加青柠？你们知道的，我对养生有点儿狂热。

毕业演讲的第二点是谈谈自己的人生之旅，并且把它联系到你和听众的每一个共同点上。所以，今天的演讲会包含一些建议，这些建议适用于你们当中的任何人，只要你生在英国，决心成为莎剧女演员，却最终在十部电影中裸体出镜。我这么说，就是要看看此刻在座的父亲们当中是不是正有人掏出手机在谷歌上搜索我。爸爸们，停下吧，这不合适。放到一边去吧。我指的是手机！

第三点，大家都建议毕业典礼演讲者说出一条建议，这条建议能让学生从今天起牢牢铭记40年。这太难了，我想了又想，想了又想，为了想出它来花了几周时间。终于在那个凌晨时分，我想到了一点，相信你们可以记到2057年，因为它太正确了。我要说了，准备好：不论你是在缇皮蒂纳斯酒吧，还是在法语区或是总统办公室，凌晨三点发推特都毫无益处。

说到凌晨三点，在这个不可思议的城市里，我似乎从来没有三点之前睡过觉。回到这里真好。

这些天，我去吃饭，在你们的校园四处闲逛，重新熟悉了新奥尔良。我只有一个问题：你们究竟为什么要毕业？我的意思是，有什么理由能让你们离开这里，出去找工作？简直没道理。现在还不晚，跟院长说让他别给你们发毕业证，回寝室去吧。

如今，对新奥尔良来说，我不是一个新人了。从我的丈夫泰勒带我到这儿，向我介绍——也把我介绍给——这座城市起，我便爱上这座“轻松城”（译注：“轻松城”是新奥尔良的昵称，也有人翻译成“大快活”）了。我的丈夫爱这里不亚于爱他洛杉矶的家乡。事实上，你们知道，当我们驶出10号州际公路前往法语区时，我从坡道上往下看，嘴里冒出的第一句话就是“我要在这里养老”。这千真万确。

不久后，我们在这里安家了。我的继子里奥在这里开创了他的酒吧王国——“保罗雅座酒吧”“中央城”（希望你们知道它）以及法国区的“独眼杰克”都是他开的。谢谢你们花父母的辛苦钱前去捧场。

然而，我依然只是个这里的游客，不过却是一个和这里有渊源的游客。新奥尔良是我的精神和艺术家园。

毕竟，我不可避免地会迷恋上这样一个地方：在这里，衣柜中至少要常备一套带羽毛的衣服，这是标配；在这里，你可以手捧一杯鸡尾酒走在大街上；更别提在这里，早晨五点，你转过街角就可以找到一个萨克斯乐手，给你清晨的上班旅途配点乐。

它时髦、美丽、邋遢、精致、优雅；它质朴、富于想象力、妙趣横生、充满文化底蕴——它也充满暴力、昏昏欲睡。相信我，毕业多年之后，新奥尔良仍将是你灵魂的一部分。

好，四分钟过去了。这时候，在传统的毕业典礼上，演讲者通常要分享一些至理名言了。

我打算尝试直面挑战，因为今天真的是你们生命中伟大而重要的时刻。你们曾经作为紧张、兴奋的新生来到这里，那时你们即将踏进未知的大学世界……如今，你们作为紧张、兴奋的大四学生离开这里，即将踏进更加未知的成人世界。手机账单，你好；房租，你好；车险，你好；办公室政治，你好；网飞订阅费，你好；雄心壮志，你好；灰心失望，你好；向一切都未按计划进行时那些令人心烦又让人兴奋的时刻说“你好”……还要向有些事的确按计划进行时那些罕见却更激动人心、更让人兴奋的时刻说“你好”。

现在你们中的有些人有明确的计划，知道成人世界将带你到何方。你们或许从五岁起就已经知道了。还有另外一些人毫无头绪。但别担心，因为这两种人都有路可走。知道吗？我的侄子西蒙16岁时离开学校。他在伦敦当酒保，然后当粉刷工，最后他成了一名非常成功的好莱坞作家。尽管我之前非常想上戏剧学校，但最终却去了根本不想去的教师培训学校。但是我们两个，我和我侄子，最终都成了我们本该成为的样子。

你们看，这把戏，这绝对就是个把戏，科利其实也提到了这一点。这把戏的诀窍是听从你的直觉，机会出现时抓住它，然后全力以赴。非常简单。你们将会跌跌撞撞甚至摔倒。你们将经历失败，也将经历成功，有时两者会同一天出现。但是，记住这一点很重要：就像宿醉一样，成功和失败都是暂时的。要知道它们都会过去，新的一天又将到来。你要做的就是努力过好新的一天。

为了可以一路帮助你们，我要分享五条法则，这些法则都是我在人生的失意和成功时期总结出来的。我把它们称为“海伦快乐人生的五条法则”。

法则一：别急着结婚。要知道，我很晚才嫁给我的丈夫泰勒，这段婚姻很顺利。始终给你的另一半自由，支持他（她）实现理想抱负。

法则二：把他人当成“人”来对待。很久很久以前，我的一个演员朋友，她做了最简单的事，却给我上了重要的一课。我们乘车去往片场，我们俩坐在后座。她抽烟，那时还是可以在车里抽烟的“史前时代”。她拿出烟，点烟之前先递了一支给司机。很简单的举动，对吧？但却十分贴心。对她来说，他不是一个“司机”，他是一个“人”，一个可能想要抽烟的“人”。放在今天，她可能因杀人未遂而被捕，但这一课我从未忘记。我至今都感谢我的那位演员朋友。所以，记住，每个人，无论他们在你的人生里是否举足轻重，都应当得到同样的尊重与慷慨。

对于法则二我确实还有要补充的：不论你是哪种性别，做一名女权主义者。要知道，从瑞典到乌干达，从新加坡到马里，在我去过的所有国家，体验过的所有文化里，有一点很清楚：当女性受到尊重，被赋予追求梦想和实现个人抱负的能力和自由时，所有人的生活都得以改善。直到最近我才把自己定义为女权主义者，但是我此前一直以女权主义者的方式生活，并一直坚信这个显而易见的事实：女性的能力和能量与男性是一样的，她们能够给人的启迪和鼓舞不少于男性。我要加一句，今天主席台上就有不少这样的女性。不过，加入被称作“女权主义”的运动在我看来太过学究，政治意味太浓。但我已渐渐明白，女权主义不是一个抽象的理念，如果我们——这里说的“我们”其实是指在座的你们——要进步，而不是倒退到无知和可怕的嫉妒中去，女权主义就是必要的。所以现在我公开宣布自己是女权主义者，同时我也鼓励你们这么做。

噢，事实上，还有一个对这个补充的补充——再也别让一群有钱的白人老男人来决定一个有着50.8%的女性和37%其他族裔人口的国家的医疗保健制度。

好，回到法则上来。

法则三：：无视那些用外貌评判你的人，尤其是那些匿名潜伏在网上的人。如果你就是那个潜伏在网上的人——即刻停下。赶紧停下来吧，走出去找点儿事干。到花园除草去！

法则四：直面恐惧。这几个字让我想起了我的高中和我们的女校长，人们叫她玛丽·米尔德丽德女士。她是个年迈的修女——还能有别的类型吗？——一只眼的眼睑下垂，一辈子生活在女子修道院的围墙里。那年我11岁，即将踏入中学校门。我刚战战兢兢地走进她的办公室，她就跟我说了这几个字，女校长说的这几个字我永远也不会忘记。她说：“直面恐惧。”我想她的意思是，不要让恐惧支配你。现在，害怕有时也是一种智慧，比如你要跳水，但是下面池子里的水不够，或者酒驾。在这些时刻——要害怕，要非常害怕，绝对不要这么做。

如果你想对此有更深的了解，请去参观一下截瘫病房。但是当你受到其他恐惧的考验时，例如：“我足够优秀吗？”“我足够聪明吗？”“我会失败吗？”这时，就要把这些小心谨慎丢到九霄云外，直面“恐惧”的丑陋面孔，勇往直前。走过它后，转过身，对准它的屁股，迅速给它一脚，然后谢谢玛丽·米尔德丽德女士。

海伦快乐人生法则的第五条：别把事情搞复杂了。你只要听从我现在给你们的一些非常实用的建议，一些该做的与不该做的事情，便可以顺利度过每一天。怎么样？

别把热杯子放在上蜡的木头表面。

事实上，别给木头表面上蜡。

如科利所言，不要拖延。

该说谢谢的时候一定要说。不要拖延，尤其是该说谢谢的时候。

别丢了幽默感。这一点我自不必担心，因为你们在这里，你们身在杜兰大学，就已经获得幽默感了。

对抗霸凌行为。

不要拖延。

敞开心扉拥抱爱。

不要混淆性与爱。要知道爱一般都能超过两分钟。

别抽烟……或嚼烟草。

我还要强调一次——不知道水多深的时候，别往里跳。

还有一条——不要拖延。

实际上，我本来还有更多关于该做与不该做的建议给你们，但不出所料，我又是直到今早最后一分钟才列的单子。

等等……还有一条：确保一星期至少给父母打一次电话。先说爱他们，先说爱他们，然后再要钱，顺序别弄反了。

父母们——这里我的演讲要稍微严肃一点了——要知道，不管你的孩子如何让你震惊，让你害怕，这都是正常的事。

我父母那一代人生于一战结束之时。他们熬过了全球经济崩溃，然后又经历了二战。当然，他们付出了不可思议的英勇而卓越的努力，为此获得的回报就是，我们这一代拒绝接受他们拥护的一切。

你们知道吗？我们并非完全错误。

因为年轻人从来不会完全错误。他们自带能量，奉行理想主义。当人类在这个星球的时空中前行之时，年轻人所拥有的能量和理想主义能不断地为人类生活带来新生。

我们的确需要你们，需要你们来处理问题，拨乱反正，解决世界上的大麻烦。

我是说我们已经找到方法，能够把所有东西——从我们的静息脉搏率到我们读过的每一本书或听过的每一首歌——都放到我们的苹果手机上。然而，过去六年间，我们却没能找到办法阻止叙利亚的孩子们死于毒气。这是怎么回事？

我们已经攻克了诸如艾滋病这样的疾病，把其转化成革命性新药可以控制的病毒。然而环顾世界，我们却看到数百万人流离失所，无处安身，在拥挤的难民棚里遭罪，人数比二战后任何阶段都要多，这是怎么回事？

我们有更多的40岁以下的亿万富翁——你们中的有些人或许会成为这样的亿万富翁。但我们也知道，卡特里娜飓风之后，美国在超级穹顶体育馆见证了贫穷带来的灾难（译注：2005年的卡特里娜飓风袭击新奥尔良，造成重大伤亡和损失，超级穹顶体育馆的巨大穹顶也被撕裂。飓风过后，该体育馆被开放为避难所，容纳众多无法撤离新奥尔良的贫困居民）。我们今天在这里举行庄严华丽的毕业典礼，但贫穷的灾难在近在咫尺之地依然存在。这又是怎么回事？

这就是你们降生于其中的时代。我们指望着你们成为“富有同理心的一代”“关爱他人的一代”“改写规则的一代”。

这就是我对你们这一代的看法：同情他人，关爱他人，最重要的是勇于改写规则，但你们也激进、勇敢、爱制造麻烦。我希望你们永不止步，因为你们正在对的年纪、对的时间里做着对的事情。

简单地说，你们跟从直觉做出的决定无论如何都是相当正确的。

所以，即使你们今晚决定去“电子女子天地”文个文身，深夜才回家，这个文身对你们来说也是对的……除非你文的是迈克·泰森的脸。这可绝对不是个好主意。

这又让我想到了另一个可以把我们连在一起的东西：文身。我知道，这很难令人相信，但海伦·米伦女士真的有文身。我文身的那个时候，只有“地狱天使”、船员、重罪犯才文身。我要和你们分享这个故事。

70年代初，那是个辉煌但混乱的时代，那时我刚成年，我去往各种地方寻找人生答案——东方、西方、世界各地。

在玛雅文明的智慧中，我找到了一个启发性的答案，微言大义的几个词。我把它们文在了身上。

“Inlakesh”，就是这个简单的句子。

它的意思是：“你是另一个我。你我本一体。我是另一个你。”《圣经》中的说法是“爱你的邻居”。玛雅人窥到了天机。

因为如果我是你，我就对你有责任。如果你是我，你就对我有责任。

玛雅人只是用了一种更美的方式表达“我们休戚与共”。

我们休戚与共——牢记这一点，这样你们才能弄明白并解救这个疯狂的世界。

我知道你们会这么做的。我知道你们将建立的世界与我父母设想的世界截然不同。智能手机对他们来说无异于来自火星的绿色异星生物。而对你们来说，它只是任由你们支配的、用来修复大多数问题的入门工具。机器人、计算机智能、医学进步，还有对知识永不停歇的探索。你们的生活会多么激动人心，多么具有革命意义，多么令人敬畏——我用的是这个词的最最基本的本意。

然而，关于我们共同人性的那些永恒真理，莎士比亚、孔子、摩西、耶稣、你们的祖辈和玛雅人都理解的那些真理，是亘古不变的。

你是我，我是你。

Inlakesh。

2017届毕业生——同样要记住你们在杜兰大学学到的这几个字：让美好时光流逝吧！

谢谢！

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[1] indomitable /ɪnˈdɒmɪtəbl/ adj. 不屈不挠的；不服输的

[2] funky /ˈfʌŋki/ adj. 时尚的，时髦的

[3] raunchy /ˈrɔːntʃi/ adj. 不修边幅的，邋遢的

[4] nerve-wracking /ˈnɜːv rækɪŋ/ adj. 伤脑筋的，令人头疼的

[5] addendum /əˈdendəm/ n. 附录，补遗

[6] paraplegic /ˌpærəˈpliːdʒɪk/ adj. / n .截瘫的；截瘫病人

[7] procrastinate /prəʊˈkræstɪneɪt/ v. 延迟，拖延 /j6Vb73jtlpxpsU/Htb9DsMQcZJMmsknKAC8ppVYzhGZeBerXVcG8wEk60sU3UCq