Youtube很受歡迎的畢業(yè)演講：你并不特別

關(guān)于David McCullough, Jr。

David McCullough Jr。是普立茲獎(jiǎng)得主及知名歷史學(xué)家David McCullough之子，也是衛(wèi)斯里高中資深英語教師。

David McCullough, Jr. 為韋斯利高中畢業(yè)生演講〈你并不特別〉

Dr. Wong, Dr. Keough, Mrs. Novogroski, Ms. Curran, members of the board of education, family and friends of the graduates, ladies and gentlemen of the Wellesley High School class of 2012, for the privilege of speaking to you this afternoon, I am honored and grateful. Thank you。

王博士、Keough博士、Novogroski女士和Curran小姐;教育委員會(huì)委員和畢業(yè)生的親朋好友;韋斯利高中2012年畢業(yè)班的女士先生們;有機(jī)會(huì)能在這個(gè)下午對你們演講令我感到十分榮幸與感激，謝謝。好，進(jìn)入主題吧!

So here we are… commencement… life’s great forward-looking ceremony. (And don’t say, “What about weddings?” Weddings are one-sided and insufficiently effective. Weddings are bride-centric pageantry. Other than conceding to a list of unreasonable demands, the groom just stands there. No stately, hey-everybody-look-at-me procession. No being given away. No identity-changing pronouncement. And can you imagine a television show dedicated to watching guys try on tuxedos? Their fathers sitting there misty-eyed with joy and disbelief, their brothers lurking in the corner muttering with envy. Left to men, weddings would be, after limits-testing procrastination, spontaneous, almost inadvertent… during halftime… on the way to the refrigerator. And then there’s the frequency of failure: statistics tell us half of you will get divorced. A winning percentage like that’ll get you last place in the American League East. The Baltimore Orioles do better than weddings。)

畢業(yè)典禮-生命中重要的前瞻性儀式。別問說，“那婚禮呢?”婚禮是單方面的，而且效率不高?；槎Y是以新娘為中心的盛會(huì)，除了同意一長串無理的要求外，新郎只能呆站在一旁。沒有莊嚴(yán)的、“大家看著我”的過程;沒有像新娘被長輩送出的儀式;沒有改變身份的宣告。你們能想象一個(gè)專門看男人試穿燕尾服的電視節(jié)目嗎?他們的父親坐在那里，淚汪汪的眼中透著喜悅和不可置信的神情;他們的兄弟躲在角落，羨慕地喃喃自語。對男人來說，在挑戰(zhàn)極限的拖延后，婚禮就像自發(fā)性地，幾乎是無意識(shí)地，在球賽中場休息時(shí)間去冰箱拿飲料。然而，婚姻的失敗率如下：統(tǒng)計(jì)數(shù)據(jù)顯示，現(xiàn)場觀眾有一半會(huì)離婚;這樣的勝率會(huì)讓你榮登美國聯(lián)盟東區(qū)的爐主。巴爾的摩金鶯隊(duì)的勝率都比婚姻成功率來得高。

But this ceremony… commencement… a commencement works every time. From this day forward… truly… in sickness and in health, through financial fiascos, through midlife crises and passably attractive sales reps at trade shows in Cincinnati, through diminishing tolerance for annoyingness, through every difference, irreconcilable and otherwise, you will stay forever graduated from high school, you and your diploma as one, ‘til death do you part。

但這個(gè)儀式-畢業(yè)典禮，總是能圓滿結(jié)束。從今天開始-確實(shí)如此;無論你生病或健康;經(jīng)歷過財(cái)務(wù)困境、中年危機(jī);在辛辛那提貿(mào)易展遇見還算迷人的銷售代表-家長(微博)了解我的意思;對惱人之事的容忍度越來越低;歷經(jīng)過每次的改變、自我矛盾和其他種種;你從高中畢業(yè)這個(gè)事實(shí)永遠(yuǎn)不會(huì)改變，你的文憑一生都會(huì)與你相伴。

No, commencement is life’s great ceremonial beginning, with its own attendant and highly appropriate symbolism. Fitting, for example, for this auspicious rite of passage, is where we find ourselves this afternoon, the venue. Normally, I avoid clichés like the plague, wouldn’t touch them with a ten-foot pole, but here we are on a literal level playing field. That matters. That says something. And your ceremonial costume… shapeless, uniform, one-size-fits-all. Whether male or female, tall or short, scholar or slacker, spray-tanned prom queen or intergalactic X-Box assassin, each of you is dressed, you’ll notice, exactly the same. And your diploma… but for your name, exactly the same。

不，畢業(yè)典禮代表生命中一個(gè)偉大儀式的開始，它有其本身的附加價(jià)值和高度的象征意義;例如象征讓我們在這個(gè)下午找到自己定位的美妙儀式。通常我會(huì)像避瘟疫似地避免陳腔爛調(diào)，閃得遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)的，但現(xiàn)在我們處于平等的競技場上;這點(diǎn)很重要，它代表某些意義。你們的畢業(yè)禮服-毫無造型、外觀統(tǒng)一、尺碼相同;無論男女、高矮、會(huì)不會(huì)讀書;無論是曬成一身古銅色的舞會(huì)皇后或Xbox的星際刺客;你會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)，每個(gè)人的穿著都一模一樣。而你們的文憑…除了名字以外，其它完全一樣。

All of this is as it should be, because none of you is special。

You are not special. You are not exceptional. Contrary to what your u9 soccer trophy suggests, your glowing seventh grade report card, despite every assurance of a certain corpulent purple dinosaur, that nice Mister Rogers and your batty Aunt Sylvia, no matter how often your maternal caped crusader has swooped in to save you… you’re nothing special。

這一切本應(yīng)如此，因?yàn)椋銈儧]有任何人是特別的。

你并不特別，你并非與眾不同;

盡管你有U9足球獎(jiǎng)杯、輝煌的七年級(jí)成績單;盡管你確信世上必定有肥胖的紫色恐龍、親切的羅杰斯先生(著名兒童電視節(jié)目主持人)和古怪的Sylvia阿姨;無論女蝙蝠俠曾奮不顧身地救過你多少次;你依然沒什么特別。

Yes, you’ve been pampered, cosseted, doted upon, helmeted, bubble-wrapped. Yes, capable adults with other things to do have held you, kissed you, fed you, wiped your mouth, wiped your bottom, trained you, taught you, tutored you, coached you, listened to you, counseled you, encouraged you, consoled you and encouraged you again. You’ve been nudged, cajoled, wheedled and implored. You’ve been feted and fawned over and called sweetie pie. Yes, you have. And, certainly, we’ve been to your games, your plays, your recitals, your science fairs. Absolutely, smiles ignite when you walk into a room, and hundreds gasp with delight at your every tweet. Why, maybe you’ve even had your picture in the Townsman! [Editor’s upgrade: Or The Swellesley Report!]

是的，你被驕縱、溺愛、寵愛、保護(hù)、呵護(hù);是的，忙碌不堪的大人抱著你、親吻你、喂養(yǎng)你，替你擦嘴、擦屁股;訓(xùn)練你、教導(dǎo)你、指引你、輔導(dǎo)你、傾聽你、規(guī)勸你、鼓勵(lì)你、安慰你，并一再地鼓勵(lì)你。你們被輕擁在懷里，好言哄誘和懇求;你們被贊美討好，還被稱為甜心派。是的，你確實(shí)有。當(dāng)然，我們曾參加你的比賽、戲劇演出、演奏會(huì)、科學(xué)展覽;當(dāng)然，當(dāng)你走進(jìn)房里時(shí)，每個(gè)人都露出微笑;對你貼出的每一則twitter 訊息發(fā)出千百次興奮的驚嘆。為什么?也許你的照片曾登上Townsman(韋斯利高中校內(nèi)刊物)

And now you’ve conquered high school… and, indisputably, here we all have gathered for you, the pride and joy of this fine community, the first to emerge from that magnificent new building…

But do not get the idea you’re anything special. Because you’re not。

現(xiàn)在你們已經(jīng)征服了高中階段，無疑地，我們?nèi)际菫榱四銈兌墼谶@里。你們是這個(gè)優(yōu)秀小區(qū)的驕傲和喜悅，第一批從那棟宏偉新大樓里走出的人。

但不要認(rèn)為你有什么特別，因?yàn)槟悴⒉惶貏e。

The empirical evidence is everywhere, numbers even an English teacher can’t ignore. Newton, Natick, Nee… I am allowed to say Needham, yes? …that has to be two thousand high school graduates right there, give or take, and that’s just the neighborhood Ns. Across the country no fewer than 3.2 million seniors are graduating about now from more than 37,000 high schools. That’s 37,000 valedictorians… 37,000 class presidents… 92,000 harmonizing altos… 340,000 swaggering jocks… 2,185,967 pairs of Uggs. But why limit ourselves to high school? After all, you’re leaving it. So think about this: even if you’re one in a million, on a planet of 6.8 billion that means there are nearly 7,000 people just like you. Imagine standing somewhere over there on Washington Street on Marathon Monday and watching sixty-eight hundred yous go running by. And consider for a moment the bigger picture: your planet, I’ll remind you, is not the center of its solar system, your solar system is not the center of its galaxy, your galaxy is not the center of the universe. In fact, astrophysicists assure us the universe has no center; therefore, you cannot be it.

實(shí)證無所不在，這個(gè)數(shù)字大到連一位英語老師都無法忽視。Newton、Natick、Nee…(均為鄰近高中);我可以提Needham，對嗎?總共有兩千名高中畢業(yè)生-大約這個(gè)數(shù)目，這只是鄰近地區(qū)?，F(xiàn)在，全國共有不止320萬名高中生正從37000多所高中畢業(yè)，也就是說，有37000名畢業(yè)生代表、37000名學(xué)生會(huì)長、92000名合唱團(tuán)團(tuán)員、34萬名趾高氣揚(yáng)的運(yùn)動(dòng)健將，和2,185,967雙靴子。但為何要局限在高中?畢竟你們即將離開它。所以想想：即使你是百萬中選一的菁英，以地球上68億人口來說，這意味著有將近7000人跟你一樣。想象一下，在星期一馬拉松大賽時(shí)站在華盛頓街某處，觀看6800個(gè)“你”跑過。再以更宏觀的角度來想：我得提醒大家，你的星球不是太陽系的中心;你的太陽系不是銀河的中心;你的銀河不是宇宙的中心。事實(shí)上，天文物理學(xué)家肯定地說，宇宙沒有中心。因此，你也不會(huì)是宇宙的中心。

Neither can Donald Trump… which someone should tell him… although that hair is quite a phenomenon。

即使唐納。川普也不會(huì)是;應(yīng)該有人告訴他這件事。

“But, Dave,” you cry, “Walt Whitman tells me I’m my own version of perfection! Epictetus tells me I have the spark of Zeus!” And I don’t disagree. So that makes 6.8 billion examples of perfection, 6.8 billion sparks of Zeus. You see, if everyone is special, then no one is. If everyone gets a trophy, trophies become meaningless.

雖然他的頭發(fā)確實(shí)蔚為奇觀。“但Dave，”你喊道，“惠特曼(美國詩人)告訴我，我是自己的完美版本!Epictetus(古希臘哲學(xué)家)告訴我，我有宙斯的火花!”我不反對這一點(diǎn)。因此，這代表68億個(gè)完美的例子、68億個(gè)宙斯的火花。你們知道，如果每個(gè)人都是特殊的，就沒有任何人是特殊的;如果每個(gè)人都能拿到獎(jiǎng)杯，獎(jiǎng)杯就變得毫無意義。

In our unspoken but not so subtle Darwinian competition with one another–which springs, I think, from our fear of our own insignificance, a subset of our dread of mortality — we have of late, we Americans, to our detriment, come to love accolades more than genuine achievement. We have come to see them as the point — and we’re happy to compromise standards, or ignore reality, if we suspect that’s the quickest way, or only way, to have something to put on the mantelpiece, something to pose with, crow about, something with which to leverage ourselves into a better spot on the social totem pole. No longer is it how you play the game, no longer is it even whether you win or lose, or learn or grow, or enjoy yourself doing it… Now it’s “So what does this get me?” As a consequence, we cheapen worthy endeavors, and building a Guatemalan medical clinic becomes more about the application to Bowdoin than the well-being of Guatemalans。

雖然我們并未明說，但顯而易見地，在達(dá)爾文的物競天擇理論中-我認(rèn)為它源于我們對自身渺小的恐懼和對死亡的憂慮。最近我們美國人-這對我們造成很大的損害-對贊美的喜愛更勝于真正的成就;我們必須認(rèn)真看待這一點(diǎn)。我們樂于向標(biāo)準(zhǔn)妥協(xié)，或忽略事實(shí)，如果我們認(rèn)為這是最快或唯一的方式，讓我們能得到某種放在壁爐上炫耀的東西;某種能讓我們裝腔作勢、自吹自擂的東西;某種能讓我們在社會(huì)圖騰柱上爬到更佳位置的東西。我們不再在乎如何比賽、結(jié)果是贏是輸;是否能藉此學(xué)習(xí)成長或樂在其中?，F(xiàn)在我們在乎的是，“這能給我什么好處?”結(jié)果是，我們貶低了努力的價(jià)值。建立瓜地馬拉醫(yī)療中心的目的更傾向于對鮑登學(xué)院的應(yīng)用，而非危地馬拉人的福祉。

It’s an epidemic — and in its way, not even dear old Wellesley High is immune… one of the best of the 37,000 nationwide, Wellesley High School… where good is no longer good enough, where a B is the new C, and the midlevel curriculum is called Advanced College Placement. And I hope you caught me when I said “one of the best。” I said “one of the best” so we can feel better about ourselves, so we can bask in a little easy distinction, however vague and unverifiable, and count ourselves among the elite, whoever they might be, and enjoy a perceived leg up on the perceived competition. But the phrase defies logic. By definition there can be only one best. You’re it or you’re not。

這是一種傳染病，以它傳染的程度來說，連歷史悠久的韋斯利高中都無法幸免。全國37000所高中最好的之一-韋斯利高中。在這里，“良好”已算不上夠好;B被視為新的C;中等程度的課程被稱為大學(xué)先修課程。我希望你們注意到我剛剛所說的“最好的之一”;我說“最好的之一”，是因?yàn)檫@樣我們才能對自己感覺良好;才能沉浸在這微不足道的差異中，無論這多么地含糊不清、無法驗(yàn)證;才能將自己視為菁英之一，無論菁英可能是誰;并享受在自我認(rèn)定的競爭中自以為是的領(lǐng)先。但這句話并不合邏輯。以定義來說，最好的只有一個(gè);是就是，不是就不是。

If you’ve learned anything in your years here I hope it’s that education should be for, rather than material advantage, the exhilaration of learning. You’ve learned, too, I hope, as Sophocles assured us, that wisdom is the chief element of happiness. (Second is ice cream… just an fyi) I also hope you’ve learned enough to recognize how little you know… how little you know now… at the moment… for today is just the beginning. It’s where you go from here that matters。

如果你在高中歲月里有學(xué)到任何東西，我希望是教育的本質(zhì)-樂在學(xué)習(xí)，而不是物質(zhì)上的優(yōu)勢。我也希望你們學(xué)習(xí)到，如Sophocles(古希臘悲劇作家)所說的，智能是快樂的首要元素;第二個(gè)是冰淇淋-僅供參考。我也希望你所學(xué)的足以使你體認(rèn)到自己的不足，了解自己目前所知的是多么地少。因?yàn)榻裉熘皇且粋€(gè)開始，重要的是今后的學(xué)習(xí)。

As you commence, then, and before you scatter to the winds, I urge you to do whatever you do for no reason other than you love it and believe in its importance. Don’t bother with work you don’t believe in any more than you would a spouse you’re not crazy about, lest you too find yourself on the wrong side of a Baltimore Orioles comparison. Resist the easy comforts of complacency, the specious glitter of materialism, the narcotic paralysis of self-satisfaction. Be worthy of your advantages. And read… read all the time… read as a matter of principle, as a matter of self-respect. Read as a nourishing staple of life. Develop and protect a moral sensibility and demonstrate the character to apply it. Dream big. Work hard. Think for yourself. Love everything you love, everyone you love, with all your might. And do so, please, with a sense of urgency, for every tick of the clock subtracts from fewer and fewer; and as surely as there are commencements there are cessations, and you’ll be in no condition to enjoy the ceremony attendant to that eventuality no matter how delightful the afternoon。

當(dāng)你們畢業(yè)后，準(zhǔn)備大展鴻圖之前，我建議你們，不管做任何事，都應(yīng)基于熱愛和相信它的重要性。別費(fèi)心理會(huì)你根本不相信的事，就像你不會(huì)跟一位你并未瘋狂愛上的伴侶結(jié)婚;也避免讓自己在巴爾的摩金鶯隊(duì)的比賽中站錯(cuò)邊。別志得意滿;別被物質(zhì)主義華而不實(shí)的光芒蒙蔽;別被自我滿足麻痹;別愧對自己的優(yōu)勢。并閱讀…養(yǎng)成閱讀習(xí)慣;閱讀跟原則和自重有關(guān)，把閱讀當(dāng)成生活中的精神食糧。培養(yǎng)及保持道德感，并展現(xiàn)道德品格;擁有遠(yuǎn)大夢想，并努力實(shí)現(xiàn);進(jìn)行獨(dú)立思考;全心全意地愛你所愛的一切人事物。請一定要把握時(shí)間，及時(shí)行動(dòng)，因?yàn)闀r(shí)間正一分一秒地流逝。

凡事有開始必有結(jié)束;無論你們這個(gè)下午過得多么愉快，這場典禮終究會(huì)結(jié)束。

The fulfilling life, the distinctive life, the relevant life, is an achievement, not something that will fall into your lap because you’re a nice person or mommy ordered it from the caterer. You’ll note the founding fathers took pains to secure your inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness–quite an active verb, “pursuit”–which leaves, I should think, little time for lying around watching parrots rollerskate on Youtube。

充實(shí)的人生、與眾不同的人生、有意義的人生是一項(xiàng)成就;這不是某種只因?yàn)槟闶呛萌司蜁?huì)從天而降，或媽媽能為你提供的東西。你會(huì)注意到，開國元?jiǎng)讉冑M(fèi)盡心力地確保你不可剝奪的權(quán)力，包括生命、自由和對幸福的追求。“追求”-一個(gè)相當(dāng)積極的動(dòng)詞;我想，懶懶地躺著觀看Youtube上的鸚鵡怎么溜冰應(yīng)該算不上。

The first President Roosevelt, the old rough rider, advocated the strenuous life. Mr. Thoreau wanted to drive life into a corner, to live deep and suck out all the marrow. The poet Mary Oliver tells us to row, row into the swirl and roil. Locally, someone… I forget who… from time to time encourages young scholars to carpe the heck out of the diem. The point is the same: get busy, have at it. Don’t wait for inspiration or passion to find you. Get up, get out, explore, find it yourself, and grab hold with both hands。

老羅斯?？偨y(tǒng)-一位老練的騎士，提倡艱苦的生活;梭羅先生盡力簡化生活，希望活得深刻并吸取生命的精髓;詩人Mary Oliver告訴我們向前劃，劃進(jìn)漩渦和湍流中;本校有個(gè)人-我忘了是誰，不時(shí)鼓勵(lì)年輕學(xué)子們把握當(dāng)下。這些話的重點(diǎn)都相同：動(dòng)起來，付諸行動(dòng);別枯等靈感或熱情來找你。站起來、走出門外、進(jìn)行探索、靠自己的力量尋找，并好好把握。

Now, before you dash off and get your YOLO tattoo, let me point out the illogic of that trendy little expression–because you can and should live not merely once, but every day of your life. Rather than You Only Live Once, it should be You Live Only Once… but because YLOO doesn’t have the same ring, we shrug and decide it doesn’t matter. None of this day-seizing, though, this YLOOing, should be interpreted as license for self-indulgence. Like accolades ought to be, the fulfilled life is a consequence, a gratifying byproduct. It’s what happens when you’re thinking about more important things。

現(xiàn)在，在你們匆匆離開，去紋上YOLO刺青之前，請容我指出這個(gè)流行語的不合邏輯處。因?yàn)槟悴豢赡芤膊粦?yīng)只活一次，而是得好好地度過每一天。不是你只能活一次(YOLO)，而是人生不能重來(YLOO)，但因?yàn)閅LOO的發(fā)音不太一樣，所以我們聳聳肩，決定這無關(guān)緊要。把握當(dāng)下-YLOOing-不應(yīng)被曲解為自我放縱的許可。就像被稱贊一樣，充實(shí)的生活是結(jié)果;一個(gè)令人愉快的副產(chǎn)品。這就是當(dāng)你思考更重要的事物時(shí)會(huì)發(fā)生的結(jié)果。

Climb the mountain not to plant your flag, but to embrace the challenge, enjoy the air and behold the view. Climb it so you can see the world, not so the world can see you. Go to Paris to be in Paris, not to cross it off your list and congratulate yourself for being worldly. Exercise free will and creative, independent thought not for the satisfactions they will bring you, but for the good they will do others, the rest of the 6.8 billion–and those who will follow them. And then you too will discover the great and curious truth of the human experience is that selflessness is the best thing you can do for yourself。

爬山不是為了插上旗幟，而是迎接挑戰(zhàn)、享受新鮮空氣、欣賞眼前的美景。爬山是為了看世界，而不是讓世界看見你。去巴黎，就好好體驗(yàn)巴黎的一切;不是為了將它從你的清單上劃去，然后慶祝自己又到過一個(gè)新國家。運(yùn)用自由意志和創(chuàng)造力、進(jìn)行獨(dú)立思考，不是為了替自己帶來滿足感，而是為了替其他68億人及后代子孫帶來福祉。然后，你會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)人類體驗(yàn)到的偉大而奇妙的真理-無私是你能為自己所做最棒的事。

The sweetest joys of life, then, come only with the recognition that you’re not special。

Because everyone is。

要體會(huì)生命中最甜美的喜悅，只有當(dāng)你體認(rèn)到，你并不特別。因?yàn)槊總€(gè)人都是特別的。