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在每一个方面、每一个转折点，我们要问自己的问题不是“我能做什么”，而是“我应该做什么”。 Because Steve taught us that’s how change happens. And from him I learned to never be content with things as they are. 因为史蒂夫告诉我们，这就是改变的力量，从他身上我学会了永远不要安于现状。 I believe this mindset comes naturally to young people…and you should never let go of that restlessness. 我相信这种心态对年轻人来说是顺其自然的事情，你们不要放弃这种年轻人的特质。 So today’s ceremony isn’t just about presenting you with a degree, it’s about presenting you with a question. 所以今天的仪式不仅仅是授予大家学位，而是向大家提出了一个问题。 How will you challenge the status quo？ How will you push the world forward？ 你们会如何挑战现状？如何推动世界的发展？ Fifty years ago today—May 13th, 1968—Robert Kennedy was campaigning in Nebraska, and spoke to a group of students who were wrestling with that same question. 50年前的今天，1968年5月13日，罗伯特-肯尼迪（Robert Kennedy）在内布拉斯加州参加竞选，同样与一群备受困扰的学生们进行了交谈。 Those were troubled times, too. The US was at war in Vietnam. There was violent unrest in America’s cities. And the country was still reeling from the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King a month earlier. 这是非常困难的时期，当时美国在越南处于战争状态，在美国国内的城市里也爆发了暴力和骚乱。一个月之前，马丁·路德·金（Martin Luther King）博士被害，这个国家蹒跚前行。 Kennedy gave the students a call to action. When you look across this country, and when you see peoples’ lives held back by discrimination and poverty… when you see injustice and inequality. He said, you should be the last people to accept things as they are. 肯尼迪向学生们发起了行动的号召，当你们看到这个国家里许多人被贫困和歧视深深困扰、看到他们遭遇不公平和不公正的对待时，你应该是最后一个放弃的人。 Let Kennedy’s words echo here today. “You should be the last people to accept it.” Whatever path you’ve chosen, be it medicine, business, engineering, the humanities—whatever drives your passion. Be the last to accept the notion that the world you inherit cannot be improved. 肯尼迪的话在今天依然还萦绕在我们的脑海中。无论你选择什么道路，医学、商业、工程、人文学科，无论什么都会激发你的热情。即使这个世界无法改变，你也应该是最后一个放弃努力的人。 Be the last to accept the excuse that says, “that’s just how things are done here.” Duke graduates, you should be the last people to accept it. And you should be the first to change it. 杜克大学的毕业生们，除了最后一个放弃努力之外，还应该是第一个改变它的人。 The world-class education you’ve received—that you’ve worked so hard for—gives you opportunities that few people have. 你们所接受的都是世界一流的教育，你应该为之努力奋斗，因为并不是所有人都有这样的机会。 You are uniquely qualified, and therefore uniquely responsible, to build a better way forward. That won’t be easy. It will require great courage. 你们有这样的资格，因此也要承担这样的责任，来更好的努力。这并不容易，还需要很大的勇气。 But that courage will not only help you live your life to the fullest—it will empower you to transform the lives of others. 但这种勇气不仅能帮助你们拥有更充实的生活，而且还能改变别人的生活。 Last month I was in Birmingham to mark the fiftieth anniversary of Dr. King’s assassination. And I had the incredible privilege of spending time with women and men who marched and worked alongside him. 上个月，我在伯明翰纪念马丁·路德·金博士博士遇刺50周年。我获得了一个不可思议的特权，可以和那些曾在他身边工作的女人们和男人们在一起。 Many of them were younger at the time than you are now. They told me that when they defied their parents and joined the sit-ins and boycotts, when they faced the police dogs and firehoses, they were risking everything they had—becoming foot soldiers for justice without a second thought. 他们当中的许多人比你们现在还年轻。他们告诉我，当他们公然反对父母意志，加入静坐和抵制活动时，当他们面对警犬和消防水管时，他们冒着失去一切的危险，不加思索地成为了正义的战士。 Because they knew that change had to come. 因为他们知道变革必须到来。 Because they believed so deeply in the cause of justice. 因为他们对正义事业深信不疑。 Because they knew, even with all the adversity they had faced, they had the chance to build something better for the next generation. 因为他们知道，即使他们面临各种各样的逆境，他们也有机会为下一代创造更好的东西。 We can all learn from their example. If you hope to change the world, you must find your fearlessness. 我们所有人都可以从他们的例子中悟到一些东西。如果你希望改变世界，你必须找到你的无畏。 Now, if you’re anything like I was on graduation day, maybe you’re not feeling so fearless. 现在，如果你们就像我当年参加毕业典礼一样，也许也不会感到如此无所畏惧。 Maybe you’re thinking about the job you hope to get, or wondering where you’re going to live, or how to repay that student loan. These, I know, are real concerns. I had them, too. But don’t let those worries stop you from making a difference. 也许，你们在考虑希望得到的工作，或者想知道自己将住在哪里，或者如何偿还学生贷款。我知道，这些都是真正担忧的事情。我也遇到这些事情。但是，不要让这些担忧阻止你们做出改变。 Fearlessness means taking the first step, even if you don’t know where it will take you. It means being driven by a higher purpose, rather than by applause. It means knowing that you reveal your character when you stand apart, more than when you stand with the crowd. 无畏意味着勇敢迈出第一步，即使你不知道它会将你带往何处。也许驱使你的是更崇高的目标、也许是周围人的目光。当你独自一人的时候，才会看到自己真正的问题，而不是与大家站在一起的时候。 If you step up, without fear of failure… if you talk and listen to each other, without fear of rejection… if you act with decency and kindness, even when no one is looking, even if it seems small or inconsequential, trust me, the rest will fall into place. 如果勇敢站起来，就不要担心失败。要勇于与别人交流，不要害怕被拒绝。如果你内心深处拥有善良与正直，那么就算暂时没有人了解你、就算现在你无关紧要，相信我，属于你的时代早晚都会到来。 More importantly, you’ll be able to tackle the big things when they come your way. It’s in those truly trying moments that the fearless inspire us. 更重要的是，当你的时代来临时，就能找到解决问题的方法。在一次又一次的尝试中，正是无所畏惧的精神激励着我们。 Fearless like the students of Parkland, Florida—who refuse to be silent about the epidemic of gun violence, and have rallied millions to their cause. 就像佛罗里达州帕克兰学校的学生们一样，他们不惧怕枪支暴力带来的威胁，并没有保持沉默，而是为了目标团结了数百万人。 Fearless like the women who say “me, too” and “time’s up”… women who cast light into dark places, and move us toward a more just and equal future. 还有那些勇于站出来对性骚扰“说不”的女性，她们的光辉照耀到了最黑暗的地方，让我们朝着更加公正和公平的未来前进。 Fearless like those who fight for the rights of immigrants… who understand that our only hopeful future is one that embraces all who want to contribute. 像那些为了争取自己移民权力而斗争的人一样，他们明白只要有所贡献，就能构建一个美好的未来。 Duke graduates, be fearless. 杜克大学的毕业生们，你们要无所畏惧！ Be the last people to accept things as they are, and the first people to stand up and change them for the better. 要成为最后一个放弃的人，也要成为第一个为更好的生活奋斗而站出来的人。 In 1964, Martin Luther King, Jr. gave a speech at Page Auditorium to an overflow crowd. Students who couldn’t get a seat listened from outside on the lawn. Dr. King warned them that someday we would all have to atone, not only for the words and actions of the bad people, but for “the appalling silence and indifference of the good people, who sit around and say, ‘Wait on time.’” 1964年，马丁·路德·金在发表演讲时，台下坐满了人，那些没有座位的学生则拥挤在草坪上。那时路德·金博士就告诫学生们，人们总有一天都要为自己的行为付出代价，作恶的坏人如此，那些沉默和冷漠的“好人”也是如此。 Martin Luther King stood right here at Duke, and said: “The time is always right to do right.” For you, graduates, that time is now. 马丁·路德·金曾在杜克大学说过：“只要做对的事情，永远都是最好的时机。对你们来说，毕业生们，现在是时候行动了。” It will always be now. 现在什么样子，将来就什么样子。 It’s time to add your brick to the path of progress. It’s time for all of us to move forward. And it’s time for you to lead the way. 为将来做好打算，让我们一起前进，并且带领别人共同进步。 Thank you - and congratulations, Class of 2018！ 感谢你们，并祝贺所有2018届毕业生！ 文章来源：微信公众号“侃英语” |
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