盖茨夫妇斯坦福毕业演讲：乐观不是被动等待世界变美好

2014-07-09 15:43:09来源：可可英语

　　How do you inspire a group of unusually smart, hard working, optimistic, and largely privileged youngsters who are already destined for success? Encourage them to learn from those most in need; urge them confront inequity; exhort them channel their optimism with empathy; oh, and remind them that for all their accomplishments, they wouldn’t be where they are without a heavy dose of luck.

　　聪明过人、勤奋努力、乐观向上且堪称天之骄子，面对这样一群已然注定会迈向成功的年轻人，你还能想出什么激励之言呢?勉励他们向那些最需要帮助的人学习;敦促他们直面世界的不平等;告诫他们要将移情融入乐观精神之中;以及提醒他们，如果不是备受幸运之神的眷顾，他们也不会站到现在的位置，取得现在这样的成就。

　　That was the message that philanthropists Bill and Melinda Gates delivered to Stanford’s 2014 graduating class in a poignant commencement address.

　　这就是慈善家比尔o盖茨和梅琳达o盖茨在2014年斯坦福大学(Stanford)的毕业典礼上通过一场深刻的演讲向毕业生们所传递的信息。

　　At a time when inequality is becoming one of the central issues of our time, the Gateses, whose foundation has become one of the most formidable philanthropic enterprises in history, exhorted graduates to pursue a mission-driven life. While both speakers were inspiring, it was Melinda Gates who delivered the most stirring lines. Here’s she is on channeling optimism:

　　盖茨夫妇的基金会已经成为有史以来最为强大的慈善组织之一。这对夫妇在演讲过程中告诫毕业生们，随着不平等已经成为当今时代所面临的核心问题之一，他们应当去追求以使命为驱动力的生活。两位演讲者的发言都极为鼓舞人心，而梅琳达o盖茨的演讲词甚至更震撼。下面是她对于乐观主义的解读：

　　Optimism for me isn’t a passive expectation that things will get better; it’s a conviction that we can make things better—that whatever suffering we see, no matter how bad it is, we can help people if we don’t lose hope and we don’t look away.

　　于我而言，乐观并不是被动地指望世界会变得更美好;它是一种坚定的信念，相信我们有能力让世界变得更美好——不管我们目睹过怎样的苦楚，不管情况多么糟糕，我们都要帮助别人，我们不绝望，也不置身事外。

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