David McCullough, Jr.爲韋斯利高中畢業生演講〈你並不特別〉

Dr. Wong, Dr. Keough, Mrs.Novogroski, Ms. Curran, members of the board of education, familyand friends of the graduates, ladies and gentlemen of the WellesleyHigh School class of 2012, for the privilege of speaking to youthis afternoon, I am honored and grateful.  Thankyou.

王博士、Keough博士、Novogroski女士和Curran小姐；教育委員會委員和畢業生的親朋好友；韋斯利高中2012年畢業班的女士先生們；有機會能在這個下午對大家演講令我感到十分榮幸與感激，謝謝。好，進入主題吧！

 So here we are… commencement… life’sgreat forward-looking ceremony.  (And don’t say,「What about weddings?」  Weddings are one-sided andinsufficiently effective.  Weddings arebride-centric pageantry.  Other than conceding toa list of unreasonable demands, the groom just standsthere.  No stately, hey-everybody-look-at-meprocession.  No being givenaway.  No identity-changingpronouncement.  And can you imagine a televisionshow dedicated to watching guys try on tuxedos? Their fathers sitting there misty-eyed with joy and disbelief,their brothers lurking in the corner muttering withenvy.  Left to men, weddings would be, afterlimits-testing procrastination, spontaneous, almost inadvertent…during halftime… on the way to the refrigerator. And then there’s the frequency of failure: statistics tell us halfof you will get divorced.  A winning percentagelike that’ll get you last place in the American LeagueEast.  The Baltimore Orioles do better thanweddings.)

畢業典禮－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，並且效率不高。婚禮是以新娘爲中心的盛會，除了贊成一長串無理的要求外，新郎只能呆站在一旁。沒有莊嚴的、「你們看着我」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。大家能想象一個專門看男人試穿燕尾服的電視節目嗎？他們的父親坐在那裏，淚汪汪的眼中透着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。對男人來講，在挑戰極限的拖延後，婚禮就像自發性地，幾乎是無心識地，在球賽中場休息時間去冰箱拿飲料。然而，婚姻的失敗率以下：統計數據顯示，現場觀衆有一半會離婚；這樣的勝率會讓你榮登美國聯盟東區的爐主。巴爾的摩金鶯隊的勝率都比婚姻成功率來得高。

 But this ceremony… commencement… acommencement works every time.  From this dayforward… truly… in sickness and in health, through financialfiascos, through midlife crises and passably attractive sales repsat trade shows in Cincinnati, through diminishing tolerance forannoyingness, through every difference, irreconcilable andotherwise, you will stay forever graduated from high school, youand your diploma as one, ‘til death do you part.

但這個儀式－畢業典禮，老是能圓滿結束。從今天開始－確實如此；不管你生病或健康；經歷過財務困境、中年危機；在辛辛那提貿易展碰見還算迷人的銷售表明－家長了解個人意思；對惱人之事的容忍度愈來愈低；歷通過每次的改變、自我矛盾和其餘種種；你從高中畢業這個事實永遠不會改變，你的文憑一輩子都會與你相伴。

 No, commencement is life’s greatceremonial beginning, with its own attendant and highly appropriatesymbolism.  Fitting, for example, for thisauspicious rite of passage, is where we find ourselves thisafternoon, the venue.  Normally, I avoid clichéslike the plague, wouldn’t touch them with a ten-foot pole, but herewe are on a literal level playing field.  Thatmatters.  That says something. And your ceremonial costume… shapeless, uniform,one-size-fits-all.  Whether male or female, tallor short, scholar or slacker, spray-tanned prom queen orintergalactic X-Box assassin, each of you is dressed, you’llnotice, exactly the same.  And your diploma… butfor your name, exactly the same.

不，畢業典禮表明生命中一個偉大儀式的開始，它有其自己的附加價值和高度的象徵意義；例如象徵讓咱們在這個下午找到本身定位的美妙儀式。一般我會像避瘟疫似地避免陳腔爛調，閃得遠遠的，但如今咱們處於平等的競技場上；這點很重要，它表明某些意義。大家的畢業禮服－毫無造型、外觀統1、尺碼相同；不管男女、高矮、會不會讀書；不管是曬成一身古銅色的舞會皇后或Xbox的星際刺客；你會發現，每一個人的穿著都如出一轍。而大家的文憑…除了名字之外，其它徹底同樣。

 All of this is as it should be, because none ofyou is special.

 You are notspecial.  You are notexceptional.

 Contrary to whatyour u9 soccer trophy suggests, your glowing seventh grade reportcard, despite every assurance of a certain corpulent purpledinosaur, that nice Mister Rogers and your batty Aunt Sylvia, nomatter how often your maternal caped crusader has swooped in tosave you… you’re nothing special.

這一切本應如此，由於，大家沒有任何人是特別的。

你並不特別，你並不是不同凡響；

儘管你有U9足球獎盃、輝煌的七年級成績單；儘管你確信世上一定有肥胖的紫色恐龍、親切的羅傑斯先生（著名兒童電視節目主持人）和古怪的Sylvia阿姨；不管女蝙蝠俠曾奮不顧身地救過你多少次；你依然沒什麼特別。

        

 Yes, you’ve been pampered, cosseted, doted upon,helmeted, bubble-wrapped.  Yes, capable adultswith other things to do have held you, kissed you, fed you, wipedyour mouth, wiped your bottom, trained you, taught you, tutoredyou, coached you, listened to you, counseled you, encouraged you,consoled you and encouraged you again.  You’vebeen nudged, cajoled, wheedled and implored. You’ve been feted and fawned over and called sweetiepie.  Yes, you have.  And,certainly, we’ve been to your games, your plays, your recitals,your science fairs.  Absolutely, smiles ignitewhen you walk into a room, and hundreds gasp with delight at yourevery tweet.  Why, maybe you’ve even had yourpicture in theTownsman! [Editor’s upgrade: Or The SwellesleyReport!]

 

是的，你被驕縱、溺愛、寵愛、保護、呵護；是的，忙碌不堪的大人抱着你、親吻你、餵養你，替你擦嘴、擦屁股；訓練你、教導你、指引你、輔導你、傾聽你、規勸你、鼓勵你、安慰你，並一再地鼓勵你。大家被輕擁在懷裏，好言哄誘和懇求；大家被讚美討好，還被稱爲甜心派。是的，你確實有。固然，咱們曾參加你的比賽、戲劇演出、演奏會、科學展覽；固然，當你走進房裏時，每一個人都露出微笑；對你貼出的每一則twitter 訊息發出千百次興奮的驚歎。爲何？也許你的照片曾登上Townsman（韋斯利高中校內刊物）。

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

But do not get the idea you’reanything special.  Because you’renot.

如今大家已經征服了高中階段，無疑地，咱們全都是爲了大家而聚在這裏。大家是這個優秀小區的驕傲和喜悅，第一批從那棟宏偉新大樓裏走出的人。

但不要認爲你有什麼特別，由於你並不特別。

  

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 tobe two thousand high school graduates right there, give or take,and that’s just the neighborhood Ns.  Across thecountry no fewer than 3.2 million seniors are graduating about nowfrom more than 37,000 high schools.  That’s 37,000valedictorians… 37,000 class presidents… 92,000 harmonizing altos…340,000 swaggering jocks… 2,185,967 pairs ofUggs.  But why limit ourselves to highschool?  After all, you’re leavingit.  So think about this: even if you’re one in amillion, on a planet of 6.8 billion that means there are nearly7,000 people just like you.  Imagine standingsomewhere over there on Washington Street on Marathon Monday andwatching sixty-eight hundred yous go running by. And consider for a moment the bigger picture: your planet, I’llremind you, is not the center of its solar system, your solarsystem is not the center of its galaxy, your galaxy is not thecenter of the universe.  In fact, astrophysicistsassure us the universe has no center; therefore, you cannot beit. 

 

實證無所不在，這個數字大到連一位英語老師都沒法忽視。Newton、Natick、Nee…（均爲鄰近高中）；我能夠提Needham，對嗎？總共有兩千名高中畢業生－大約這個數目，這只是鄰近地區。如今，全國共有不止320萬名高中生正從37000多所高中畢業，也就是說，有37000名畢業生表明、37000名學生會長、92000名合唱團團員、34萬名趾高氣揚的運動健將，和2,185,967雙靴子。但爲什麼要侷限在高中？畢竟大家即將離開它。因此想一想：即便你是百萬中選一的菁英，以地球上68億人口來講，這意味着有將近7000人跟你同樣。想象一下，在星期一馬拉松大賽時站在華盛頓街某處，觀看6800個「你」跑過。再以更宏觀的角度來想：我得提醒你們，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。事實上，天文物理學家確定地說，宇宙沒有中心。所以，你也不會是宇宙的中心。

 Neither can Donald Trump… whichsomeone should tell him… although that hair is quite aphenomenon.

即便唐納．川普也不會是；應該有人告訴他這件事。

 

「But, Dave,」 you cry, 「Walt Whitmantells me I’m my own version of perfection! Epictetus tells me I have the spark of Zeus!」  AndI don’t disagree.  So that makes 6.8 billionexamples of perfection, 6.8 billion sparks ofZeus.  You see, if everyone is special, then noone is.  If everyone gets a trophy, trophiesbecome meaningless. 

雖然他的頭髮確實蔚爲奇觀。「但Dave，」你喊道，「惠特曼（美國詩人）告訴我，我是本身的完美版本！Epictetus（古希臘哲學家）告訴我，我有宙斯的火花！」我不反對這一點。所以，這表明68億個完美的例子、68億個宙斯的火花。大家知道，若是每一個人都是特殊的，就沒有任何人是特殊的；若是每一個人都能拿到獎盃，獎盃就變得毫無心義。

 In our unspoken but not so subtleDarwinian competition with one another–which springs, I think, fromour fear of our own insignificance, a subset of our dread ofmortality — we have of late, we Americans, to our detriment, cometo love accolades more than genuine achievement. We have come to see them as the point — and we’re happy tocompromise standards, or ignore reality, if we suspect that’s thequickest way, or only way, to have something to put on themantelpiece, something to pose with, crow about, something withwhich to leverage ourselves into a better spot on the social totempole.  No longer is it how you play the game, nolonger is it even whether you win or lose, or learn or grow, orenjoy yourself doing it…  Now it’s 「So what doesthis get me?」  As a consequence, we cheapen worthyendeavors, and building a Guatemalan medical clinic becomes moreabout the application to Bowdoin than the well-being ofGuatemalans.

雖然咱們並未明說，但顯而易見地，在達爾文的物競天擇理論中－我認爲它源於咱們對自身眇小的恐懼和對死亡的憂慮。最近咱們美國人－這對咱們形成很大的損害－對讚美的喜好更勝於真正的成就；咱們必須認真看待這一點。咱們樂於向標準妥協，或忽略事實，若是咱們認爲這是最快或惟一的方式，讓咱們能獲得某種放在壁爐上炫耀的東西；某種能讓咱們裝腔做勢、自吹自擂的東西；某種能讓咱們在社會圖騰柱上爬到更佳位置的東西。咱們再也不在意如何比賽、結果是贏是輸；是否能藉此學習成長或樂在其中。如今咱們在意的是，「這能給我什麼好處？」結果是，咱們貶低了努力的價值。創建瓜地馬拉醫療中心的目的更傾向於對鮑登學院的應用，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 the37,000 nationwide, Wellesley High School… where good is no longergood enough, where a B is the new C, and the midlevel curriculum iscalled Advanced College Placement.  And I hope youcaught me when I said 「one of the best.」  I said「one of the best」 so we can feel better about ourselves, so we canbask in a little easy distinction, however vague and unverifiable,and count ourselves among the elite, whoever they might be, andenjoy a perceived leg up on the perceivedcompetition.  But the phrase defieslogic.  By definition there can be only onebest.  You’re it or you’re not.

這是一種傳染病，以它傳染的程度來講，連歷史悠久的韋斯利高中都沒法倖免。全國37000所高中最好的之一－韋斯利高中。在這裏，「良好」已算不上夠好；B被視爲新的C；中等程度的課程被稱爲大學先修課程。我但願大家注意到我剛剛所說的「最好的之一」；我說「最好的之一」，是由於這樣咱們才能對本身感受良好；才能沉浸在這微不足道的差別中，不管這多麼地含糊不清、沒法驗證；才能將本身視爲菁英之一，不管菁英多是誰；並享受在自我認定的競爭中自覺得是的領先。但這句話並不合邏輯。以定義來講，最好的只有一個；是就是，不是就不是。

If you’ve learned anything in youryears here I hope it’s that education should be for, rather thanmaterial advantage, the exhilaration of learning. You’ve learned, too, I hope, as Sophocles assured us, that wisdomis the chief element of happiness.  (Second is icecream…  just an fyi)  I also hopeyou’ve learned enough to recognize how little you know… how littleyou know now… at the moment… for today is just thebeginning.  It’s where you go from here thatmatters.

若是你在高中歲月裏有學到任何東西，我但願是教育的本質－樂在學習，而不是物質上的優點。我也但願大家學習到，如Sophocles（古希臘悲劇做家）所說的，智能是快樂的首要元素；第二個是冰淇淋－僅供參考。我也但願你所學的足以使你體認到本身的不足，瞭解本身目前所知的是多麼地少。由於今天只是一個開始，重要的是從此的學習。

 As you commence, then, and before youscatter to the winds, I urge you to do whatever you do for noreason other than you love it and believe in itsimportance.  Don’t bother with work you don’tbelieve 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 Oriolescomparison.  Resist the easy comforts ofcomplacency, the specious glitter of materialism, the narcoticparalysis of self-satisfaction.  Be worthy of youradvantages.  And read… read all the time… read asa matter of principle, as a matter ofself-respect.  Read as a nourishing staple oflife.  Develop and protect a moral sensibility anddemonstrate the character to apply it.  Dreambig.  Work hard.  Think foryourself.  Love everything you love, everyone youlove, with all your might.  And do so, please,with a sense of urgency, for every tick of the clock subtracts fromfewer and fewer; and as surely as there are commencements there arecessations, and you’ll be in no condition to enjoy the ceremonyattendant to that eventuality no matter how delightful theafternoon.

當大家畢業後，準備大展鴻圖以前，我建議大家，無論作任何事，都應基於熱愛和相信它的重要性。別費心理會你根本不相信的事，就像你不會跟一位你並未瘋狂愛上的伴侶結婚；也避免讓本身在巴爾的摩金鶯隊的比賽中站錯邊。別志得意滿；別被物質主義華而不實的光芒矇蔽；別被自我知足麻痹；別愧對本身的優點。並閱讀…養成閱讀習慣；閱讀跟原則和自重有關，把閱讀當成生活中的精神食糧。培養及保持道德感，並展示道德品格；擁有遠大夢想，並努力實現；進行獨立思考；全心全意地愛你所愛的一切人事物。請必定要把握時間，及時行動，由於時間正一分一秒地流逝。

凡事有開始必有結束；不管大家這個下午過得多麼愉快，這場典禮終究會結束。

The fulfilling life, the distinctivelife, the relevant life, is an achievement, not something that willfall into your lap because you’re a nice person or mommy ordered itfrom the caterer.  You’ll note the foundingfathers 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 lyingaround watching parrots rollerskate onYoutube.

充實的人生、不同凡響的人生、有意 義的人生是一項成就；這不是某種只由於你是好人就會從天而降，或媽媽能爲你提供的東西。你會注意到，開國元勳們費盡心力地確保你不可剝奪的權力，包括生命、自由和對幸福的追求。「追求」－一個至關積極的動詞；我想，懶懶地躺着觀看Youtube上的鸚鵡怎麼溜冰應該算不上。

 The first President Roosevelt, theold rough rider, advocated the strenuous life. Mr. Thoreau wanted to drive life into a corner, to live deep andsuck out all the marrow.  The poet Mary Olivertells us to row, row into the swirl and roil. Locally, someone… I forget who… from time to time encourages youngscholars to carpe the heck out of the diem.  Thepoint is the same: get busy, have at it.  Don’twait for inspiration or passion to find you.  Getup, get out, explore, find it yourself, and grab hold with bothhands.

老羅斯福總統－一位老練的騎士，提倡艱苦的生活；梭羅先生盡力簡化生活，但願活得深入並吸收生命的精髓；詩人Mary Oliver告訴咱們向前劃，划進漩渦和湍流中；本校有我的－我忘了是誰，不時鼓勵年輕學子們把握當下。這些話的重點都相同：動起來，付諸行動；別枯等靈感或熱情來找你。站起來、走出門外、進行探索、靠本身的力量尋找，並好好把握。

 Now, before you dash off and get yourYOLO tattoo, let me point out the illogic of that trendy littleexpression–because you can and should live not merely once, butevery day of your life.  Rather than You Only LiveOnce, it should be You Live Only Once… but because YLOO doesn’thave the same ring, we shrug and decide it doesn’tmatter. None of this day-seizing, though,this YLOOing, should be interpreted as license forself-indulgence.  Like accolades ought to be, thefulfilled life is a consequence, a gratifyingbyproduct.  It’s what happens when you’re thinkingabout more important things.

如今，在大家匆匆離開，去紋上YOLO刺青以前，請容我指出這個流行語的不合邏輯處。由於你不可能也不該只活一次，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），但由於YLOO的發音不太同樣，因此咱們聳聳肩，決定這可有可無。把握當下－YLOOing－不該被曲解爲自我放縱的許可。就像被稱讚同樣，充實的生活是結果；一個使人愉快的副產品。這就是當你思考更重要的事物時會發生的結果。

Climb the mountain not to plant your flag, but to embrace thechallenge, enjoy the air and behold the view. Climb it so you can see the world, not so the world can seeyou.  Go to Paris to be in Paris, not to cross itoff your list and congratulate yourself for beingworldly.  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 6.8billion–and those who will follow them.  And thenyou too will discover the great and curious truth of the humanexperience is that selflessness is the best thing you can do foryourself.

登山不是爲了插上旗幟，而是迎接挑戰、享受新鮮空氣、欣賞眼前的美景。登山是爲了看世界，而不是讓世界看見你。去巴黎，就好好體驗巴黎的一切；不是爲了將它從你的清單上劃去，而後慶祝本身又到過一個新國家。運用自由意志和創造力、進行獨立思考，不是爲了替本身帶來知足感，而是爲了替其餘68億人及後代子孫帶來福祉。而後，你會發現人類體驗到的偉大而奇妙的真理－無私是你能爲本身所作最棒的事。

 The sweetest joys of life, then, come only with the recognitionthat you’re not special.

 Because everyoneis.

要體會生命中最甜美的喜悅，只有當你體認到，你並不特別。由於每一個人都是特別的。