Commencement Address 2003
Madeleine K. Albright, May 18, 2003
President Christ, Provost Bourque, Shelly Lazarus, distinguished faculty, parents, friends and members of the Class of 2003, good afternoon.
首先，我想非常感谢你们授予我荣誉学位. 我知道我是在代表我的获奖者们表达我的感激. 我看过过去从澳门葡京博彩软件获得此类学位的人的名单，令人惊叹. 我现在可以说，我不仅与埃莉诺·罗斯福和托妮·莫里森有共同之处, 还有加里·特鲁多和威廉·麦金利总统.
To understate the case, 这所大学作为妇女教育的先驱有着悠久的历史, a defender of academic and intellectual freedom, 也是教导全球公民责任的领导者. Looking now at the Class of 2003, 对我们来说很明显- -并不是我们有偏见- -这些传统继续带来丰厚的回报.
To the parents, I can only say, as the mother of three college graduates, that I think I know how you feel this afternoon. The day has finally come. 你会情不自禁地感叹，从换尿布到拿到文凭的时间是如此之短. 你有点伤心，有点松了一口气，有点惊讶，又很自豪.
To the students, I say congratulations. Today is a time for celebration, 回顾过去，承认所有的读书和学习, papers and presentations were worth it. In future years, 你们会回忆起这个仪式，并意识到今天, May 18, 2003, 是你第一次忘记在大学里学到的一切的那一天吗. 但是，随着死去的欧洲国王的名字和解剖青蛙的各种身体部位的名字开始消失, 你在澳门葡京博彩软件工作的真正价值会越来越明显. Because although you have learned a great deal about the world around you; chances are you have learned even more about yourself.
That is vital, because from this day forward, 你不必依靠分数或教授的指导来告诉你你做得怎么样，你站在哪里. You will have to rely, instead, on an inner compass; and whether that compass is true will determine whether you become a drifter who is blown about by every breeze; or a doer, determined to chart your own course and unafraid, when necessary, to set sail against the strongest wind.
今天是快乐的一天，也是乐观地面对未来的一天, 然而，在我们兴高采烈的时候，我们不能不意识到阴影的存在. These include the shock of terror. 无论是战争、疾病还是其他瘟疫，无辜生命的逝去都是悲伤的. 世界各地贫富差距造成的混乱造成的不安全感和不公正. 以及对伊拉克变化方向和未来冲突可能性的困惑所造成的不确定性.
有一种从精神上逃避这种危险的诱惑, 好像把注意力集中在别的地方就能让它们消失似的. But avoidance is no way to live life.
这是911事件中最感人的故事之一, 2001 involved a passenger on United Flight 93, which went down in Pennsylvania. The passenger, Tom Burnett, called his wife from the hijacked plane, 这时才意识到另有两架飞机撞上了世贸中心.
“I know we’re going to die,” he said. “But some of us are going to do something about it.” And because they did, many other lives were saved. 从那个可怕的早晨起，他们的英勇事迹一直激励着我们. It should also instruct us. 因为当你思考这个问题时，“我知道我们都会死”是一个完全不起眼的陈述. Each of us here this afternoon could say the same. 伯内特接下来的几句话既真实又令人振奋. “Some of us are going to do something about it.”
在我看来，这些话传达了生活对我们的根本挑战. We are all mortal. 区别我们的是我们如何利用我们拥有的时间和机会.
思考这个问题的另一种方式是考虑最近发现的人类和老鼠基因密码的相似性. We are ninety-five percent the same. 也许每天晚上，我们都应该问问自己，我们做了什么来证明这是不同的. 毕竟，老鼠吃、喝、梳理自己、追逐彼此的尾巴，并试图避免危险. 我们对“祝你一天愉快”的看法与此有何不同?
It is possible, of course, 我们都忙于使用节省时间的设备，没有时间做任何有意义的事情.
Or we may have the right intentions, but instead of acting, we decide to wait – until we are out of school, until we can afford a downpayment on a home, until we can finance college for our own children, or until we can free up time in retirement. We keep waiting until we run out of “untils.” Then it is too late. 我们的飞机坠毁了，而我们却什么也没做.
今天下午我并不想做演讲，也不想布道. But I will ask a question.
When you accept your diploma a few minutes from now, 你会得意洋洋、自鸣得意地这样做吗, or determined to strive for goals that matter? 你会为你所拥有的一切而祝贺自己吗, 或者挑战自己，找到更多更好的给予方式? That is your choice. Fortunately, in making it, you will have no shortage of role models, 因为其他人已经在正确的方向上开辟了一条道路.
For example, 索菲娅·澳门葡京博彩软件本可以把她的遗产留给一些无关紧要的事业——也许是阿默斯特学院——但她却把她的信念放在了教育妇女上, 创造一份遗产，为你们打开大门，帮助改变世界的面貌.
一百年前，简·亚当斯(Jane adams)是一位罕见的大学毕业生，住在芝加哥. She could have settled comfortably into a middle class life; instead she opened a settlement house that prodded our country to address the downsides of industrial development: such as child labor and dangerous working conditions, 从而获得了澳门葡京博彩软件的荣誉学位.
Fifty years ago, Smith granted another honorary degree, 这次是颁给一位名叫蕾切尔·卡森的女性，因为她写了一篇关于海洋的精彩文章. Ms. Carson could have been content with that; instead she used her talent to expose the dangers posed by pesticides, 引发了一场早已走向全球的环保运动.
Thirty-eight years ago, 罗莎·帕克斯(Rosa Parks)本可以按预期行动，在蒙哥马利(Montgomery)搬到公共汽车的后排, Alabama; instead she stood her ground, 并帮助创造了更高的公民权利，使我们的国家更接近其建国承诺.
As I speak, Aung San Suu Kyi could be living a life of ease and renown anywhere in the world except the one place in the world she truly belongs, 为缅甸人民的自由而战，反抗残暴的警察国家.
我还可以举出更多的例子，比如苏珊. 安东尼和索杰纳·特鲁斯是当今艺术和专业领域的女英雄, business and public life. 还有无数来自世界各地的女性，她们的生活充满了爱和成就，但我们不知道她们的名字，因为她们曾经或不愿出名. Their examples, too, I invite you to consider.
当我们还很年轻的时候，我们不承认有一天我们可能做的事情是有限制的. This is human nature, especially in America. 随着年龄的增长，我们意识到不是每个梦想都能实现. But we also learn that the investment of energy, the gaining of experience, and the application of knowledge is empowering.
有一天，你环顾四周，发现有些事你能做，而别人做不到. All of a sudden, you are looked to for leadership. All of a sudden, 你意识到，只要你有勇气去做，你真的可以有所作为.
在今天获得学位的学生中，我感觉到他们充满了活力、智慧和勇气. 因此，我乐观地认为，无论是个人还是集体，你们都将成为一股强大而积极的力量. Perhaps one of you will compose a poem that inspires the mind; another a song that engenders love; a third a novel casting light upon the mysteries of life; while the fourth writes a play so sophisticated it can only be understood by someone who is a genius or French.
也许你们中的某个人会提出一种新的外交政策学说，阐明美国在全球扮演的合适角色——介于孤立主义和回避世界问题之间, 一个新帝国主义把朋友和敌人都吓得魂飞魄散. 也许你们中的一个人会成为美国总统，或者做一些明显超出任何男性能力范围的事情，从而创造历史, 带领波士顿红袜队夺得1918年以来的第一个世界冠军.
I have tried today to speak with a light touch, 但我无意低估或以任何方式轻视在这个星球上迫切需要完成的工作的严肃性.
I am incredibly proud of America. 我相信我们的力量是善良的，相信我们的理想具有令人振奋的力量. 没有哪个国家在帮助全球其他国家方面做得更多. But I also believe we could do better.
年复一年，我们分享的财富越来越少. Today, among industrialized countries, 我们的政府在捐赠比例上排名垫底.
在我担任国务卿期间，没有什么比我们准备投资于人类发展的资源不足更让我烦恼的了. 我本该是世界上最有权力的女人, 然而，当我看到难民营里那些在剥削和战争中幸存下来的女孩和男孩时，我常常无法向他们承诺希望. 当我看到勇敢的女性跨越文化界限团结起来，防止非洲再次发生种族灭绝, I was unable to guarantee help. When I saw mothers dying of AIDS, 我无法保证他们留下的婴儿能得到照顾. 当我看到被地雷炸断胳膊或腿的孩子们, 我不能肯定地说，同样的事情不会发生在他们的姐妹和兄弟身上.
让我们永远不要忘记，当我们享受生活在这个国家的特权，没有人是可有可无的. 无论种族、国籍或性别，年轻人和老年人都是如此. 平民和士兵，摘苹果的人和ceo都是如此. A human being is not some thing to be used and thrown away once he or she has contributed on the front lines or to the bottom line; no person is a means; every person is an end, 我们每一个人的健康和幸福对我们每一个人都很重要. 这在美国处于最佳状态时是正确的，我们应该尽我们所能在全世界实现这一点.
To those who graduate today, 请允许我说，今天下午我不打算把全世界的重担放在你们的肩上, for that will always be your parents’ job. 但我确实希望你们每个人都能利用在这所伟大的大学学到的知识，不仅仅是自由的消费者, but also a defender and an enricher of it, employing your talents to heal, help and teach. I hope you will be doers not drifters, and that you will choose to live life boldly, 带着宽宏大量的精神和慷慨的心，你们将鼓励我们的领导人也这样做.
据说，所有值得做的工作都是带着信念去做的. This afternoon, at this ceremony of celebration and anticipation, I hope you will each embrace the faith that every challenge surmounted by your energy; every problem solved by your wisdom; every soul awakened by your passion; and every barrier to justice brought down by your determination will ennoble your own lives, inspire others, 并向外突破地球上可实现的界限.
To the Class of 2003, I say again, “congratulations.再次感谢你们让我与你们分享这美好的一天.