MIT毕业典礼演讲——拯救世界做个英雄

演讲嘉宾

威廉·麦克拉文，退役海军四星上将，及前任德克萨斯大学（UT）系统的校长。

Retired Navy four-star admiral and the former chancellor of the University of Texas (UT) system William McRaven.

MIT校长致辞

McRaven served 37 years in the military. He served as the ninth commander of the US Special Operations Command from 2011 to2014, led the rescue of Captain Richard Phillips from hostage by Somali pirates during the 2009 hijacking of the MV Maersk Alabama, and developed the mission which led to the 2011 death of Osama bin Laden.

麦克拉文在军队服役37年。从2011年至2014年，他担任美国特种作战司令部第9指挥官，并在2009年MV Maersk Alabama被索马里海盗劫持期间，带领团队成功解救Richard Phillips上尉，同时他是刺杀Osama Bin Laden任务的核心成员。

As a recognized authority on U.S. foreign policy, McRaven advised presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama on defense issues. He served as the chancellor of the University of Texas (UT) system from 2015 to 2018.

作为公认的美国外交政策权威，麦克拉文为总统乔治·W·布什和巴拉克·奥巴马总统提供了国防方面的建议。从2015年到2018年，他担任德克萨斯大学（UT）系统的校长。

嘉宾演讲

Thank you very much for that kind introduction. President Reif, distinguished guests, members of the faculty and of course, the MIT graduating class of 2020. It is truly an honor for me to have the opportunity to address you today.

非常感谢您的介绍。Reif校长，各位尊敬的来宾，教师以及MIT 2020届毕业班。我非常荣幸今年能有机会向你们致辞。

I had an entirely different speech prepared for this afternoon. It was a nice little speech. It was about how you, the brilliant men and women of MIT are like the Navy SEALs of academia. I made some good analogies. I had some cute little antidotes and some lessons from my career. But somehow, that speech just didn’t seem right in light of all that has happened in the past five months. The fact that I am standing here alone, and that you are isolated somewhere at home, is proof enough that the world has changed.

今天下午我原本准备了一个完全不同的演讲。这是关于教你们——麻省理工学院的杰出人才们是如何像学术界的海豹突击队一样。我做了一些很好的对比。我有一些可爱的故事和职业生涯的一些教训想和你们分享。但是，鉴于过去五个月中发生的所有情况，该演讲似乎并不合适。我一个人站在这里，而你们却被迫在家里的事实，足以证明世界已经发生了巨大的改变。

But there is a part of the speech that I retained. It was the part about heroes and how after all these years I came to realize that the heroes we need—are not the heroes I had been looking for. When I was a young boy growing up in the 50s and 60s, I always envisioned myself as the hero. I always wanted to be Superman, with his powers to fly, with his invulnerability, with his super strength. A hero who saved the world every day from some catastrophe. Or Batman, Spiderman, the Black Panther, the team of the X-men and the Fantastic Four and my favorite of all—Aquaman. I so wanted to ride on the back of a seahorse and fight evil underwater.

但我还是保留了原先演讲关于英雄的一部分。这些年来，我才渐渐意识到我们需要的英雄不是我一直在寻找的想象中的英雄。作为一个在50和60年代长大的小男孩，我一直梦想成为英雄。我一直想成为超人，像他一样拥有飞行的力量，他的坚韧不拔和他的超强实力。

我也想像他一样成为一位每天从灾难中拯救世界的英雄。或者像蝙蝠侠，蜘蛛侠，黑豹，X战警和神奇四侠的团队，当然还有我最喜欢的Aquaman。我因此一直想骑在海马背上，在水下与邪恶搏斗。

But as I grew up and travelled the world, and as I saw more than my share of war and destruction—I came to the hard truth that Captain America isn’t coming to the rescue. There is no Superman, no Batman, no Wonder Woman, no Black Widow, no Avengers, no Justice League, no Gandolf, no Harry Potter, and no Aquaman. If we are going to save the world from pandemics, war, climate change, poverty, racism, extremism, intolerance—then you, the brilliant minds of MIT—you are going to have to save the world.

但是当我长大并开始游历世界的时候时，我看到的不仅仅是战争和破坏，相反，我得出了一个让我难以接受的事实，那就是美国队长无法像电影里面一样进行救援。没有超人，没有蝙蝠侠，没有神奇女侠，没有黑寡妇，没有复仇者，没有正义联盟，没有甘道夫，没有哈利·波特和没有海王。

如果我们要让世界免于因流行病、战争、气候变化、贫困、种族主义、极端主义和不容忍之情的破坏，那么，你们，麻省理工学院的聪明才子才女们，你们将必须拯救世界。

But, as remarkable as you are—your intellect and talent alone will not be sufficient. I have seen my share of real heroes, on the battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan, in the hospitals fighting COVID 19, on the streets keeping America safe and open—and I know that there are other qualities necessary to be today’s hero. So, if you will bear with this old sailor for a minute or two, I would like to offer some thoughts on the other qualities you will need to help save the world.

但是，尽管你们与众不同，但仅凭你们的才智和才干是不够的。在伊拉克和阿富汗的战场上，在与COVID 19作战的医院中，在确保美国安全开放的大街上，我已经看到了真正的英雄，而且我知道要成为今天的英雄还必须具备其他的素质。因此，如果你们愿意和我这个老水手呆一两分钟，我想就拯救世界所需的其他素质提出一些想法。

First, you must have courage. Winston Churchill once said that courage was the most important quality of all because it guaranteed all the rest. He was not just talking about the physical courage to charge the hill, run into a burning building, or stop a madman with a gun. He was also talking about moral courage. The courage to stand up for your convictions. Physical courage has long been the hallmark of a great warrior, but I would offer that the moral courage to stand up for what’s right has an equal place in the pantheon of heroes.

首先，你必须有勇气。温斯顿·丘吉尔（Winston Churchill）曾经说过，勇气是最重要的素质，因为它能让你拥有其他所需要的一切。他说的不仅是鼓起勇气向山上冲锋陷阵，闯入燃烧的建筑物或用枪支住疯子的勇气。他也在谈论道德上的勇气——勇于坚持和捍卫自己的信念。长期以来，肉体的勇气一直是伟大战士的标志，但我要提出，捍卫正义的道义勇气在英雄万神殿中具有同等地位。

If you hope to save the world you will have to standby your convictions. You will have to confront the ignorant with facts. You will have to challenge the zealots with reason. You will have to defy the naysayers and the weak-kneed who have not the constitution to stand tall. You will have to speak truth to power.

如果你希望拯救世界，那么你必须坚持和捍卫自己的信念。你必须用事实来反驳无知。你必须以理性来挑战狂热者。你必须对抗那些唱反调以及软弱的人。你必须对权力讲真话。

But if your cause is good and decent and worthy and honorable and has the possibility of saving even one of God creatures, then you must do what all heroes do. You must summons the courage to fight and fight hard for your convictions. You must yell them from the mountaintop. You must shout them from the lectern. You must write in bold, cursive and underlined phrases. You must bring your convictions out from the darkness and the subtly of your heart—into the light of day. They must be made public and challenged and confronted and argued.

但是，如果你的初衷是美好、公平、值得和光荣的，甚至有可能拯救一个生命的，那么你必须做所有英雄所做的事情。你必须要鼓起勇气并为自己的信念而奋斗；你必须让所有人都知道你所坚信的事业，在山顶上大声地喊出它们，在讲台上勇敢有激情地讲出它们；你必须使用粗体、带下划线、一气呵成的短语来记录下它们。总之，你必须将自己的信念和内心的感受公布于众--它们必须被公开、被挑战、被质疑和被充分的探讨。

There will always be those who don’t want to hear your convictions. Particularly if they are true.

Speaking the truth can be dangerous at times. But those that came before you, Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, Madam Curie, Grace Hooper and Katherine Johnson—those brilliant minds, those tellers of truth, who made the world a more knowledgeable place, a more compassionate place, a more livable place, they had courage. If you are going to save the world, you will need courage.

总会有一些人不想听到你的信念。特别是——如果它们是真的。

讲真话有时很危险。但是，哥白尼、伽利略、开普勒、居里夫人、格蕾丝·胡珀和凯瑟琳·约翰逊这些人，这些才华横溢的人，这些勇于讲述真相的人使世界变得更加博学，更富有同情心，更加宜居，他们有勇气。所以如果你要拯救世界，就一定需要勇气。

If you are going to save the world, you will need to be humble. In my career I have been blessed to be around some great minds. I have seen how the brilliant men and women have helped eradicate disease, reduce poverty, create technological masterpieces but, conversely I have seen how the misguided geniuses, filled with conceit and convinced of their own righteousness have tampered with nature, built apocalyptic machines, dehumanized social interaction and tilted toward tyranny. If you do not approach the world with humility, it will find a way to humble you quickly.

如果你要拯救世界，就必须谦虚。在我的职业生涯中，我很幸运身边有非常多聪明厉害的人。我已经看到了杰出的男性和女性们在帮助他人根除疾病，减少贫困，创造了改变人类生活和文明的技术。但相反的，我也看到了被自负和自傲误导的天才们如何篡改自然，建造世界末日机器，剥夺了人性并逐渐走向专制。如果你不谦卑地对待世界，它会有办法让你快速谦卑的。

I found in my time in the military, that no experience on earth was more humbling than combat. The crucible of war teaches you everyday that you are not invincible—that the enemy in bare feet and carrying only Kalashnikovs can sometimes defeat the best soldiers and the best technology in the world.

And if you believe for a moment that you are superior, you will be humbled quickly. But if you approach every mission with a decent respect for the mountains, the rivers, the oceans and the enemy—you are more likely to succeed.

我在军队中度过的时光让我深刻地理解到世上没有比战斗更令人谦逊的经历了。战争的困难每天都在教会你，你并非立于不败之地，光着脚，只拿着卡拉什尼科夫枪的敌人有时会击败世界上最好的士兵和最好的技术。

而且，如果你在某一瞬间相信自己是卓越的，那么你将很快被事实教会如何变得谦卑。但是，如果你在执行每项任务时都怀有对山脉、河流、海洋和敌人的敬意，那么你更有可能取得成功。

In Plato’s great rendition of Socrates Apology, Socrates defends the charges against him by telling the jury of Athenian nobles that he is the wisest man in the world—far wiser than any of the robed men sitting in judgment. When questioned about how he could be so bold as to make this statement, Socrates says, that he is the wisest because he knows so very little of the world. To solve the world’s problems you will have to realize how little you know. You must be able to look to the stars, peer through a microscope, gaze at the ocean—and be humbled.

在柏拉图的苏格拉底道歉的出色译文中，苏格拉底在为其指控辩护的过程中，告诉雅典贵族陪审团，他是世界上最睿智的人，比任何被审判的被劫持人都要聪明。

当被问及如何才能如此勇敢地发表这一声明时，苏格拉底说，他是最明智的因为他对世界知之甚少。若果你想要解决世界上的问题，你必须意识到自己的渺小。你必须学会仰望星空，细察尘埃，凝视大海，并且身怀谦虚。

To believe for even a moment that you have all the answers, that you know the truth of the universe, that you are wiser than all the men and women who came before you is the tale of every great man and woman—who amounted to nothing. Only when you are humble, only when you realize the limits of your understanding, the shortfalls of your knowledge, the boundaries of your intellect—only then can you find the answers you are seeking.

即使只是一瞬间你认为自己有了所有事物的答案，知道了宇宙的真相，比所有人类前辈都更聪明，那么，你错了。只有当你谦卑时，只有当你意识到自己理解力的极限，知识的不足，才智的界限时，才可以找到自己想要的答案。

If you are going to save the world you must persevere through the difficult times. Life as a SEAL is all about perseverance. Can you make it through SEAL training without ringing the bell? Can you make it through the long family separations, the exhausting deployments, the loss of a fellow warrior in combat? Sometimes saving the world is just about holding on. Never quitting no matter what obstacles face you.

如果你要拯救世界，则必须在困难时期中坚持不懈。海豹突击队的生活都是与毅力相关的。你能在不打铃的情况下坚持海豹突击队的训练吗？你能否克服漫长的家庭分离，疲惫的部署，失去战斗中的同伴带来的困难和挑战？有时，拯救世界只是在于是否能够坚持下去。无论遇到什么障碍，都不要放弃。

A good friend of mine and a fellow Longhorn from the University of Texas, graduated in 1969 and pursued a career in medicine. His mother had died of Lymphoma when he was eleven and he was obsessed with finding a cure. For decades he pursued an idea that most in the medical field dismissed as fantasy. Could the human body really use its own immune system to fight cancer. He never gave up on his pursuit and in 2018, Dr. Jim Allison was awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine.

我有一个好朋友，他是德克萨斯大学的研究员，他于1969年毕业，并从事医学事业。他的母亲在他11岁时死于淋巴瘤，所以他痴迷于寻找该疾病的治愈方法。

几十年来，他一直奉行着一个想法，即使医学界的绝大多数人都把它当作幻想。他一直在思考人体是否真的可以利用自己的免疫系统来对抗癌症？他从未放弃自己的追求，2018年，这位朋友——吉姆·艾里森（Jim Allison）博士被授予诺贝尔医学奖。

There are the occasional great men and women of science who changed history at an early age, but most discoveries, most achievements, most triumphs are the product of a long and painful process and only the most resolute, the ones that can persevere through the failure, the rejection, the ridicule, the emotional and physical strain of time—those are the ones most likely to save the world.

当然，偶尔也会有科学伟人在很小的时候就改变了历史。但是你会发现，大多数发明，大多数成就，大多数胜利是一个漫长而痛苦的过程的产物。只有最坚决的，可以不断地克服失败、回绝、嘲笑，情感上和生理上因时间流逝而带来压力的人，才是最有可能拯救世界的人。

If you hope to save the world, you must be prepared to sacrifice. The special operation forces are filled with memorials of remarkable men and women who gave their all in the defense of the nation. Medal of Honor recipients like Mike Murphy, Mike Monsoor, John Chapman and Robby Miller. Remarkable women like Ashley White and Jennifer Moreno. The heroes of helicopters Turbine 33 and Extortion 17—SEALs and soldiers who answered the call and never returned. All great Americans who sacrificed their lives so that their teammates might live.

如果你希望拯救世界，则必须准备牺牲。特种作战部队中充斥着为捍卫国家而竭尽全力付出的杰出男性、女性纪念馆。荣誉勋章获得者包括Mike Murphy，Mike Monsoor，John Chapman和Robby Miller, 也有像Ashley White和Jennifer Moreno这样的杰出女性。

直升机Turbine 33和Extortion 17也成为了纪念馆中的英雄，因为使用它们的海豹突击队和士兵们只接听了电话，就再也没有回来。所有为了队友的生命而牺牲的伟大美国人都是英雄。

But, there is a more mundane, yet still essential sacrifice, that is required if you want to save the world. As SEALs we train every day. Long tortuous hours of hard physical pain, ruck sac marches, open ocean swims, miles of running and hours of calisthenics. They are all sacrifices necessary to be ready—when the world needs you.

但是，如果你想拯救世界，则必须付出更为不起眼又必不可少的牺牲。作为海豹突击队的一员，我们每天都会训练。长时间的难以忍受的、剧烈的身体疼痛、负重训练，在海域中游泳，数英里的跑步和数小时的体能训练。这些牺牲都是为了能够更好地帮助你，在世界需要你的时候，挺身而出。

In his time, Thomas Edison developed 1,500 patents. From the electric light, to the phonograph, to the movie camera, to the vacuum diode and the carbon microphone. He saved the world from darkness. But in doing so it required him to work 20 hour days, his home front was often strained, his other business ventures struggled to survive and his health always seemingly in jeopardy.

在那个年代，托马斯·爱迪生（Thomas Edison）发明了1,500项专利。从电灯到留声机，再到电影摄影机，再到真空二极管和碳纤维麦克风。他将世界从黑暗中拯救了出来。但是这样做需要他每天工作20个小时，他的家庭关系非常紧张，他的其他企业难以生存，而他的健康似乎也总是处于危险之中。

It would be easy to stand up here and tell you that there is wondrous place where you can be great at both work… and life, where your efforts to make a difference in the world come easy—but I have never found that place. In the end, if your goal is a noble one, then your sacrifice will be worth it. And you will be proud of what you have accomplished.

我希望我站在这儿，可以很轻易地告诉你，有这样一个奇妙的地方，可以让你在工作和生活两方面都出色，你也可以很轻易地改变世界，但是我从未找到过这个地方。我坚信，如果你的目标是一个崇高的目标，那么你的牺牲是值得的。你将为自己的成就感到自豪。

To save the world, you will have to be men and women of great integrity. Always trying to do what is moral, legal and ethical. It will not be easy and I dare say, you will fail occasionally. You will fail because you are human. You will fail because life often forces you into a seemingly untenable position. You will fail because good and evil are always in conflict.

为了拯救世界，你必须成为非常正直的男性和女性。你只能做道德的、合法的和合乎伦理的事情。我敢肯定地告诉你，这并非易事，你偶尔也会失败。

你会失败，因为你也是人类。你会失败，因为生活常常迫使你陷入看似站不住脚的境地。你将失败，因为善与恶总是处于冲突之中。

And when you fail to uphold your integrity, it should make you sick to your stomach. It should give you sleepless nights. You should be so tortured that you promise yourself never to do it again. You see, being a hero will not be easy. It will not be easy because, you are not men and women of steel, you are not cloaked in a suit of armor, you are not infused with unearthly powers—you are real heroes. And what makes real heroes are their struggles and their ability to overcome them.

当你无法维护自己的正直时，你会感到恶心，你会失眠。你应该遭受这些折磨，以让你能够保证自己不会再犯同样的错误。你知道的，成为英雄并不容易。因为你不是“钢铁侠”，你没有穿着铠甲，你没有超能力。你是真正的英雄，而真正的英雄是经历过了非常多的困难，并且拥有克服困难能力的人。

But no matter how mightily you might struggle, the world will believe in you, follow you, allow themselves to be saved—if they know you to be honest, trustworthy, of good character and good faith. Men and women of integrity.

但是，无论你会经历什么样的困难，只要大家相信你是诚实的，是值得信任的，正直的、真诚的，他们都会相信你，跟随你，让自己被你救赎。

Finally, to save the world, you must have compassion. You must ache for the poor and disenfranchised. You must fear for the vulnerable. You must weep for the ill and infirmed. You must pray for those who are without hope. You must be kind to less fortunate. For what hero gives so much of themselves, without caring for those they are trying to save.

最后，为了拯救世界，你必须具有同情心。你必须为穷人和被剥夺权利的人而感到痛苦；你必须为弱势群体担忧；你必须为病残而虚弱的人哭泣；你必须为那些没有希望的人祈祷；你必须对那些没有你辛运的人更加友善一些。

As we sign off from this virtual commencement, I want you to promise me one thing.

当我们即将结束这个线上的毕业典礼时，我希望你们向我承诺一件事。

Promise me that you will be the last class—the last class to miss a commencement—because of a pandemic. The last class—to miss a commencement—because of war. The last class—to miss a commencement—because of climate change, unrest, tyranny, extremism, active shooters, intolerance and apathy.

向我保证，你将成为最后一届因为流行病而没有办法参加毕业典礼的学生，最后一届因为战争而错过毕业典礼的学生，最后一届因为气候变化、动荡、暴政、极端主义、枪支、不宽容和冷漠而无法参加毕业典礼的毕业生。

Batman and Superman are not coming to save the world. It will be up to you. But never, never in my life, have I been so confident that the fate of the world is in good hands. Go forth and be the heroes we need you to be.

蝙蝠侠和超人不会来拯救世界。世界将取决于你。但是我从来没有像现在这样，能够自信地感受到世界的命运掌握在最好的人们手里。加油吧，成为我们需要你成为的英雄。

Thank you and congratulations!

谢谢，并再次地祝贺你们！

那些有意思的环节

在毕业演讲中

有一个表演环节

敏敏老师的老朋友

才华横溢的

计算机系音乐青年

PomDP the PhD Rapper

在今年的MIT的毕业典礼上

表演自己的RAP

freestyle走起！

有兴趣的同学可以戳链接观看（来源Youtube）

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieUOv1sQPlw

本文由华英教育翻译

原文链接

http://news.mit.edu/2020/william-mcraven-commencement-address-0529

视频链接

https://commencement.mit.edu/webcast