The-Fringe-Benefits-of-Failure-and-the-Importance-

整理文档很辛苦,赏杯茶钱您下走!

免费阅读已结束,点击下载阅读编辑剩下 ...

阅读已结束,您可以下载文档离线阅读编辑

资源描述

TheFringeBenefitsofFailure,andtheImportanceofImaginationHarvardUniversityCommencementAddressJ.K.RowlingTercentenaryTheatre,June5,2008失败的好处和想象力的重要性哈佛大学毕业典礼J.K.罗琳2008年6月5日PresidentFaust,membersoftheHarvardCorporationandtheBoardofOverseers,membersofthefaculty,proudparents,and,aboveall,graduates,福斯特主席,哈佛公司和监察委员会的各位成员,各位老师、家长、全体毕业生们:ThefirstthingIwouldliketosayisthankyou.NotonlyhasHarvardgivenmeanextraordinaryhonour,buttheweeksoffearandnauseaI’veenduredatthethoughtofgivingthiscommencementaddresshavemademeloseweight.Awin-winsituation!NowallIhavetodoistakedeepbreaths,squintattheredbannersandconvincemyselfthatIamattheworld’slargestGryffindors'reunion.首先请允许我说一声谢谢。哈佛不仅给了我无上的荣誉,连日来为这个演讲经受的恐惧和紧张,更令我减肥成功。这真是一个双赢的局面。现在我要做的就是深呼吸几下,眯着眼睛看看前面的大红横幅,安慰自己正在世界上最大的魔法学院聚会上。Deliveringacommencementaddressisagreatresponsibility;orsoIthoughtuntilIcastmymindbacktomyowngraduation.ThecommencementspeakerthatdaywasthedistinguishedBritishphilosopherBaronessMaryWarnock.Reflectingonherspeechhashelpedmeenormouslyinwritingthisone,becauseitturnsoutthatIcan'trememberasinglewordshesaid.ThisliberatingdiscoveryenablesmetoproceedwithoutanyfearthatImightinadvertentlyinfluenceyoutoabandonpromisingcareersinbusiness,laworpoliticsforthegiddydelightsofbecomingagaywizard.发表毕业演说是一个巨大的责任,至少在我回忆自己当年的毕业典礼前是这么认为的。那天做演讲的是英国著名的哲学家BaronessMaryWarnock,对她演讲的回忆,对我写今天的演讲稿,产生了极大的帮助,因为我不记得她说过的任何一句话了。这个发现让我释然,让我不再担心我可能会无意中影响你放弃在商业,法律或政治上的大好前途,转而醉心于成为一个快乐的魔法师。Yousee?Ifallyourememberinyearstocomeisthe'gaywizard'joke,I'vestillcomeoutaheadofBaronessMaryWarnock.Achievablegoals-thefirststeptoself-improvement.你们看,如果在若干年后你们还记得“快乐的魔法师”这个笑话,那就证明我已经超越了BaronessMaryWarnock。建立可实现的目标——这是提高自我的第一步。Actually,IhavewrackedmymindandheartforwhatIoughttosaytoyoutoday.IhaveaskedmyselfwhatIwishIhadknownatmyowngraduation,andwhatimportantlessonsIhavelearnedinthe21yearsthathasexpiredbetweenthatdayandthis.实际上,我为今天应该和大家谈些什么绞尽了脑汁。我问自己什么是我希望早在毕业典礼上就该了解的,而从那时起到现在的21年间,我又得到了什么重要的启示。Ihavecomeupwithtwoanswers.Onthiswonderfuldaywhenwearegatheredtogethertocelebrateyouracademicsuccess,Ihavedecidedtotalktoyouaboutthebenefitsoffailure.Andasyoustandonthethresholdofwhatissometimescalled'reallife',Iwanttoextolthecrucialimportanceofimagination.我想到了两个答案。在这美好的一天,当我们一起庆祝你们取得学业成就的时刻,我希望告诉你们失败有什么样的益处;在你们即将迈向“现实生活”的道路之际,我还要褒扬想象力的重要性。Thesemayseemquixoticorparadoxicalchoices,butbearwithme.这些似乎是不切实际或自相矛盾的选择,但请先容我讲完。Lookingbackatthe21-year-oldthatIwasatgraduation,isaslightlyuncomfortableexperienceforthe42-year-oldthatshehasbecome.Halfmylifetimeago,IwasstrikinganuneasybalancebetweentheambitionIhadformyself,andwhatthoseclosesttomeexpectedofme.回顾21岁刚刚毕业时的自己,对于今天42岁的我来说,是一个稍微不太舒服的经历。可以说,我人生的前一部分,一直挣扎在自己的雄心和身边的人对我的期望之间。IwasconvincedthattheonlythingIwantedtodo,ever,wastowritenovels.However,myparents,bothofwhomcamefromimpoverishedbackgroundsandneitherofwhomhadbeentocollege,tooktheviewthatmyoveractiveimaginationwasanamusingpersonalquirkthatcouldneverpayamortgage,orsecureapension.我一直深信,自己唯一想做的事情,就是写小说。不过,我的父母,他们都来自贫穷的背景,没有任何一人上过大学,坚持认为我过度的想象力是一个令人惊讶的个人怪癖,根本不足以让我支付按揭,或者取得足够的养老金。Iknowtheironystrikeslikewiththeforceofacartoonanvilnow,but…我现在明白反讽就像用卡通铁砧去打击你,但...TheyhadhopedthatIwouldtakeavocationaldegree;IwantedtostudyEnglishLiterature.Acompromisewasreachedthatinretrospectsatisfiednobody,andIwentuptostudyModernLanguages.Hardlyhadmyparents'carroundedthecornerattheendoftheroadthanIditchedGermanandscuttledoffdowntheClassicscorridor.他们希望我去拿个职业学位,而我想去攻读英国文学。最后,达成了一个双方都不甚满意的妥协:我改学现代语言。可是等到父母一走开,我立刻放弃了德语而报名学习古典文学。IcannotremembertellingmyparentsthatIwasstudyingClassics;theymightwellhavefoundoutforthefirsttimeongraduationday.Ofallthesubjectsonthisplanet,IthinktheywouldhavebeenhardputtonameonelessusefulthanGreekmythologywhenitcametosecuringthekeystoanexecutivebathroom.我不记得将这事告诉了父母,他们可能是在我毕业典礼那一天才发现的。我想,在全世界的所有专业中,他们也许认为,不会有比研究希腊神话更没用的专业了,根本无法换来一间独立宽敞的卫生间。Iwouldliketomakeitclear,inparenthesis,thatIdonotblamemyparentsfortheirpointofview.Thereisanexpirydateonblamingyourparentsforsteeringyouinthewrongdirection;themomentyouareoldenoughtotakethewheel,responsibilitylieswithyou.Whatismore,IcannotcriticisemyparentsforhopingthatIwouldneverexperiencepoverty.Theyhadbeenpoorthemselves,andIhavesincebeenpoor,andIquiteagreewiththemthatitisnotanennoblingexperience.Povertyentailsfear,andstress,andsometimesdepression;itmeansathousandpettyhumiliationsandhardships.Climbingoutofpovertybyyourownefforts,thatisindeedsomethingonwhichtoprideyourself,butpovertyitselfisromanticisedonlybyfools.我想澄清一下:我不会因为父母的观点,而责怪他们。埋怨父母给你指错方向是有一个时间段的。当你成长到可以控制自我方向的时候,你就要自己承担责任了。尤其是,我不会因为父母希望我不要过穷日子,而责怪他们。他们一直很贫穷,我后来也一度很穷,所以我很理解他们。贫穷并不是一种高贵的经历,它带来恐惧、压力、有时还有绝望,它意味着许许多多的羞辱和艰辛。靠自己的努力摆脱贫穷,确实可以引以自豪,但贫穷本身只有对傻瓜而言才是浪漫的。WhatIfearedmostformyselfatyouragewasnotpoverty,butfailure.我在你们这个年龄,最害怕的不是贫穷,而是失败。Atyourage,inspiteofadistinctlackofmotivationatuniversity,whereIhadspentfartoolonginthecoffeebarwritingstories,andfartoolittletimeatlectures,Ihadaknackforpassingexaminations,andthat,foryears,hadbeenthemeasureofsuccessinmylifeandthatofmypeers.我在您们这么大时,明显缺乏在大学学习的动力,我花了太久时间在咖啡吧写故事,而在课堂的时间却很少。我有一个通过考试的诀窍,并且数年间一直让

1 / 7
下载文档,编辑使用

©2015-2020 m.777doc.com 三七文档.

备案号:鲁ICP备2024069028号-1 客服联系 QQ:2149211541

×
保存成功