歐巴馬對高中畢業生的演講:把事情搞砸 別找藉口

歐巴馬勉勵學子：把事情搞砸 別找藉口 | 國際萬象 | 全球觀察 | 聯合新聞網
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（美聯社）美國總統歐巴馬七日應邀到密西根州卡拉馬祖中央高中畢業典禮致詞，勉勵畢業生努力追求夢想，遇到挫折不要找藉口逃避責任。

歐巴馬期勉二百八十名畢業生：「別找藉口…事實是無論你多努力，未必就能在每個班上都拿第一名或每項工作都成功。有時候你會把事情搞砸，傷害到你喜愛的人，背離最堅信的價值。這時候，全天下最容易的事就是找替罪羔羊。教授太嚴厲，老闆很機車，教練真偏心，死黨不了解你，老婆…呃，這個我會和蜜雪兒討論。我們在華盛頓天天看到這種事情，人們在電視上互相謾罵，指控來指控去。」

歐巴馬說：「你們的社區很容易就會步上後塵。藉口一堆：子女比較沒優勢，學校比較沒資源，怎麼跟別人拚？你們可以指責他人，指責家長，指責教師，指責校長，指責學監，甚至指責政府。但你們沒有這樣做。反而，各位團結一致，決心要做得更好，更加督促子女，讓他們的心胸更開闊。我想，新世紀的優秀高中該具備哪些要素，美國可以向卡拉馬祖高中學到許多東西；但最重要的元素是各位。」

全美超過一千所高中參加「畢業典禮比賽」，爭取歐巴馬到畢業典禮致詞。比賽由十七萬人對參賽學校的錄影和文章進行投票。經過初選和複選，擁有一千七百多名學生的卡拉馬祖高中等三所高中進入決選，白宮決定卡拉馬祖高中勝出。白宮指出，該校畢業率超過八成，學習成績大幅進步，還開設文化多元的課程。

歐巴馬鼓勵畢業生繼續追求卓越，也可考慮從事公職：「沒有什麼是你們完成不了的，也許我現在只是幫各位暫代職務。」




Full text: President Obama's speech at Kalamazoo Central commencement
Published: Monday, June 07, 2010, 8:47 PM Updated: Monday, June 07, 2010, 10:17 PM
Kalamazoo Gazette staff
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Remarks of President Barack Obama for the Kalamazoo Central High School commencement:

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, everybody. Please be seated. Hello, Giants. (Applause.) It is good -- it is good to be here, and congratulations Class of 2010. (Applause.) I am honored to be part of this special occasion.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: We love you!

THE PRESIDENT: And I love you back. (Applause.) Let me acknowledge your extraordinary governor, Jennifer Granholm. (Applause.) Superintendent Rice, thank you for your inspiring words. (Applause.) Your mayor, Bobby Hopewell, who I understand is a proud Kalamazoo graduate himself. (Applause.)


View full sizeAP PhotoPresident Barack Obama Thanks to Principal Washington for -- (applause) -- not just for the warm introduction, but for his enthusiasm and his energy and his leadership and his nice singing voice. (Laughter.) Thank you. To all the trustees, to the alumni, to the parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins -- everybody who’s been a part of this extraordinary place. (Applause.)

And I want to recognize our student speakers. Cindy, who embodies the best of our traditions in this country -- arrived three or four years ago and graduates as the valedictorian -- this is what is continually replenishing the energy and the dynamism and the innovation of this country, and we could not be prouder of you. Thank you. (Applause.) And to Simon, I’m glad that, according to the Constitution, you can’t run till you’re 35. (Laughter and applause.) So I’ll be long gone by then. (Laughter.) But it gives me great confidence to know that we’ve got such incredible young leaders who are going to be remaking the world in so many different ways.

Now, recently, an article from your local paper, the Kalamazoo Gazette -- (applause) -- was brought to my attention. And it ran just after this school had been chosen as one of the six finalists in our Race to the Top Commencement Challenge. And for those who aren’t aware of it, this is a contest to highlight schools that promote academic excellence, personal responsibility and that best prepare students for college and careers. And this article in the Gazette quoted a young lady named Kelsey Wilson -- (applause.) Where is -- is Kelsey here? She right over there? (Applause.) Anyway --

AUDIENCE MEMBERS: She’s here.

THE PRESIDENT: She’s over there? Hey, Kelsey. How are you? (Laughter.)

So Kelsey was quoted as saying, “We’re the kind of school that never gets credit for what we do. And our school is amazing.” This is what Kelsey said, “Our school is amazing.”


View full sizeGazette filePrincipal Von Washington hugs Kalamazoo Central junior Kelsey Wilson his office after finding out that Kalamazoo Central High School is among the three finalists in the contest to have President Obama come and speak at next month's commencement ceremony. Well, Kelsey, Class of 2010, members of the Kalamazoo community, I’m here tonight because after three rounds of competition, with more than a thousand schools, and more than 170,000 votes cast, I know -- and America knows -- what you’ve done at Kalamazoo Central. You are amazing! (Applause.) We know. We know. (Applause.) Our amazing Secretary of Education Arne Duncan knows. (Applause.) Folks in Washington know, folks across the country know, and hopefully after tonight, everybody knows.

Now, together as a community, you’ve embraced the motto of this school district: “Every child, every opportunity, every time.” (Applause.) Every time. Every child, every opportunity, every time, because you believe, like I do, that every young person, every child -- regardless of what they look like, where they come from, how much money their parents have -- every child who walks through your schoolhouse doors deserves a quality education. No exceptions. (Applause.)

And I’m here tonight because I think that America has a lot to learn from Kalamazoo Central about what makes for a successful school in this new century. (Applause.) You’ve got educators raising standards and then inspiring their students to meet them. You’ve got community members who are stepping up as tutors and mentors and coaches. You got parents who are taking an active interest in their child’s education -- attending those teacher conferences, yes, turning off the TV once in a while, making sure homework gets done.

Arne Duncan is here tonight because these are the values, these are the changes that he’s encouraging in every school in this nation. It’s the key to our future.

But the most important ingredient is you: students who raised your sights, who aimed high, who invested yourselves in your own success. It’s no accident that so many of you have received college admissions letters, Class of 2010. That didn’t happen by accident. It happened because you worked for it. As the superintendent said, you earned it.

So, Kelsey, I agree with you. What you’ve done here at Kalamazoo Central is amazing. (Applause.) I am proud of you. Your parents are proud of you. Your teachers, your principal -- we’re all incredibly proud.

Now, graduates, all these folks around you, I have to say, though, with the cameras and the beaming smiles -- they’ve worked hard to give you everything you need to pursue your dreams and fulfill your God-given talent. Unfortunately, you can’t take them with you when you leave here. (Laughter.) No one is going to go follow you around making sure that you’re getting to class on time, making sure you’re doing your work. Nobody is going to be doing that for you. Going forward, that’s all on you -- responsibility for your success is squarely on your shoulders.

And the question I have for you today is this: What is each -- what are each of you going to do to meet that responsibility?

Now, right now you’re getting plenty of advice from everybody. Some of it’s helpful. (Laughter.) And so I hate to pile on with advice. But while I’m here -- (laughter) -- what the heck. (Laughter.) I figure I should offer a few thoughts based on my own experiences, but also based on my hopes for all of you, and for our country, in the years ahead.

First, understand that your success in life won’t be determined just by what’s given to you, or what happens to you, but by what you do with all that’s given to you; what you do with all that happens to you; how hard you try; how far you push yourself; how high you’re willing to reach. True excellence only comes with perseverance.

This wasn’t something I really understood when I was back your age. My father, some of you know, left my family when I was two years old. I was raised by a single mom and my grandparents. (Applause.) And sometimes I had a tendency to goof off. As my mother put it, I had a tendency sometimes to act a bit casual about my future. (Laughter.) Sometimes I was rebellious. Sometimes I partied a little too much. (Applause.) Oh, yes, yes, this is a cautionary tale. (Laughter.) Don’t be cheering when I say that. (Laughter.) Studied just enough to get by. I thought hard work, responsibility, that’s old-fashioned. That’s just people want to tell me what to do.

But after a few years, after I was living solely on my own and I realized that living solely for my own entertainment wasn’t so entertaining anymore, that it wasn’t particularly satisfying anymore, that I didn’t seem to be making much of a ripple in the world, I started to change my tune. I realized that by refusing to apply myself, there was nothing I could point to that I was proud of that would last.

Now, you come of an age in a popular culture that actually reinforces this approach to life. You watch TV, and basically what it says is you can be rich and successful without much effort; you just have to become a celebrity. (Laughter.) If you can achieve some reality TV notoriety, that’s better than lasting achievement. We live in a culture that tells you there’s a quick fix for every problem and a justification for every selfish desire. And all of you were raised with cell phones and iPods, and texting and emails, and you’re able to call up a fact, or a song, or a friend with the click of a button. So you’re used to instant gratification.

But meaningful achievement, lasting success -- it doesn’t happen in an instant. It’s not about luck, it’s not about a sudden stroke of genius. It’s not usually about talent. It’s usually about daily effort, the large choices and the small choices that you make that add up over time. It’s about the skills you build, and the knowledge you accumulate, and the energy you invest in every task, no matter how trivial or menial it may seem at the time.

You’ve got an alum who plays for the Yankees, I hear. He’s supposed to be pretty good. (Applause.) Now, Derek Jeter wasn’t born playing shortstop for the Yankees. He got there through years of effort. And his high school baseball coach once remarked, “I’m surprised he still doesn’t have blisters and that I don’t have the blisters on my hands from hitting ground balls just for Derek.” He always wanted more: ‘How about one more turn in the batting cage? Or 25 more ground balls?’”

Thomas Edison tested more than 6,000 different materials for just one tiny part of the light bulb that he invented. Think about that -- 6,000 tests. J.K. Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was rejected 12 times before it was finally published. Mozart was a musical prodigy, but he practiced for hours each day -- accumulating thousands of hours at the piano by the time he was just six years old. I understand that your boys’ basketball team did pretty good. (Applause.) First state champions for the first time in 59 years. That didn’t happen by accident. They put in work. They put in effort.

So, today, you all have a rare and valuable chance to pursue your own passions, chase your own dreams without incurring a mountain of debt. What an incredible gift. So you’ve got no excuse for giving anything less than your best effort. (Applause.) No excuses.

That’s my second piece of advice, very simple: Don’t make excuses. Take responsibility not just for your successes; take responsibility where you fall short as well.

Now, the truth is, no matter how hard you work, you’re not going to ace every class -- well, maybe Cindy will, but -- (laughter.) But you’re not going to ace every class. You’re not going to succeed the first time you try something. There are going to be times when you screw up. There will be times where you hurt people you love. There will be times where you make a mistake and you stray from the values that you hold most deeply.

And when that happens, it’s the easiest thing in the world to start looking around for somebody else to blame. Your professor was too hard; your boss was a jerk; the coaches -- was playing favorites; your friend just didn’t understand. Your wife -- oh, no. (Laughter.) I’m just messing with Michelle right there. (Laughter.) That was all in fun. (Laughter.)

No, but this is an easy habit to get into. You see it every day in Washington -- every day -- folks calling each other names, making all sorts of accusations on television. Everybody is always pointing a finger at somebody else. You notice that?

Now, this community could have easily gone down that road. This community could have made excuses -- well, our kids have fewer advantages, our schools have fewer resources -- how can we compete? You could have spent years pointing fingers -- blaming parents, blaming teachers, blaming the principal, blaming the superintendent, blaming the President. (Laughter and applause.)

But that’s -- Class of 2010, I want you to pay attention on this because that’s not what happened. Instead, this community was honest with itself about where you were falling short. You resolved to do better, push your kids harder, open their minds wider, expose them to all kinds of ideas and people and experiences.

So, graduates, I hope you’ll continue those efforts. Don’t make excuses. And I hope that wherever you go, you won’t narrow the broad intellectual and social exposure you’ve had here at Kalamazoo Central -- instead, seek to expand it. Don’t just hang out with people who look like you, or go to the same church you do, or share your political views. Broaden your circle to include people with different backgrounds and life experiences. Because that’s how you’ll end up learning what it’s like to walk in somebody else’s shoes. (Applause.) That’s how you’ll come to understand the challenges other people face.

And this is not just an academic exercise. It’s a way to broaden your ambit of concern and learn to see yourselves in each other.

Which brings me to my final piece of advice for today, and that’s to give back, to be part of something bigger than yourselves. Hitch your wagon to something that is bigger than yourselves.

I know that so many of you have already served your community through efforts like your Stuff the Bus food drives and groups like Activists for Action. And I commend you for that. (Applause.)

But I also know that many of you are the first in your family to go to college. And right about now, you may be feeling all the weight of their hopes and expectations coming down on your shoulders.

And once you start juggling those classes and activities and that campus job, and you get caught up in your own dreams and your own anxieties and dating -- (laughter) -- you may feel like you’ve got enough on your plate just dealing with your own life. It might be easier to turn the channel when the news disturbs you, to avert your eyes when you pass that homeless man on the street, to tell yourself that other people’s problems really aren’t your responsibility.

But just think about what the consequence of that approach to life would have been if that’s how folks had acted here in this community. What if those Kalamazoo Promise donors had said to themselves, “Well, you know what, I can pay for my own kid’s education. Why should I have to pay for somebody else’s?”

Think about the consequences for our country. What if our Founding Fathers had said, “You know, colonialism is kind of oppressive, but I’m doing okay, my family’s doing all right, why should I spend my summer in Philadelphia arguing about a Constitution?”

What if those abolitionists, those civil right workers had said, “You know, slavery is wrong, segregation is wrong, but it’s kind of dangerous to get mixed up in that stuff. I don’t have time for all those meetings and marches. I think I’m going to take a pass. I hope it works out, but that’s not something I want to do.”

I want you to think for a minute about the extraordinary men and women who’ve worn our country’s uniform and have given their last full measure of devotion to keep us safe and free. (Applause.) What if they said -- what if they said, “I really do love this country, but why should I sacrifice so much for people I’ve never even met?” Young men and women in uniform right now making those sacrifices. (Applause.)

So you and I are here today because those people made a different choice. They chose to step up. They chose to serve. And I hope you will follow their example, because there is work to be done, and your country needs you. We’ve got an economy to rebuild. We’ve got children to educate. We’ve got diseases to cure. We’ve got threats to face. We’ve got an oil spill to clean up. (Applause.) We’ve got clean energy to discover. And it is going to be up to you to meet all of those challenges -- to build industries and make discoveries and inspire the next generation. It’s going to be up to you to heal the divide that continues to afflict our world.

Now, I’m not saying you got to do it here all at once. But as Theodore Roosevelt once put it, I’m asking you to “Do what you can, with what you’ve got, where you are.” And I can guarantee that wherever your journey takes you, there are going to be children who need mentors and senior citizens who need assistance, folks down on their luck who could use a helping hand.

And once you’ve reached out and formed those connections, you’ll find it’s a little harder to numb yourself to other people’s suffering. It’s a little harder to ignore the national debates about the issues that affect their lives and yours.

In the end, service binds us to each other -- and to our communities and our country -- in a way that nothing else can. It’s how we become more fully American.

That’s the reason those donors created the Kalamazoo Promise in the first place -- not for recognition or reward, but because of their connection to this community; because their belief in your potential; because their faith that you would use this gift not just to enrich your own lives, but the lives of others and the life of the nation. (Applause.)

And I’m told that soon after the Promise was established, a first grader approached the superintendent at the time and declared to her: “I’m going to college.” First grader. “I’m going to college. I don’t know what it is, but I’m going.” (Laughter and applause.)

We may never know those donors’ names, but we know how they helped bring this community together and how you’ve embraced their Promise not just as a gift to be appreciated, but a responsibility to be fulfilled. We know how they have helped inspire an entire generation of young people here in Kalamazoo to imagine a different future for themselves.

And graduates, today, I’m asking you to pay them back by seeking to have the same kind of impact with your own lives; by pursuing excellence in everything you do; by serving this country that you love. (Applause.)

I know that you can do it. After all, you are the Giants -- (applause) -- and with the education you’ve gotten here, there’s nothing you can’t do.

Thank you very much, everybody. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America. (Applause.) And God bless the Class of 2010. (Applause.)

無常迅速

昨天才無意間在網路上認識蔡壁名教授,並聆聽了她的一個多小時演講,深感自己的不知努力上進,馬齒徒長,並發願每天一定要看兩頁以上的傷寒雜病論,今天忙了一天,包完病人的中藥己是夜半,想多認識這位優秀的老師,網路上並不容易找到她較新的消息,找了半天竟是她得了癌症,而且可能己仙逝,得年僅43!怎麼還沒開始就結束了,唉!

學中醫的人可以聽聽她的這場演講:
如何與莊周、仲景相遇 - 漫談醫、道經典讀書法


前幾天女兒傳訊息要我買一本書，才確認蔡教授還活得好好的 (其實之前在台大中文系的師資名單也都還有她, 只是會懷疑有些網頁是永遠沒更新的


推薦他的新書, 真的值得一讀

正是時候讀莊子：莊子的姿勢、意識與感情

2010年,又是忙碌的一年

天行健,君子以自強不息. 我的名字己說明了我的人生走向了
元月一日之前的一個半小時,下班後從三峽獨自開車到金山的水田園溫泉農場,趕去參加金敏分校辦的跨年活動,開了一個多小時的車,總算及時趕到,金敏的家長和老師們都很熱烈的參與班親會的活動.放完煙火,和這一群老朋友與新朋友喝茶聊天,不覺已是一點多了,還是要開車回三峽,因為白天還要上班,回家途中在二點二十分先到永寧站接昭穎,她是和附中儀隊的同學在總統府附近跨年的.這時,文英和小寶小貝才剛從忠孝復興站坐上公車要到警政署坐林老師的車回家.所以這個跨年,到四點多才睡,這似乎比年輕時還熱血.
早上七點多還是要起床去上班,中午下班又趕到西蓮淨苑幫幾位法師看診.快速的包完藥,又開車到北醫做實驗去了,這次養的細胞竟然大多還活著,也就是說年假這幾天每天都要到學校做實驗了.收拾好實驗室,又要趕快回家,因為晚上還有幾個約診的病人.看診中間空檔還要切蛋糕,慶祝我今天生日,沒幾個病人也看到九點多.才結束了忙碌的一天.
而這一天也意味著未來的一年依舊忙碌.

還是忙

12月11日,上午6:00~7:15陸續讓三個小孩吃完早餐的稀飯出門去上學,我才能準備要出診的中藥去上班.
所以上班還是遲到了數分鐘,近11:30,岳父母又帶兩個朋友來看診,所以又忙到12:25才能出發到北醫上課,(課後竟然還有小考!)上完課還去實驗室換培養液,這次換了小的培養盒,脂肪細胞長的還不錯,匆匆趕回淨苑看幾個人,才驚覺肚子好餓,向法師要了一塊素糕,這時已是下午5:00,打電話回家,要小寶先做一道菜(煎起士蛋),還好早上已預約煮好晚飯,我回到家再炒個青菜,加上現成的魯豆干及素肉臊,美味的晚餐就上桌了,最歡喜阿秀(小寶的同學)到我家一起吃飯,每道菜都很可口,連平常食慾不佳的小寶也很快吃完一碗飯,四個人飯菜全部吃光光,才載他們去上武術課,接著還要處理晚上的病人,最終還是來不及去接小孩回家(讓他們坐公車回來也不錯)
還有下周的seminar 沒有時間準備!明天再說吧!

忙

今年的選字,對我而言就是這個忙字了.
12月1日起,內人因轉換工作而有二十幾天的假期,我就建議她去參加內觀十日禪,昨天起程閉關去了!
而我呢,因為忙不完的雜事與正事,終於感冒而且病邪內裏,可是還是不能休息,昨晚,小貝的功課依舊是沒有寫完,為了督促他的功課,我也不能早睡,所以今天閙鐘雖然從四點多,五點多叫了幾次,我還是想多躺一會兒,驚醒時已是6:20,想不到天色仍是暗的,趕緊叫三個小孩起床,雖然晚了點,還是要吃早餐,才發現我仍是煮了五人份,也添了五碗稀飯,只好把多的一碗大家分一些,還好全部吃完(小寶有吃完嗎?,因為我先出門了所以不知道)
小貝有準時坐上免費公車, 我載者昭穎到附中,車况還不錯,雖然6:50才出發,竟然7:25就到了,

還有一堆未完成的事,我仍要向前行,不要再來不及了!

放暑假

小孩們放暑假了,可是課程排的比平常還滿,到處會衝堂呢!
基本上星期一到五早上六點至七點半游泳, 下午二點到五點英文課(老大原本不願意上,後來還是上三點半到六點半的英文),晚上六點半到九點武術課,
而平常課外的鋼琴,美術,及珠心算仍持續上,暑假不休息,樂團又增加了每周兩次的團練,
還有不定期的夏令營隊......暑假真是忙呢!
而且每天五點半就要起床,這半個月來,雖然大多天是遲到的,比起去年則還是有些進步的,

今天我五點之前就起床了,煮了稀飯,才叫老婆大人及公子公主們起床,
到了游泳池,我們這些孝順子女的父母們也該做點運動,幾個人繞著泳池的外圍快走數圈,邊走可以邊聊天,對心肺功能的增進是蠻有效的,至少兩星期下來,體力是有進步的.

誰說山上的小學沒有競爭力?

6月19日是今年高中申請入學報到的日子, Amy和Jamie這兩個同班已九年的小女生又同樣考取師大附中,所以約好了一起到學校報到,昨晚還約了同為插角國小畢業,考上建中的Eric, 這三個小朋友在八年多以前不約而同的被父母送到台北縣三峽鎮山裏的插角國小求學,這樣的反向操作,讓他們過著快樂悠閒的童年.
由Jamie 爸爸開車,途中又碰到考上成功高中的Willy, Willy是小學二年級才轉到插角的, 記得二年級時,他們班剩下十個小朋友,所以這一班可真是利害.
就這樣,四個考上前三志願的國小同班的同學,同車由三峽開往台北巿,展開全新的高中生涯.