Because You Care
Commencement Address
Xiamen University Tan Kah Kee College
June 24, 2012-6-21
By
Stephen Ling
Professor, Tan Kah Kee College

   President Wang, Vice-presidents, members of the faculty, dear parents and graduates,

   Giving a commencement speech, on behalf of our faculty, is a great honor and a heavy responsibility. I come to you with some fear and trembling.

   Because in the western tradition, only someone like Bill Gates or a distinguished, wealthy alumnus would be invited to give such a speech, hoping to inspire all of you to do great things for the society or the world in the days and years to come.

   I am not sure you will remember anything your professors had taught you the last 4 years. I never did. I hope you will. I am not sure you will remember every word I am going to say to you today.

   Here are two stories and both took place in this very campus.

   One day，I saw Martin and I knew there and then he needed a pair of eye glasses so he could see well. I took him to a shop near the North Gate and in a few minutes he was wearing a pair of new glasses. In a short email to me, he said, “Dear Steve, thank you so much for caring about me. Now I can see clearly the power-point in my classes.” This student will be going to America in late August to study for his PhD.

   For days I would watch Xiang Biao, from a distance, happily hopping with only one leg from his dormitory to his classes, on a wooden crutch his father had made for him since he lost a leg when he was a child. Students told me he loved to play basketball with them. Later I heard from his cousin brother Xiang Biao could climb mountains with only one leg. I arranged to meet him and told him it was critically important for him to walk with 2 legs if he wanted a promising future in modern China. With the generosity of my two doctor friends in Australia, we were able to give Xiang Biao a prosthetic leg. He is now walking with 2 legs. This student will be going to do his postgraduate studies at Beihang University in late August.

   The news about Xiang Biao spread quickly in the campus when the story appeared in a national student magazine—China Campus, and in Common Talk, a Xiamen English weekly newspaper. Students would say this to me: “Thank you for doing this for Xiang Biao. I wish I had done something for him but I was busy studying. I hope some day I could do something to help others.”

   I said simply: “That someday might never come again. If you see someone in need, just do it.” I did it because I care for my students.

   So, what do you care the most now after graduation?

   For some of you, it is
   getting married,
   finding the best jobs,
   going overseas for further education, or
   trying to make sense of your education.

   For many, it is this strong inner desire to make lots of money!

   There are more millionaires in China today than anywhere in the world. The most expensive cars and luxury items in the world are sold in China. We see many luxurious villas being built not far from our campus.

   Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, was invited to give a commencement speech at his alma mater—Harvard University. He talked about how “the computers today are exposing us to people we would never know or meet and how many are facing problems, diseases and difficulties in their lives.” He challenged the Harvard professors, students, graduates and guests to do something to better the lives of those we might never meet…

   Many students, in their personal statements to foreign universities, express an ambitious desire “when I finish my graduate studies, I want to return to China and contribute something to my country.” Yes, what are we doing with all our knowledge, wealth and experiences? 

   We hope all of you will share with us, your alma mater Tan Kah Kee College, every now and then, your life, work and adventure, your small and big contributions to inspire others now trying to walk in your footsteps.

   We hope in the near future, Tan Kah Kee College will invite you to return to give this commencement speech and talk gloriously about what you did to make this world a better place because you care.

   You have only one chance to live this life, make the best of it, because you care!

中文译稿：

因为你们珍爱

尊敬的王瑞芳院长，鲁同安常务副书记、副院长，雷锐生副院长，
尊敬的各位同仁们，
尊敬的家长和毕业生同学们：

　　你们好！

　　作为教师代表在毕业典礼上发言，既让我感到无比荣幸，也让我感到肩负重任，同时，也让我略感紧张。因为，按照西方的传统，在毕业典礼上发表演讲的是像比尔·盖茨这样的杰出人物。但希望我今天所说的，能够激励毕业生们在不远的将来，为社会、为世界做出你们的贡献！

　　不知道你们是否还记得厦门大学嘉庚学院的老师们给你们的教诲？我希望你们能够记得。希望有一些同学能够记得我今天的发言。

　　首先，我想分享发生在我们校园里的几个故事。

　　我认识一名叫Martin的同学。我发现他的眼睛度数不够导致看不清东西，我便带他去北区买了一副新的眼镜，后来他在一封简短的邮件里对我说：“谢谢老师的关心，我现在上课能看淸PPT了。”这个同学今年八月底就要去美国攻读博士学位了。

　　还有一位同学叫Xiang Biao，我看到他每天靠着他父亲给他做的木拐杖，用自己仅有的一条腿往返于教室和寝室之间。他喜欢和别的同学一起打篮球，还可以靠着自己仅有的一条腿爬山。我怀着好奇心和他见了面。我告诉他：如果他能像正常人一样走路，他将会有一个更美好的未来。后来，在我的两个澳大利亚医生朋友的帮助下，我们成功地给他装上了假肢。现在他可以用两条腿行走了。在今年八月底，他将去北京航空航天大学攻读硕士学位。

　　一些学生知道了Xiang Biao的事情后对我说：“谢谢老师您对他的帮助，我也希望我能为他做些什么，但是繁重的课业让我只能专注于学习，我希望有一天，我也能无私地帮助别人”。 我笑着告诉他: “这个所谓的 ‘有一天’可能永远也不会到来，如果你看到了需要帮助的人，那就请立刻伸出你的援手为他们做一些事！我这样做，是因为我关爱我的学生。”

　　同学们，毕业之后，你们认为什么最重要呢？美满的婚姻、一份好工作、出国深造，或者学以致用呢？大多数人可能渴望获得财富。现在，中国的百万富翁比世界上任何国家的都多，在中国，有人买下了世界上最昂贵的豪车，各种奢侈品充斥着中国市场。就在校园外面，我们能看到那些漂亮的别墅正在拔地而起。

　　微软公司的创始人比尔·盖茨曾受自己的母校哈佛大学之邀在毕业典礼上为毕业生做演讲。他说：“通过电脑，我们可以接触到很多我们从未谋面的人，也让我们知道他们所面临的问题、疾病以及各种困难。”他号召哈佛大学的全体师生去为那些从未谋面的人做出一些贡献。

　　很多同学在申请出国留学的个人陈述上都表达过这样的愿望：学成后归国，为祖国做出贡献。想一想，我们能用自己的知识、财富和经验来做什么？我希望从今以后，你们能和母校，厦门大学嘉庚学院，分享关于你们的一切，不管是工作、生活或是生命中的一些冒险，以及你们为他人、社会做出的或大或小的贡献。

　　我希望在不远的将来，嘉庚学院会邀请你们回到母校，站在毕业典礼的圣殿里，骄傲地告诉你们的学弟学妹自己为这个世界做出了什么贡献！生命只有一次，希望大家珍惜美好的时光，奉献自己的价值！

Stephen Ling
英语系
2012年6月24日