做自己尊重的人｜十年前今天的毕业典礼致辞

做自己尊重的人

北京大学 2015年 本科生毕业典礼

教师代表致辞

在祝福裹着告诫呼啸而来的毕业季，请原谅我不敢祝愿每一位毕业生都成功、都幸福；

因为历史不幸地记载着有人成功的代价是丧失良知，幸福的代价是损害他人。

从物理学来说，无机的原子逆热力学第二定律出现生物是奇迹；

从生物学来说，按进化规律产生遗传信息指导组装人类是奇迹。

超越化学反应结果的每一位毕业生都是值得珍惜的奇迹；

超越动物欲望总和的每一位毕业生都应做自己尊重的人。

过去、现在、将来，能够完全知道个人行为和思想的只有自己；

世界很多文化借助宗教信仰来指导人们生活的信念和世俗行为；

而对无神论者——也就是中国大多数人——来说，自我尊重是重要的正道。

在你们加入社会后看到各种离奇现象，知道自己更多弱点和缺陷，可能还遇到大灾小难后，如何在诱惑和艰难中保持人性的尊严、赢得自己的尊重并非易事，但却很值得。

这不是：

自恋、自大、自负、自夸、自欺、自闭、自缚、自怜；

而是：

自信、自豪、自量、自知、自省、自赎、自勉、自强。

自尊支撑

         自由的精神、

                       自主的工作、

                                     自在的生活。

我祝愿：

      退休之日，你觉得职业中的自己值得尊重；

      迟暮之年，你感到生活中的自己值得尊重。

不要问我如何做到，50年后返校时告诉母校你如何做到：

在你所含全部原子再度按热力学第二定律回归自然之前，

           它们

既经历过物性的神奇，

也产生过人性的可爱。

2015年7月12日

做自己尊重的人

--北大2015年毕业典礼教师代表致辞

在祝福裹着告诫呼啸而来的毕业季，请原谅我不敢祝愿每一位毕业生都成功、都幸福；因为历史不幸地记载着有人成功的代价是丧失良知，幸福的代价是损害他人。

从物理学来说，无机的原子逆热力学第二定律出现生物是奇迹；

从生物学来说，按进化规律产生遗传信息指导组装人类是奇迹。

超越化学反应结果的每一位毕业生都是值得珍惜的奇迹；

超越动物欲望总和的每一位毕业生都应做自己尊重的人。

过去、现在、将来，能够完全知道个人行为和思想的只有自己；

世界很多文化借助宗教信仰来指导人们生活的信念和世俗行为；

而对无神论者——也就是中国大多数人——来说，自我尊重是重要的正道。

在你们加入社会后看到各种离奇现象，知道自己更多弱点和缺陷，可能还遇到小难大灾后，如何在诱惑和艰难中保持人性的尊严、赢得自己的尊重并非易事，但却很值得。

这不是：

自恋、自大、自负、自夸、自欺、自闭、自缚、自怜；

而是：

自信、自豪、自量、自知、自省、自赎、自勉、自强。

自尊支撑

自由的精神、

自主的工作、

自在的生活。

我祝愿：

退休之日，你觉得职业中的自己值得尊重；

迟暮之年，你感到生活中的自己值得尊重。

不要问我如何做到，50年后返校时告诉母校你如何做到：在你所含全部原子再度按热力学第二定律回归自然之前，它们

既经历过物性的神奇，

也产生过人性的可爱。

Becoming a Person You Respect Tremendously

The 2015 Commencement of Peking University

Yi Rao

In the season with well-wishes sweeping across every campus, forgive me for not offering every one of you success or happiness, because history has unfortunately recorded that the successes of some graduates have cost basic human conscience, and their happiness have been built on the suffering of fellow human beings.

It is worth remembering that every one of you is a miracle worth treasuring and cherishing.

From the perspective of physics, the emergence of living organisms against the second law of thermodynamics is a miracle;

From the perspective of biology, the assembly of individuals from food according to genetic information is a miracle.

I hope that every one of you will become a person whom you respect tremendously.

In the past, the present and the future, the only person who knows all your behaviors and thoughts is you and only you. Because of that, you are the best and most knowledgeable judge of your own character. Many cultures across the globe have leaned on religion and faith as a compass to guide human choices. What course is there for the atheist, that is, the vast majority of Chinese? It is not easy to earn tremendous respect from yourself, while knowing all your faults and deficiencies, facing societal influences capable of distracting you from decency, and perhaps finding difficulties in maintaining human dignity during hardship. But in your life, seeking self-respect is certainly among the most worthy.

Self-respect does not come from self-indulging, self-aggrandizing, self-serving, self-bragging, self-deceiving, self-limiting, self-pitying or self-mutilating;

Self-respect results from self-criticizing, self-understanding, self-disciplining, self-saving, self-standing, self-moderating, self-comforting and self-inspiring.

Self-respect underlies independence in your profession and supports freedom in your life.

Though it may feel distant at your age, you will get to my age and understand my following wish：

On the day you retire, you will feel yourself to be a person you respected tremendously during your career;

In the time of your waning, you will find yourself to be a person you respected tremendously during your life.

Ask me not how you achieve self-respect, but tell your alma mater upon your 50^threunion how, before all the atoms constituting you return to nature, you have made sure they have experienced natural wonder and human loveliness.