香港中文大学校长沈尧教授2011年12月1日于中大毕业典礼对学生的临别赠言.docVIP

Speech at the Inauguration Ceremony for Undergraduates 2011 Sir Run Run Shaw Hall, The Chinese University of Hong Kong 5 September 2011 Responsibilities and Rights in an Interdependent World Let me be the first to welcome you to The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Choosing to be here on this campus, studying what you are planning to study, and affiliating yourself with the College of your choice, are probably the first important decisions that you have made in your life … and I want to tell you that you have made some brilliant decisions. You are here to acquire new knowledge general as well as professional , you are here to acquire social skills, and you are here to grow up from a teenager to become a mature adult who can take responsibilities of your life. But, ladies and gentlemen, I want to tell you that you have to do more than that. Our world is no longer the same world as it used to be. Financial turmoil in one country can determine the economic health of practically the four corners of the earth. Carbon dioxide emissions from one country can affect the global climate, and hence the vegetation and livestock of many of its neighbours. An epidemic of infectious disease in one city can be spread to many countries, or even continents, within a matter of days. Yes, we all know and realize that we live in a global village. In this small world, however, the differences between us can be huge. Two percent of the people in this world own more than 50% of the wealth of the whole world. The dramatic increase in income for some introduces inequality among households—the result of the industrialization process which started in the West and spread quickly around the globe within two centuries. This disparity was not such a big problem until several decades ago. And today, thanks to the easy access of communication and information provided by mobile phones, internet, Wikipedia, Facebook, twitter, etc, there is no secret any more. The world appears to be a better place co