尋找你不愿變賣的事業

Dean Ellis， honored guests， faculty， family， friends， and the Class of 2015： I cannot begin to express my gratitude for your generosity today. Thank you so much for inviting me to join you in celebrating your graduation！ Three years ago I could never have comprehended such an opportunity. Thank you， thank you， thank you.

About three years ago today I was right where you are. I was sitting in a folding chair， just like that one， and I was wearing my cap and gown， waiting to walk on stage. But I wasn’t graduating. When they shook my hand and took my picture， they handed me an empty folder. You see at Stanford they let you “walk” through graduation even if you haven’t actually finished the requirements necessary to get your diploma. You get to pretend you are graduating just like everybody else， even though you aren’t. The University had created this program for students who were using the summer term to finish up their degrees. But I was using it because I was embarrassed， and I didn’t want to be left out of the celebrations. What was I going to do？ Stay in my dorm room while all of my friends processed into the stadium and tossed their caps into the air without me？ So I sat in the hot sun and I listened to Cory Booker1） talk for what felt like a very long time， and I waved to my family who had traveled all the way to Stanford to watch me not graduate. By the way， hi Mom！

It only recently occurred to me， while preparing this address， how totally absurd this whole charade2） was. It reminded me that oftentimes we do all sorts of silly things to avoid appearing different. Conforming happens so naturally that we can forget how powerful it is—we want to be accepted by our peers—we want to be a part of the group. It’s in our biology. But the things that make us human are those times we listen to the whispers of our soul and allow ourselves to be pulled in another direction. Conformity is so fascinating and so pervasive that it has been studied for a very long time. It turns out there are two things that can dramatically reduce conformity in a group setting. The first is a single dissenting3） voice. And the second is the ability to communicate privately with other members of the group. Our government gives us the right to privacy and the right to express ourselves freely in the hope that we might mitigate4） conformity. Democracy wasn’t designed to promote popular thought. It was architected to protect dissent. For， as President Kennedy said， “Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.”

I recently fell in love with a story about a great piece of American art. And it’s about a guy named Bob Rauschenberg5）. He was a young artist， and he went to go visit his idol， his， er， you know. He really loved this guy， and he was totally terrified. He was so nervous that he was clutching a bottle of Jack Daniels6）， for liquid courage. And the truth is he actually wasn’t just visiting. He was visiting Bill de Kooning7） to ask for something. He wanted one of Bill de Kooning’s drawings. You see， Bill de Kooning， he wasn’t a dumb guy， he knew exactly what Rauschenberg was up to—because Rauschenberg had recently been experimenting with his own art. He had been creating his drawings and then erasing them. But that wasn’t enough for Bob Rauschenberg， because Bob Rauschenberg didn’t want to just erase his own art， he wanted to erase the art of his hero. So de Kooning obliged8） but he took his time， and he tortured the young artist as he wandered around the studio in search of the perfect drawing. He didn’t want to give him just a random drawing; he wanted it to be something really great， something that he actually loved. And he finally settled on a drawing that was very very hard to erase. It was comprised of layers of lead and charcoal. And he generously gave it to Bob Rauschenberg. According to Bob， it took nearly two months to erase the work. But it was Jasper Johns9） who came along and framed it. And he gave that drawing a title， called “Erased de Kooning by Bob Rauschenberg.” （編注：該畫實際名為Erased de Kooning Drawing，此處為演講者口誤） It was Jasper Johns who recognized that in the process of erasing de Kooning’s drawing， Bob Rauschenberg actually created something new， his own new work of art.

I love this story because Bill de Kooning had the humility to recognize that the greatest thing we can do is provide the best possible foundation for those who come after us. We must welcome our own erasure.

So I’m asked one question most often： “Why didn’t you sell your business？ It doesn’t even make money. It’s a fad10）. You could be on a boat right now. Everybody loves boats. What is wrong with you？” And I’m now convinced that the fastest way to figure out if you are doing something that is truly important to you is to find someone who offers you a bunch of money to part with it. So the best thing is that no matter whether or not you sell， you will learn something very valuable about yourself. If you sell， you will know immediately that it wasn’t the right dream anyways. And if you don’t sell， you’re probably onto something. Maybe you have the beginning of something meaningful. But don’t feel bad if you sell out. Just don’t stop there. I mean gosh， we would have sold our first company， for sure. But no one wanted to buy it. When we decided not to sell our business people called us a lot of things besides crazy—things like arrogant and entitled11）. The same words that I’ve heard used to describe our generation time and time again. The Millennial Generation. The “Me” Generation. Well， it’s true. We do have a sense of entitlement， a sense of ownership， because， after all， this is the world we were born into， and we are responsible for it.

The funny thing about “Erased De Kooning” is that it isn’t for sale. It’s safe and sound in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. It’s tremendously valuable， but it bears no price. You already have inside of you all of the amazing things you need to follow the dreams that you have. And if you get stuck along the way there’s a ton of free information available on the Internet. Have faith in yourself and the person you are going to become. Know that you are capable of all of the growth that will be expected of you and that you expect for yourself. You will tackle every challenge headed your way—and if you don’t， it won’t be for lack of trying. Someone will always have an opinion about you. Whatever you do won’t ever be enough. So find something important to you. Find something that you love. You are going to make a lot of mistakes. I’ve already made a ton of them—some of them very publicly—and it will feel terrible， but it will be okay. Just apologize as quickly as you can and pray for forgiveness.

When you leave here， you’re going to face a great challenge： a full-time job. And the hardest part is going to be getting used to solving problems that don’t yet have answers. In times of despair， you may believe the cynic who tells you that one person cannot make a difference—and there are times it may be hard to see your own impact. I beg you to remember that it is not possible at this time or at any time to know the end results of our efforts. That is for our God alone. Please voice your dissent， anticipate your erasure， and find something you aren’t willing to sell. Congratulations to the class of 2015！ Fight on！

埃利斯院長、尊敬的來賓、各位老師、家人、好友以及2015屆的畢業生們：今天，對于你們的慷慨寬容，我的感激之情無以言表。非常感謝你們邀請我參加你們的畢業典禮！三年前我決不敢想象有這樣的機會。謝謝，謝謝，謝謝。

約三年前的今天，我就待在現在你們待的地方。我坐在一把折疊椅上，就像那樣的椅子，戴著學士帽，穿著長袍，等待上臺。但我沒有畢業。他們與我握手，給我拍照，遞給我一個空的文件夾。要知道，在斯坦福大學，即使你實際上沒有完成獲得畢業證書需達到的要求，你也可以“上臺”畢業。你可以假裝和其他人一樣畢業了，即便你沒有。斯坦福大學制定這個方案，是為了那些利用夏季學期完成學業的學生。但我利用這個方案是因為我覺得很尷尬，我不想被排除在畢業典禮之外。我要怎么做呢？難道我要待在寢室里，而我所有的朋友都排隊進入體育場，把帽子拋向空中，唯獨沒有我？所以，我坐在烈日下，聽著科里·布克的演講，感覺時間過得非常緩慢。我向家人揮手，他們不遠千里到斯坦福參加典禮，看到的是我并未畢業。順便說一聲：媽，您好！

直到最近，在準備這次演講稿時，我才意識到，自己在畢業典禮上的裝模作樣簡直荒謬至極。這件事提醒我：我們經常做各種傻事，以避免自己與眾不同。從眾是很自然的事情，以至于我們會忘了它的力量有多么強大。我們希望為同齡人所接受，我們希望自己是這個群體的一分子。我們生來如此。但人之所以為人，是因為很多時候，我們聽從內心的聲音，并允許自己被指引著朝另一個方向前進。從眾令人無法抗拒且普遍存在，人們對其已經研究了很長時間。結果發現，有兩點可以極大地減少一個群體里的從眾行為：第一是發出一個表示不同意見的聲音，第二是具有與群體中的其他成員私下溝通的能力。政府賦予我們隱私權和自由表達權，就是希望我們可以減少隨大流的行為。實行民主的目的不是為了促使思想大眾化，而是為了保護不同的聲音。因為，正如肯尼迪總統所說的那樣：“從眾是羈押自由的獄卒，是阻礙進步的敵人。”

我最近喜歡上了一個故事。這個故事與一件偉大的美國藝術作品有關。故事的主人公叫鮑勃·勞申貝格。此人當時是一位年輕的藝術家，他要去拜訪他的偶像。他真的非常崇拜他的偶像，因而內心極為恐慌。他太緊張了，最后握著一瓶杰克·丹尼去了，打算以酒壯膽。實際上，鮑勃并不只是單純地拜訪。他拜訪比爾·德庫寧是為了索要某些東西。他想要比爾·德庫寧的一幅畫。要知道，比爾·德庫寧也不是傻子，他很清楚勞申貝格正忙于做什么—因為勞申貝格最近一直在拿他自己的作品做試驗。他近來一直在創作畫作，然后又將其擦掉。但對鮑勃·勞申貝格來說，這還不夠，他不僅想擦掉自己的藝術作品，還想把自己偶像的藝術作品也擦掉。德庫寧答應了勞申貝格的要求，但他不慌不忙，在工作室里轉來轉去，想找出一幅完美的畫作，這可把年輕的藝術家折磨壞了。德庫寧不想隨意送給勞申貝格一幅畫，他想把真正好的、自己也真正喜愛的畫作送給勞申貝格。最后，他選定了一幅畫，一幅很難擦掉的畫。這幅畫有很多涂層，是用鉛和木炭畫的。他很大方地把畫給了鮑勃·勞申貝格。據鮑勃說，他花了近兩個月時間才把這幅畫擦掉。但后來是賈斯珀·約翰斯來了把畫裱了起來。他給這幅畫取名叫《被鮑勃·勞申貝格擦掉的德庫寧》。賈斯珀·約翰斯意識到，在擦掉德庫寧畫的過程中，鮑勃·勞申貝格實際上創造了一種新的東西，創作了屬于他自己的新的藝術作品。

我非常喜歡這個故事，因為比爾·德庫寧很謙遜，他認識到我們能做的最了不起的事情就是為后來者提供盡可能好的基礎。我們必須歡迎自己被趕超。

別人最常問我的一個問題是：“你為什么不把你的公司賣掉？它都不賺錢，只是流行一時的東西。賣掉它你現在就安穩了，誰都喜歡安穩。你是怎么想的呢？” 現在我確信，要想弄清楚你正做的事情對自己是否真的重要，最快的方法就是找到一個人，此人愿意出大價錢讓你賣掉它。不管你賣不賣，你都會了解到有關你自身的非常重要的事，這才是最棒的事情。如果你賣了，你馬上就會知道這無論如何也不是你真正的夢想;如果你不賣，你可能會有重大發現。或許，你開創了某種有意義的事情。不過，如果你把它賣了，也不要難過。一定不要止步不前。我的意思是，老天，我們本該賣掉我們的第一個公司。這一點確定無疑。但沒有人想買它。當我們決定不賣掉我們的公司時，人們就會有各種說法—除了瘋狂之外，還會說我們傲慢、權利意識太強。同樣的詞我以前也聽過，一遍又一遍用來描述我們這代人。千禧一代。“自我”的一代。嗯，確實如此。我們的確有權利意識、所有權意識，因為這畢竟是我們出生的世界，我們須對它負責。

有趣的是，《擦掉的德庫寧》這幅畫并不出售。這幅畫完好無損地收藏在舊金山現代藝術博物館里。此畫極其珍貴，但無價。你們自身已經有追尋自己夢想所需的所有令人驚嘆的特質。如果在尋夢的路上受挫，你們可以在互聯網上找到海量的免費信息。相信自己，相信你要成為的那個人。要知道自己有能力進步，這進步是別人對你的期望，也是你對自己的期望。你會解決沖你而來的各種挑戰—如果你沒解決，這不會是因為你努力不夠。總有人會對你有意見。無論你做什么，總有人認為做得不夠。所以，找到對你來說重要的東西，找到你熱愛的東西。你會犯很多錯誤。我犯過許多錯誤—其中一些大家都知道—這感覺很不好，但終究會過去。你只需盡快道歉，祈求原諒。

你們從這兒畢業后，將會面臨巨大的挑戰：一份全職工作。其中最難的部分是，你們要習慣于解決一些尚且沒有答案的問題。絕望之時，你們可能會聽信那些憤世嫉俗的人，他們告訴你，一個人的力量改變不了什么—有些時候，你可能很難看到自己的影響力。我懇請你們記住，在這個時刻或任何時刻，我們都不可能知道自己努力的最終結果是什么。這個只有上帝才知道。請說出你的不同看法，期待著被別人趕超，尋找你不愿意變賣的事業。2015年的畢業生，祝賀你們！繼續加油！

2015年5月15日，斯皮格爾受邀在南加州大學馬歇爾商學院本科生的畢業典禮上發表了演講。在這次演講中，斯皮格爾根據自身的經歷為畢業生提出了三點人生建議：請說出你的不同看法;期待著被別人趕超;尋找你不愿意變賣的事業。此次演講讓人們重新認識了這位曾被認為傲慢自大的年輕人，讓人們看到了他成熟、穩重的一面。

1. Cory Booker：科里·布克（1969～），美國政治家，出生于華盛頓特區，先后就讀于斯坦福大學、牛津大學和耶魯大學，獲得法學博士學位。他曾于2006年5月首次當選新澤西州紐瓦克市市長，2010年5月贏得連任。

2. charade [???rɑ?d] n. 顯而易見的作假;明顯的偽裝

3. dissenting [d??sent??] adj. 不同意的

4. mitigate [?m?t?ɡe?t] vt. 使緩和;減輕（危害等）

5. Bob Rauschenberg：即羅伯特·勞申貝格（Robert Rauschenberg， 1925～2008），美國著名藝術家，是戰后美國波普藝術的代表人物。

6. Jack Daniels：杰克·丹尼，世界十大名酒之一。1866年，杰克·丹尼酒廠誕生于美國田納西州林芝堡，是美國第一家注冊的蒸餾酒廠。

7. Bill de Kooning：即威廉·德庫寧（Willem de Kooning， 1904～1997），荷蘭籍美國畫家，抽象表現主義的靈魂人物之一，新行動畫派的大師之一

8. oblige [??bla?d?] vi. （通過滿足要求而）幫助

9. Jasper Johns：賈斯珀·約翰斯（1930～），美國當代畫家，1958年在紐約舉辦個人畫展后成名。其畫風對20世紀50年代末到70年代中葉英美國家所出現的波普藝術有很大影響。

10. fad [f?d] n. 一時的風尚;短暫的狂熱

11. entitled [?n?ta?tld] adj. 有資格的，有權利的