马特达蒙MIT毕业演讲.docx

马特达蒙MIT毕业演讲.docx

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马特达蒙MIT毕业演讲

MattDamon'sCommencementaddress:

"There’smoreatstaketodaythaninanystoryevertold."

Thankyou.

Thankyou,PresidentReif—andthankyou,Classof2016!

It’sanhonortobepartofthisday—anhonortobeherewithyou,withyourfriends,yourprofessors,andyourparents.Butlet’sbehonest—It’sanhonorIdidn’tearn.

Let’sjustputthatoutthere.Imean,I’veseenthelistofpreviouscommencementspeakers:

NobelPrizewinners.TheUNSecretaryGeneral.PresidentoftheWorldBank.PresidentoftheUnitedStates.

Andwhodidyouget?

Theguywhodidthevoiceforacartoonhorse.

Ifyou’rewonderingwhichcartoonhorse:

that’s“Spirit:

StallionoftheCimarron.”

Definitelyoneofmybestperformances...asacartoonhorse.

Look,Idon’tevenhaveacollegedegree.Asyoumighthaveheard,IwenttoHarvard.Ijustdidn’tgraduatefromHarvard.Igotprettyclose,butIstartedtogetmovierolesanddidn’tfinishallmycourses.Iputonacapandgownandwalkedwithmyclass;myMomandDadwerethereandeverything;Ijustnevergotanactualdegree.

YoucouldsayIkindoffakegraduated.

SoyoucanimaginehowexcitedIwaswhenPresidentReifcalledtoinvitemetospeakattheMITcommencement.ThenyoucanimaginehowsorryIwastolearnthattheMITcommencementspeakerdoesnotgettogohomewithadegree.

Soyes,today,forthesecondtimeinmylife,Iamfakegraduatingfromacollegeinmyhometown.

MyMomandDadarehereagain...

AndthistimeIbroughtmywifeandfourkids.Welcome,kids,toDad’sfakegraduation.Youmustbesoproud.

SoasIsaid,myMomishere.She’saprofessor,sosheknowsthevalueofanMITdegree.

ShealsoknowsthatIcouldn’thavegotteninhere.

Imean,Harvard,yes.Orasafetyschool—likeYale.

Look,I’mnotrunningforanykindofoffice.Icansay...prettymuchwhateverIwant.

No,Icouldn’thavegotteninhere,butIdidgrowuphere.Grewupintheneighborhood,intheshadowofthisimposingplace.MybrotherKyleandI,andmyfriendBenAffleck—brilliantguy,goodguy,neverreallyamountedtomuch—weallgrewuphere,inCentralSquare,childrenofthissometimesrockymarriagebetweenthiscityanditsgreatinstitutions.

Tous,MITwaskindofTheMan...Thisbig,impressive,impersonalforce...Thatwasourprovincial,knee-jerk,teenagereaction,anyway.

ThenBenandIshotamoviehere.

OneofthescenesinGoodWillHuntingwasbasedonsomethingthatactuallyhappenedtomybrother.KylewasvisitingaphysicistweknewatMIT,andhewaswalkingdowntheInfiniteCorridor.Hesawthoseblackboardsthatlinethehalls.Somybrother,who’sanartist,pickedupsomechalkandwroteanincrediblyelaborate,totallyfake,versionofanequation.

Itwassocoolandsocompletelyinsanethatnooneeraseditformonths.Thisistrue.

Anyway,Kylecamebackandhesaid,youguys,listentothis...They’vegotblackboardsrunningdownthehall!

Becausethesekidsaresosmarttheyjustneedto,youknow,dropeverythingandsolveproblems!

Itwasthenweknewforsurewecouldneverhavegottenin.

ButlikeIsaid,welatermadeamoviehere.Whichdidnotgounnoticedoncampus.InfactI’dliketoreadyousomeactuallines,someselectedpassages,fromthereviewofGoodWillHuntingintheMITschoolpaper.

Oh,andifyouhaven’tseenit,Willwasme,andSeanwasplayedbythelateRobinWilliams,amanImissahellofalot.

SoI’mquotinghere:

“GoodWillHuntingisveryentertaining;butthenagain,anymoviepartiallysetatMIThastobe.”

There’smore.“Intheend...,”thereviewerwrites,

“theactualcharacterdevelopmentfliesoutthewindow.WillandSeantalk,bond,solveeachother’sproblems,andthencryandhugeachother.Aftersaidcryingandhugging,themovieends...Suchfeel-goodpretentiousnessisdefinitelynotmymugofeggnog.”

Well,thiskindofhurtsmyfeelings.

Butdon’tworry:

InowknowbetterthantocryatMIT.

Butlook,I’mhappytobehereanyway.Imightstillbeaknee-jerkteenagerinkeyrespects,butIknowanamazingschoolwhenIseeit.We’reluckytohaveMITinBoston.Andwe’reluckyitdrawsthepeopleitdoes,peoplelikeyou,fromaroundtheworld.

Imean,you’reworkingonsomecrazystuffinthesebuildings.StuffthatwouldfreakmeoutifIactuallyunderstoodit.Theories,models,paradigmshifts.

I’lltellyouonethat’sbeenonmymind:

SimulationTheory.

Maybeyou’veheardofit.MaybeyoutookaclasswithMaxTegmark.

Well,fortheuninitiated,there’saphilosophernamedNickBostromatOxford,andhe’spostulatedthatifthere’satrulyadvancedformofintelligenceoutthereintheuniverse,thenit’sprobablyadvancedenoughtorunsimulationsofentireworlds—maybetrillionsofthem—maybeevenourown.

Thebasicidea,asIunderstandit,isthatwecouldbelivinginamassivesimulationrunbyafarsmartercivilization,agiantcomputergame,andwedon’tevenknowit.

Andhere’sthething:

alotofphysicists,cosmologists,won’truleitout.IwatchedadiscussionthatwasmoderatedbyNeildeGrasseTyson,oftheHaydenPlanetarium,andbyandlarge,thepanelcouldn’tgiveadefinitiveanswer.Tysonhimselfputtheoddsat50-50.

I’mnotsurehowscientificthatis,butithadnumbersinit,soIwasimpressed.

Well,itgotmetothinking:

Whatifthis—allofthis—isasimulation?

Imean,it’sacrazyidea,butwhatifitis?

Andiftherearemultiplesimulations,howcomewe’reintheonewhereDonaldTrumpbecomestheRepublicannominee?

Canwe,like,transfertoadifferentone?

ProfessorTegmarkhasanexcellenttakeonallthis.“Myadvice,”hesaidrecently,

“istogooutanddoreallyinterestingthings...sothesimulatorsdon’tshutyoudown.”

Butthenagain:

whatifitisn’tasimulation?

Well,eitherway,myansweristhesame.

Eitherway,whatwedomatters.Whatwedoaffectstheoutcome.

Soeitherway,MIT,you’vegottogooutanddoreallyinterestingthings.Importantthings.Inventivethings.Becausethisworld...realorimagined...thisworldhassomeproblemsweneedyoutodropeverythingandsolve.

Goahead:

takeyourpickfromtheworld’sworstbuffet.

Economicinequality,there’saproblem...Orhowabouttherefugeecrisis,massiveglobalinsecurity...climatechangeandpandemics...institutionalracism...apulltonativism,fear-drivenbrainsworkingovertime...hereinAmericaandinplaceslikeAustria,whereafar-rightcandidatenearlywonthepresidentialelectionforthefirsttimesinceWorldWarII.

OrBrexit,forGod’ssakes,thatinsaneideathatthebestpathforBritainistocutloosefromEuropeanddriftouttosea.AddtothatanAmericanpoliticalsystemthat’sfailing...we’vegotcongressmenonatwo-yearelectioncyclewhoareonlyincentivizedtothinkshortterm,andsimplydonotengagewithlong-termproblems.

Addtothatamediathatthrivesonscandalandpeoplewiththeirpantsdown...Anythingtogetyoutotuneinsotheycanhawkyouproductsthatyoudon’tneed.

Andaddtothatabankingsystemthatstealspeople’smoney.

LikeIsaid,I’mneverrunningforoffice!

ButwhileI’monthis,letmesaythistothebankerswhobroughtyouthebiggestheistinhistory:

Itwastheftandyouknewit.Itwasfraudandyouknewit.

Andyouknowwhatelse?

Weknowthatyouknewit.

Andyeah,OK,yousortofgotawaywithit.YougotthathouseintheHamptonsthatotherpeoplepaidfor...astheirownmortgageswentunderwater.

Well,youmighthavetheirmoney,butyoudon’thaveourrespect.

Justsoyouknow,whenwepassyouonthestreetandlookyouintheeye...that’swhatwe’rethinking.

Idon’tknowifjusticeiscomingforyouinthislifeorthenext.Butifjusticedoescomeforyouinthislife...hernameisElizabethWarren.

OK,sobeforemybankingdigression,Irattledoffabunchofbigproblems.

Andanaturalresponseistotuneout,turnaway.

Butbeforeyoustepoutintoourbig,troubledworld,IwanttopassalongapieceofadvicethatBillClintonofferedmealittleoveradecadeago.Well,actually,whenhesaidit,itfeltlesslikeadviceandmorelikeadirectorder.

Whathesaidwas“turntowardtheproblemsyousee.”

Itseemedkindofsimpleatthetime,buttheolderIget,themorewisdomIseeinthis.

Andthat’swhatIwanttourgeyoutodotoday:

turntowardtheproblemsyousee.

Anddon’tjustturntowardthem.Engagewiththem.Walkrightuptothem,lookthemintheeye...thenlookyourselfintheeyeanddecidewhatyou’regoingtodoaboutthem.

Inmyexperience,there’sjustnosubstituteforactuallygoingandseeingthings.

Iowethisinsight,likemanyothers,tomyMom.WhenIwasateenager,MomthoughtitwasimportantforustoseetheworldoutsideofBoston.AndIdon’tmeanFramingham.ShetookustoplaceslikeGuatemala,wherewesawextremepovertyupclose.Itchangedmywholeframeofreference.

IthinkitwasthatsameimpulsethattookmybrotherandmetoZambiain2006,aspartoftheONECampaign—theorganizationthatBonofoundedtofightdesperate,stupidpovertyandpreventablediseaseinthedevelopingworld.Onthattrip,inasmallcommunity,Imetagirlandwalkedwithhertoanearbyborewellwhereshecouldgetcleanwater.

Shehadjustcomefromschool.AndIknewthereasonthatshewasabletogotoschoolatall:

cleanwater.Namely,thefactthatcleanwaterwasavailablenearby,soshedidn’thavetowalkmilesbackandforthalldaytogetwaterforherfamily,assomanygirlsandwomendo.

Iaskedherifshewantedtostayinhervillagewhenshegrewup.Shesaid,“No!

IwanttogotoLusakaandbecomeanurse!

”

Cleanwater—somethingasbasicasthat—hadgiventhischildthechancetodream.

AsIlearnedmoreabo