青春岁月 创造美好未来——著名哲学家周国平教授寄语港中大（深圳）2022届本科毕业生

CUHK- Shenzhen

香港中文大学（深圳）

蓝花楹和凤凰花再次盛放于中央大道之时，香港中文大学（深圳）的毕业季也如期而至。

2022年5月21日上午，1000余名2022届本科毕业生身穿毕业袍参与了一场人生旅程中极为重要的典礼——香港中文大学（深圳）2022年本科生毕业典礼。

著名哲学家周国平教授在典礼中发表《青春岁月，创造美好未来》的主题演讲。周国平教授在演讲中提到了同学们目前所面对的变幻的时代，他要同学们记住，“逆境不是绝境，人类的使命就是要在逆境中走出一条路来。不论处在怎样的时代，没有任何东西可以阻碍一个有坚定信念的人过有意义的生活。”

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亲爱的同学们，今天，你们迎来了人生中一个特殊的时刻，即将告别朝夕相处了四年的港中大（深圳）和你们的同学，同时也告别自己人生中一个今后会非常怀念的阶段。此时此刻，你们的心情一定是既激动又惆怅，既兴奋又迷茫。我想着重谈谈迷茫，因为迷茫中交织了诸多说不清道不明的情绪，值得分析一下。

我首先想说，你们有迷茫的权利，你们正处在迷茫的年龄，谁的青春不迷茫？你们有梦想，但前面是一个未知的未来，你们很单纯，但马上要踏入一个复杂的社会，当然会感到迷茫。我还想说，你们有迷茫的理由，你们恰好遭遇一个艰难的时代，新冠疫情持续肆虐，世界充满了不确定性。在这样的时代，不但青年人，而且每一个关心人类和中国命运的人，都感到迷茫。

在我的青年时代，也曾经遭遇艰难的时代。半个世纪前，我从北大毕业，被分配到广西山沟里的一个小县。当时看不到出路，天天过着重复的单调的日子，做着自己并不喜欢的工作，但是，出于爱好，我仍坚持读书和写作。我在那里呆了十年，如果不是改革开放，会在那里呆一辈子。我完全没有想到，也从来不曾奢望，后来我会成为一个所谓著名作家。不过，回过头看，如果说我取得了一点成绩，的确是和那时候出于爱好的坚持分不开的。回顾这一段经历，我是想告诉你们，在青春岁月遭遇艰难时代，我对你们的心情是能够感应的，所以我的思考也许可以供你们参考。

师生聆听著名哲学家周国平教授的讲话

人的一生中，青春岁月是一个关键时期，在很大程度上预示了未来人生的大致走向。人生的走向由两个东西标识，一个是事业，一个是信仰。我说的事业，是指你在世界上有一个你最喜欢也最擅长的领域，你乐在其中，你最好的能力在其中得到了最好的实现。我说的信仰，是指你在世界上有你处世做人的坚定的原则，外界的诱惑和压力都不能使你动摇。事业是安身之本，信仰是立命之本，有了这两个东西，你就能够在世界上安身立命。同学们，事业和信仰都是在青年时期打下基础的，你们一定要在这两个方面努力，让自己在做事上有实力，在做人上有定力，这样就能够成为自己命运的主人。

时代变幻，一个人遭遇什么样的时代，自己是无法选择的。从大学毕业到今天，我经历了不同的时代场景，有时阳光明媚，充满希望，有时乌云密布，心中忧闷。天气有晴朗有阴雨，时代有顺畅有艰难，万物的节奏如此，不足为奇。今天的时代，由于错综复杂的因素的作用，是几十年来最为艰难的。从你们的角度，你们也会感受到，比如疫情导致的隔离和孤独感，比如全球化退潮导致的出国留学难，对于你们之前许多届同学来说，这些问题都不存在。人生有顺境，也有逆境，遭遇了逆境，怨天尤人、灰心沮丧都无用，反而把逆境变成了没有出路的绝境。同学们，你们要记住，逆境不是绝境，人类的使命就是要在逆境中走出一条路来。不论处在怎样的时代，没有任何东西可以阻碍一个有坚定信念的人过有意义的生活。

人是精神性存在，人是有精神品质的。最主要的精神品质，一是理性，就是独立思考的能力，二是道德，就是辨别善恶的良知。这是老天给我们的两样最宝贵的东西，用自己的头脑求真，让自己的灵魂向善，我们才是不辜负了老天的赐予。在今天的时代，具备这两个品质格外重要，战胜艰难的力量就在于此。

爱因斯坦说，一个人具备独立思考的能力，就拥有了内在的自由。在外部世界里，人常常是不自由的，环境的限制，生存的压力，强权的压迫，社会的偏见，都是套在我们身上的枷锁。可是，如果你具备独立思考的能力，外部世界的一切就都成了你的思考的题材，你在精神上就不会受它们支配。也许有人会说：光有内在的自由有什么用，在外部世界里不是照样不自由？我们千万不要低估内在自由的意义，在人类历史上，正是凭借这种内在自由，那些伟大的思想家和科学家为社会和知识的进步做出了卓越的贡献。思想具有改变现实的力量，在一个社会中，肯于和善于独立思考的人越多，谬论就越不会有市场，国家的治理就越能够走在正确的轨道上。比如说，现在有一种论调，主张闭关锁国，你们只要了解和认真思考近几十年的历史，就会明白，中国之所以能够从一个穷国迅速崛起为世界第二大经济体，完全是靠了改革开放，我们一定要坚持这条唯一正确的道路。

在今天的时代，我们必须具备的另一个品质是良知。独立思考所判断的是真理和谬误，良知所辨别的是善和恶。人的天性中是有良知的，使人能够分辨善恶，向善去恶。人类最基本的道德，在个人层面是善良，在社会层面是正义。一个有良知的人，第一是善良的，看见好人受害会同情，看见坏人作恶会憎恨；第二是有正义感的，乐于救助受害者，敢于与作恶者做斗争。让良知成为主旋律，社会就会健康而和谐。

同学们，面对艰难，我们第一要有责任心，第二要有信心。人类向何处去，中国能否很好地应对所面临的危机和挑战，是和我们每个人息息相关的大事，无人能够置身事外。相对而言，和青年的关系尤为紧要，因为这将决定明天你们会生活在一个怎样的世界上。与此同时，在很大程度上，世界明天的面貌又是由你们决定的，只要你们这一代人具有良好的精神素质，前途就一定是光明的。同学们，青春岁月风华正茂，艰难时代大有可为，愿你们胸怀理想，意志坚定，勇敢前行，为人类、为祖国、也为自己开创出一个美好的未来。

Youth Hold the Key to Creating a Better Future

Remarks at Graduation Ceremony for Bachelor Degree Graduates 2022, CUHK-Shenzhen

Professor Guoping Zhou delivers a speech

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Dear students, today, you have arrived at a pivotal point in your lives. You are about to say goodbye to CUHK-Shenzhen and your classmates, with whom you have spent four years of your life together. Meanwhile, you are about to bid farewell to one of the most memorable times in your life. At this moment, it is normal to feel both thrilled and sad, both excited and bewildered. I would like to share more about bewilderment since it's vital to look into the myriad of sentiments that go along with uncertainty.

To begin, I'd want to say that you have every right to feel bewildered. You are meant to feel bewildered as a young person, just like everyone else. You all have dreams, but you are heading into an unknown future; you are straightforward, but you are stepping into a complex society. So, of course, you will feel confused. But also, you have grounds to be puzzled. You happen to encounter a difficult time, along with the ongoing ravages of COVID-19, and a world full of uncertainty. Not only young people, but everyone who cares about humanity's and China's fate will feel adrift in such times.

I had likewise gone through harsh experiences in my adolescence. Half a century ago, I graduated from Peking University during and was assigned to a small county in the mountain valley of Guangxi. I couldn't see a way out back then, living a dull and repetitive life, and doing work I didn't enjoy at all. Luckily, I insisted on reading and writing out of hobby. I stayed there for ten years and would have stayed for the rest of my life if it hadn't been for the reforms and opening up. I had no idea, nor did I ever expect, that I would one day become a well-known author. In retrospect, if I have accomplished anything, it is inextricably linked to my dedication to my hobby during that period. I'm sharing this story to show you that I, too, went through difficult moments in my youth. So I feel for you, and my reflections may be useful for you as well.

Youth is a critical period in a person's life. To a large extent, it foreshadows the overall course of future life, which is marked by two things, one being career and the other being faith. By career, I am referring to a certain area of expertise that you enjoy and excel at. It makes you happy, and it allows you to express your full potential. When I say faith, I am talking about a set of unshakable values for you to live by, regardless of any external pressures or temptations. Career is the foundation of security, and faith is the foundation of life. With these two things, you will be able to establish yourself in the world. My dear graduates, both career and faith are laid down in youth. You must work hard in these two areas in order to develop strength in deeds and determination in life, which will allow you to become the masters of your own destiny.

Times change all the time, and no one can choose what time they are living in. Since graduation, I have gone through many various times, some bright and hopeful, others cloudy and gloomy. There are always sunny and rainy days, as well as smooth and challenging moments. This is how everything moves through time. Because of the intricacies of the factors at play, we are navigating through the most difficult time in decades. As graduates, you may feel the isolation and loneliness brought on by the pandemic, as well as the difficulty of studying abroad due to the ebbing tide of globalization. These had never been problems until recent years. This is how life is: there are good times and bad times. Complaining, despair, and frustration are futile in the face of misfortune; they will instead turn adversity into a desperate position with no way out. My dear students, please remember that adversity does not equal to desperation, and mankind's duty is to find a way out of adversity. No matter what kind of times we are in, nothing can prevent a person with strong beliefs from living a meaningful life.

Humans are spiritual beings with various traits. Among them, the most important traits are REASON, or the ability to think independently, and MORALITY, or the conscience to distinguish good from evil. These are the two most precious gifts of life. Only by seeking truth with our own minds and having a clear conscious, can we really live up to these gifts. Nowdays, it is extraordinarily important to have these two qualities, and therein lies the strength to overcome hardship.

According to Einstein, independent thinking is how humans achieve inner freedom. People are rarely free in the outer world. The environment's constraints, the pressures of survival, the oppression from power, and societal prejudices are all shackles that have been placed on us. However, if you have the ability to think independently, everything in the outside world will become the subject of your thoughts, and you will not be manipulated by them. Some may argue, "What good is inner freedom without outer freedom? In any case, we are not free in the outer world." Actually, the importance of inner freedom cannot be overstated. Throughout human history, it is with this inner freedom that great thinkers and scientists have made remarkable contributions to the progress of society and knowledge. Ideas have the power to change reality. The more people who are willing and capable of independent thinking we have in a society, the less likely that fallacies will be believed, and governance will be off track. For example, there is now an argument that advocates a closed-door policy for China. However, if you examine and consider China's recent history, you will see that its quick ascent from a underdeveloped country to the world's second-largest economy is all down to reform and opening up. We shall stay on this only correct route.

In today's world, another trait that we must have is conscience. Independent thought determines what is true and what is untrue, whereas conscience distinguishes between good and evil. Humans are born with a conscience that allows them to discriminate between good and evil, as well as to turn from evil to good. The most basic morality of human beings is goodness at the individual level and justice at the social level. So-called goodness implies sympathizing with good people when they suffer and despising bad people when they do evil; so-called justice entails being prepared to assist victims and daring to confront the evil. Society will be healthier and more harmonious if the conscience is elevated to a central role.

My dear graduates, in the face of hardship, we must assume responsibility and stay confident. The future of humanity, as well as China's ability to adapt to crises and difficulties, are essential concerns for all of us. Nobody can keep away from it. It is much more critical for young people because it will shape the world that they will live in in the future. At the same time, young people will also shape the world of future to a considerable extent. As long as your generation possesses good spiritual values, I am confident that the future will be bright and prosperous. Dear graduates, your youth is now in their prime. Please believe that the most difficult periods can lead to great accomplishment. May you keep your aspirations, be strong-willed and courageous, and build a bright future for yourself, your country, and humanity.

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Graduation Ceremony 2022

点击右侧图片，聆听徐扬生校长在毕业典礼上的讲话

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