NEL MINDSET 18: FACEBOOK FOUNDER MARK ZUCKERBERG COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS – HARVARD COMMENCEMENT 2017 (3)
SUB
I shared stories of my time in school and they shared their hope that one day they would get to go to college for five years, I’ve had dinner with those students every month. One of them even through Priscilla and me our first baby shower. And next year they’re going to college. Every one of them first generation and their families, we can all make time to give someone a hand. Let’s give everyone the freedom to pursue purpose, not just because it’s the right thing to do but because when more people can turn their dreams into something great we are all better for it.
[Applause]
Purpose doesn’t only come from work. The third way we can create a sense of purpose for everyone is by building community. And in our generation when we say purpose for everyone, we mean everyone in the world.
Now quick show of hands. How many of you here are from another country. I now keep your hands up how many of you are friends with one of these folks. Now we’re talking see we have we have grown-up connected.
In a recent survey of Millennials around the world asking what most defines our identity. The most popular answer wasn’t nationality ethnicity or religion. It was citizen of the world. That’s a big deal every generation expands the circle of people we consider one of us. And in our generation that now includes the whole world.
We understand that the great arc of human history, bends towards people coming together in ever greater numbers, from tribes to cities to nations to achieve things that we could not on our own. We get that our greatest opportunities are now global. We can be the generation that ends poverty that ends disease. And we get that our greatest challenges need global responses to.
No country can fight climate change alone or prevent pandemics progress now requires coming together. Not just as cities or nations but also as a global community. But we live in an unstable time.
There are people left behind by globalization across the whole world and it’s tough to care about people in other places. Well, we don’t first feel good about our lives here at home. There’s pressure to turn inwards this is the struggle of our time.
The forces of freedom openness and global community against the forces of authoritarianism isolationism and nationalism forces for the flow of knowledge, trade and immigration against those who would slow them down.
This is not a battle of Nations it is a battle of ideas. There are people in every country for more global connection and there are good people against it, and this isn’t going to be decided at the UN either. It’s going to happen at the local level when enough of us feel a sense of purpose and stability and our own lives that we can start to open up and care about everyone else too. And the best way to do that is to start building local communities right now.
We all get a lot of meaning from our communities, who hears from Elliott house.
How about Lowell? I know you guys found community because you literally live right on top of each other. And Mather, I’ll just leave that there, whether our communities are houses or sports teams churches or acapella groups, they give us that sense that we were a part of something bigger that we are not alone.
They give us the strength to expand our horizons. And that’s why it’s so striking, that over the past few decades membership in all kinds of communities has declined by as much as one quarter. That’s a lot of people who now need to find a sense of purpose somewhere else. But I know that we can rebuild these communities and start new ones, because many of you already are I met Agnes ps-aguié, who’s graduating today.
Agnes, where are you? agnus spent her childhood navigating conflict zones with human trafficking in Uganda. And now she’s trained thousands of law enforcement officials to keep communities safe.
I met Kayla Oakley, and Neha Jain graduating today to. Stand up guys Kayla Nia, started a nonprofit that connects people suffering from chronic illnesses with people in their communities, who are willing to help out. And I met David Rosner, who’s graduating from the Kennedy School today.
David, stand up! David is a former city councilor, who fought to make Mexico City the first Latin American city to pass marriage equality, even before SanFrancisco
[Music]
And this is my story to a student in a dorm connecting one community at a time, and keeping at it until one day, we can connect the whole world. Change starts local even global change starts small with people like us. In our generation, the struggle of whether we connect more, what do we achieve our greatest opportunities comes down to this. Your ability to build communities and create a world where every single person has a sense of purpose. Class of 2017, you are graduating into a world that needs purpose, and it’s up to you to create it.
Now maybe you’re asking yourself, “Can I really do this?”. Well, remember when I told you about that class I taught at the Boys & Girls Club, one day after class, I was talking to my students about going to college, and one of my top students raised his hand, and said that he wasn’t sure he could go to college because he’s undocumented.
He wasn’t sure if they’d take him. Last year I took him out to breakfast for his birthday. And I want to get him a gift, so I asked him what he wanted, and he just started talking about struggles that he saw other students in his class facing, and finally said you know, I’d really just like a book on social justice. I was blown away. Here is a young guy who has every reason to be cynical.
He wasn’t sure if the country he calls home. The only one he’s known was going to deny him his dream of going to college. But he wasn’t feeling sorry for himself. He wasn’t even thinking of himself. He has a greater sense of purpose, and he’s going to bring people along with him.
It says something about our situation today that, I can’t even say his name because I don’t want to put him at risk. But if a high school senior, who doesn’t know what the future holds for him, can do his part to move the world forward then we owe it to the world to do our part to.
So before you walk out those gates one last time, and as we sit here in front of Memorial Church. I’m reminded of a prayer Misha Barak, that I say whenever I face a big challenge that I sing to my daughter thinking of her future when I tuck her in at night.
And it goes may the source of strength whose blessed the ones before us, help us find the courage to make our lives a blessing. I hope you find the courage to make your life a blessing. Congratulations class of 2017!
Good luck out there you!
DAY 1
I shared stories of my time in school and they shared their hope that one day they would get to go to college for five years, I’ve had dinner with those students every month. One of them even through Priscilla and me our first baby shower. And next year they’re going to college. Every one of them first-generation and their families, we can all make time to give someone a hand. Let’s give everyone the freedom to pursue purpose, not just because it’s the right thing to do but because when more people can turn their dreams into something great we are all better for it.
- Do the popcorn game (pronunciation)
- Why do we need to give everyone the freedom?
- Do you need the freedom to do what you dream of?
[Applause]
Purpose doesn’t only come from work. The third way we can create a sense of purpose for everyone is by building community. And in our generation when we say purpose for everyone, we mean everyone in the world.
Now quick show of hands. How many of you here are from another country. I now keep your hands up how many of you are friends with one of these folks. Now we’re talking see we have we have grown-up connected.
In a recent survey of Millennials around the world asking what most defines our identity. The most popular answer wasn’t nationality ethnicity or religion. It was citizen of the world. That’s a big deal every generation expands the circle of people we consider one of us. And in our generation that now includes the whole world.
- Do the popcorn game (pronunciation)
- What is the third way we can create a sense of purpose for everyone?
- Do you think it’s important to be in an organization? What group are you in?
We understand that the great arc of human history bends towards people coming together in ever greater numbers, from tribes to cities to nations to achieve things that we could not on our own. We get that our greatest opportunities are now global. We can be the generation that ends poverty that ends the disease. And we get that our greatest challenges need global responses to.
No country can fight climate change alone or prevent pandemics progress now requires coming together. Not just as cities or nations but also as a global community. But we live in an unstable time.
There are people left behind by globalization across the whole world and it’s tough to care about people in other places. Well, we don’t first feel good about our lives here at home. There’s pressure to turn inwards this is the struggle of our time.
The forces of freedom openness and global community against the forces of authoritarianism isolationism and nationalism forces for the flow of knowledge, trade, and immigration against those who would slow them down.
This is not a battle of Nations it is a battle of ideas. There are people in every country for more global connection and there are good people against it, and this isn’t going to be decided at the UN either. It’s going to happen at the local level when enough of us feel a sense of purpose and stability and our own lives that we can start to open up and care about everyone else too. And the best way to do that is to start building local communities right now.
- Do the popcorn game (pronunciation)
- What are our greatest opportunities now? How does it help us prevent illness, poverty, pollution,… problems?
We all get a lot of meaning from our communities, who hears from Elliott house.
How about Lowell? I know you guys found community because you literally live right on top of each other. And Mather, I’ll just leave that there, whether our communities are houses or sports teams churches or acapella groups, they give us that sense that we were a part of something bigger that we are not alone.
They give us the strength to expand our horizons. And that’s why it’s so striking, that over the past few decades membership in all kinds of communities has declined by as much as one quarter.
That’s a lot of people who now need to find a sense of purpose somewhere else. But I know that we can rebuild these communities and start new ones because many of you already are
- Do the popcorn game (pronunciation)
- How do you understand community?
- How can we create and expand our community?
I met Agnes ps-aguié, who’s graduating today.
Agnes, where are you? Agnes spent her childhood navigating conflict zones with human trafficking in Uganda. And now she’s trained thousands of law enforcement officials to keep communities safe.
I met Kayla Oakley, and Neha Jain graduating today too. Stand up guys Kayla Nia started a nonprofit that connects people suffering from chronic illnesses with people in their communities, who are willing to help out. And I met David Rosner, who’s graduating from the Kennedy School today.
David, stand up! David is a former city councilor, who fought to make Mexico City the first Latin American city to pass marriage equality, even before SanFrancisco
- Do the popcorn game (pronunciation)
- What are the names of these people in the text above? What did they do for the community?
- What did you do to keep communities safe?
Homework 1: Teacher gives homework to student
- Listen to the video at least 5 times.
- Practice pronunciation and prepare part 2
————————————————*****———————————————–
DAY 2
And this is my story to a student in a dorm connecting one community at a time, and keeping at it until one day, we can connect the whole world. Change starts local even global change starts small with people like us. In our generation, the struggle of whether we connect more, what do we achieve our greatest opportunities comes down to this. Your ability to build communities and create a world where every single person has a sense of purpose. Class of 2017, you are graduating into a world that needs purpose, and it’s up to you to create it.
Now maybe you’re asking yourself, “Can I really do this?”. Well, remember when I told you about that class I taught at the Boys & Girls Club, one day after class, I was talking to my students about going to college, and one of my top students raised his hand, and said that he wasn’t sure he could go to college because he’s undocumented.
He wasn’t sure if they’d take him. Last year I took him out to breakfast for his birthday. And I want to get him a gift, so I asked him what he wanted, and he just started talking about struggles that he saw other students in his class facing, and finally said you know, I’d really just like a book on social justice. I was blown away. Here is a young guy who has every reason to be cynical.
He wasn’t sure if the country he calls home. The only one he’s known was going to deny him his dream of going to college. But he wasn’t feeling sorry for himself. He wasn’t even thinking of himself. He has a greater sense of purpose, and he’s going to bring people along with him.
It says something about our situation today that, I can’t even say his name because I don’t want to put him at risk. But if a high school senior, who doesn’t know what the future holds for him, can do his part to move the world forward then we owe it to the world to do our part too.
- Do the popcorn game (pronunciation)
- Can you tell me Mark’s story again by your own word?
So before you walk out those gates one last time, and as we sit here in front of Memorial Church. I’m reminded of a prayer Misha Barak, that I say whenever I face a big challenge that I sing to my daughter thinking of her future when I tuck her in at night.
And it goes may the source of strength whose blessed the ones before us, help us find the courage to make our lives a blessing. I hope you find the courage to make your life a blessing. Congratulations class of 2017!
Good luck out there you!
- Do the popcorn game (pronunciation)
- What did Mark do when he faces a big challenge?
- How about you? What will you do when facing a hard challenge?
Homework 2: Teacher gives homework to student
- Listen to the video at least 5 times.
- Practice pronunciation and prepare next lesson
————————————————*****———————————————–