Bill Gates鈥� Commencement addre at Harvard University,2007 (extract)
Members of the Harvard Family: Here in the Yard is one of the great
collections of intellectual talent in the world.
What for?
There is no question that the faculty, the alumni, the students, and the
benefactors of Harvard have used their power to improve the lives of people here and around the world.But can we do more? Can Harvard dedicate its intellect to improving the lives of people who will never even hear its name?
Let me make a request of the deans and the profeors鈥攖he
intellectual leaders here at Harvard: As you hire new faculty, award tenure, review curriculum, and determine degree requirements, please ask
yourselves:
Should our best minds be dedicated to solving our biggest problems?
Should Harvard encourage its faculty to take on the world鈥檚 worst
inequities? Should Harvard students learn about the depth of global poverty鈥he prevalence of world hunger鈥he scarcity of clean water鈥he girls kept out of school鈥he children who die from diseases we can cure?
Should the world鈥檚 most privileged people learn about the lives of the world鈥檚 least privileged?
These are not rhetorical questions鈥攜ou will answer with your policies.When you consider what those of us here in this Yard have been given鈥攊n talent, privilege, and opportunity鈥攖here is almost no limit to what the world has a right to expect from us.
In line with the promise of this age, I want to exhort each of the graduates here to take on an iue鈥攁 complex problem, a deep inequity, and become a specialist on it.If you make it the focus of your career, that would be
phenomenal.But you don鈥檛 have to do that to make an impact.For a few hours every week, you can use the growing power of the Internet to get
informed, find others with the same interests, see the barriers, and find ways to cut through them.
Don鈥檛 let complexity stop you.Be activists.Take on the big inequities.It will be one of the great experiences of your lives.
You graduates are coming of age in an amazing time.As you leave
Harvard, you have technology that members of my cla never had.You have awarene of global inequity, which we did not have.And with that awarene, you likely also have an informed conscience that will torment you if you
abandon these people whose lives you could change with very little effort.You have more than we had; you must start sooner, and carry on longer.
Knowing what you know, how could you not?
And I hope you will come back here to Harvard 30 years from now and reflect on what you have done with your talent and your energy.I hope you will judge yourselves not on your profeional accomplishments alone, but also on how well you have addreed the world鈥檚 deepest inequities鈥n how well you treated people a world away who have nothing in common with you but their humanity.
Good luck.
(words: 497)
