以下是演讲全文（中文翻译后附加英文原文）：
首先，过去几天的经历带给我很多美好的回忆。当你们收到电子邮件，通知你被哈佛大学录取时，有多少人还记得自己当时正在做什么？我当时在玩游戏，然后飞奔到楼下，告诉爸爸这个喜讯。出于某种原因，他的反应是录下我打开电子邮件的瞬间场景。这可能是令人感到伤心的视频。我发誓，能进入哈佛大学依然是父母最为我感到骄傲的事情。
你在哈佛大学上的第一节课是什么？我的首节课是《ComputerScience121》。当时我上课迟到了，所以匆匆穿着T恤就跑，直到之后才意识到穿反了。我不明白为什么没人跟我说话，除了KX金（KXJin）。最后，我们共同解决问题，如今他在Facebook负责重要业务。2017届的毕业生们，这就是为何你们应该友善待人的原因。
然而最终，我没有被开出，而是自己选择了辍学。普莉希拉与我开始约会。正如你们所知道的那样，电影中描述称Facemash对Facebook的创建非常重要。但事实并非如此。可是如果没有Facemash，我可能就不会认识普莉希拉，她是我生命中最重要的人。为此，你们可以这样说，这是我在哈佛大学取得的最大成就。我们正这里建立起能够维持终生的友谊，有些人甚至组建了家庭。这就是我为何如此感激哈佛大学的原因。
今天，我还想要谈谈目标或称使命的问题。在这里，我不是为你们设定寻找使命的标准。我们都是千禧一代，都尝试着依靠本能行事。相反，我在这里想要告诉你们的是，找到使命感还不够。对于我们这代人来说，最大的挑战是创造人人都有使命感的世界。我最喜欢的故事之一就是约翰·肯尼迪（JohnFKennedy）总统参观美国宇航局太空中心的场景，他看到守门人手持扫帚，然后走过去问他在做什么。守门人回答说：“总统先生，我在帮助将人类送上月球！”
使命感是一种意识，我们总是处于比我们自己更大的东西里面。这些东西是我们所需要的，我们也需要努力工作让它变得更美好。使命感就是创造真正的快乐和幸福。当你毕业时，它变得尤其重要。当我们的父母毕业时，他们的目标是找到工作。可是今天，技术和自动化正导致许多工作消失，社区成员也在减少。许多人为此感到沮丧，正尝试填补空虚。
当我四处旅行时，我曾前往少年拘留所和鸦片戒瘾所看望那里的未成年人，他们对我讲述了自己的生活，并说如果放学后有事可做或有地方可去，他们的生活可能会变得完全不同。我也曾前往工厂，那里的工人知道他们的工作正在消失，并尝试寻找新的工作。为了确保社会向前发展，我们这代人面临的挑战不仅仅是创造新的就业机会，还要创造新的使命感。
我记得在KirklandHouse小宿舍中推出Facebook当晚的情境。我与朋友金去了Noch's。我记得告诉他，联系上哈佛社区让我非常兴奋，但将来某人或许能够连接整个世界。事情的确是这样的，但我从未想过这个人就是我们。我们是刚上大学的孩子，我们对此还一无所知。有许多大型科技公司，他们拥有庞大的资源，我想某个公司能够实现这个目标。但是我们的这个想法如此清晰，所有人都想被连接起来。所以我们只需要保持前进，每天保持进步。
我知道你们都有自己的故事。改变世界似乎变得如此明显，你们确定其他人会去做。但他们没有，你们却会。但是只有自己的目标还不够，你还必须为其他人也创造出使命感。我自己的经历就是如此。我的希望从来不是创办公司，而是创造影响。随着这些人开始加入我们的行列，我只是认为他们也关心影响力，所以我从来未解释过自己想要建立什么。
那是我创建Facebook以来陷入的最困难时期。我相信我们所做的一切，但我感到孤独。更糟糕的是，这是我的错误。我想知道是否真是自己错了，我成了骗子，毕竟22岁的青年并非真的了解这个世界。多年以后，我终于理解没有更高使命感的后果。我们可以创造它，然后共同努力实现它。
今天，我想谈三种能够创造人人都有使命感的世界的三种方式：共同从事有意义的大项目，重新定义平等以便让每个人都有追求各自目标的自由，以及建立全球性社区。
首先，让我们以有意义的大项目开始。我们这代人将不得不应对工作自动化的挑战，将有数以百万计的工作被取代，包括无人驾驶汽车和卡车。但我们拥有更大潜力能够迎接这种挑战。每一代人都有对工作的不同定义。为了将人类送上火星，超过30万人为之努力，包括那个看门人。世界各地成千上万的志愿者为儿童接种脊髓灰质炎疫苗，数百万人参与修建胡佛大坝和其他重大项目。这些项目不仅为从事这些工作到人提供了目标，还提升了整个国家的自豪感。
现在，轮到我们去做伟大的事情。我知道，你们可能会想：我不知道如何建造大坝，或让数百万人参与到某件事中来。但让我告诉你们一个秘密：开始的时候，没人知道如何去做，思想还未完全成形。只有当你开始工作的时候，它们才会逐渐变得清晰。你只需要勇敢地开始去做。如果我在创建Facebook前需要了解所有东西，那么我可能永远无法成功。
有关这些东西的电影和流行文化都是错误的。某个灵光一现的想法都是危险的谎言。它让我们觉得不足胜任，因为我们没有自己的想法。它会阻止人们从一开始就获得很好的想法。你还知道哪些电影对创新的描述是错误的？没有人在玻璃上写数学公式。有理想是好事，但你要准备好遭人误解。任何从事巨大愿景的人都会被称之为疯子，即使最终证明你是对的。任何竭力解决复杂问题的人总被谴责对面临的挑战缺乏充分理解，即使他前期已经进行过充分了解。任何主动的人都会因为“行动太快”而受到批评，因为总是有人想让你慢下来。
这些成就都是我们有望能够实现的。我们只需要让所有人多能在社会上发挥自己的作用，让我们启动大的项目，不仅要创造进步，还要创造使命感。所以，启动有意义的大项目是我们创造人人都有使命感的世界的第一步。
第二是重新定义平等，以便每个人都能自由地追求他们的目标。我们的许多父母在其职业生涯中都有稳定的工作。现在我们都在创业，无论是开始项目还是寻找项目，亦或是正在项目中发挥作用。我们的企业文化是如何创造如此多的进步。现在，创业文化正蓬勃发展，尝试新观念变得越来越容易。Facebook并非我首先创建的东西，我还开发过游戏、聊天系统、学习工具以及音乐播放器。
并非只有我经历了如此多的尝试。罗琳（JKRowling）的《哈里·波特》（HarryPotter）在出版前，曾被拒绝12次。即使碧昂斯（Beyonce）也曾创作过数百首曲目才成就了《Halo》。最大的成功往往源自无数的失败。但是今天，我们的财富不平等已经伤害到所有人。当你无法自由尝试自己的想法，并将其变成历史性的机遇时，我们都成了失败者。现在，我们的社会过于注重成功的奖励，我们还不足以让每个人都进行尝试并取得成功。
让我们面对现实。当我离开哈佛大学时，我们的系统存在某些问题，我10年内赚了数十亿美元，而数以百万计的学生却无力偿还助学贷款，更别说创业。我认识许多企业家，但没有1个人是因为没有足够的钱而放弃创业。但我知道许多人没有追求的梦想，因为如果他们承受不起失败的后果。我们都知道，成功不仅仅需要好的想法或努力工作，还需要运气。如果我的家庭没有办法支持我去学习编码，如果我不知道即使Facebook失败我也无所谓，我今天可能无法站在这里。坦诚地将，我们都知道我们非常幸运。
的确，为每个人提供追求目标的自由并非是免费的，而像我这样的人应该为此做出贡献。你们中的许多人会做得很好，也应该做得更好。这就是为何我和普莉希拉创建ChanZuckerbergInitiative和承诺在有生之年利用我们的财富促进机会平等的原因。这些都是我们这代人必须要建立起的价值观。如果我们去做，这些都不是问题，唯一的问题是何时去做。
使命感不仅仅是关于工作方面的。我们能够创造人人都有使命感的世界的第三种方式就是建立起社区。当我们这代人说“每个人”时，我们的意思是指世界上的每个人。你们中有多少人来自其他国家？有多少人有这样的朋友？在我演讲的这一刻，我们的联系正变得更紧密。
一项调查表明，在全球询问千禧一代对我们身份的定义时，最流行的答案不是民族、宗教或种族，而是“世界公民”。这非常重要。每一代人都在扩大“自己人”的圈子。对于我们来说，现在它包括了整个世界。我们都知道，人类历史倾向于人类更大规模的聚居，从部落到城市再到国家，这可以实现我们此前无法做到的事情。现在社区扩展到整个世界，对我们来说也是最大的机遇。我们这代人或许可根除贫困和疾病。我们应对最大挑战需要全球的响应，没有任何国家能够单独对抗全球变暖和流行疫情。现在要想取得进步不仅仅需要城市或国家协作，而是需要以全球社区为基础。
但是我们生活在不够稳定的时代。有许多人被全球化抛在后面，如果我们觉得自己的生活不够好，那么很难去关心其他地方的人。这就是我们这个时代面临的困境。自由、公开的全球社区力量反对独裁、孤立主义以及民族主义的力量，知识、贸易以及迁徙的流动力量反对阻止它们的力量。这不是一场国家之战，而是思想大战。每个国家都有人支持全球连接，当然也有人反对。
这种情况并非联合国能够解决的，因为它发生在地方层面，当有足够多的人产生使命感，生活稳定后，我们就会开始关心别人。最好的方法就是从现在开始建设本地社区。我们都从自己的社区中获益。无论这些社区是房屋还是运动队伍、教堂还是音乐团体，他们都让我们觉得自己是某个更大东西的一部分，我们并不孤单。同时，他们也会赋予我们更大的力量，帮助我们去扩展视野。
这就是它为何数十年来如此引人注目的原因，各种团体成员人数最多下降了1/4，许多人现在需要在其他地方找到自己的目标。但我知道，我们可以重建我们的社区，开始新的社区，因为你们许多人已经身在社区中。我曾与今天毕业的艾格尼丝·伊格耶（AgnesIgoye）聊天，她的童年是在乌干达战区中度过的，如今她已经培训了数以千计的执法人员，帮助确保社区安全。我也见到了凯拉·奥科利（KaylaOakley）和尼哈·贾恩（NihaJain），他们创建了非盈利组织，将遭受疾病折磨的人与社区中愿意提供帮助的人联系起来。还有大卫·拉族·亚兹纳（DavidRazuAznar），他曾是前市政厅议员，成功带领墨西哥城成为拉丁美洲首个支持婚姻平等的城市，甚至在旧金山之前。
我也有类似的个人经历。作为大学宿舍中的学生，连接某个社区，维持它直到其联通整个世界。改变往往始于局部。即使全球性的改变也从小地方开始，就像我们这样的人。在我们这代人中，挑战在于能否连接更多人，能否实现最大的机遇，即创建社区和人人都有使命感的世界。
2017届毕业生们，你们即将步入需要目标的世界，而且它是由你们创造的。现在，你可能在想：我真的能做到吗？你们还记得我从教的故事吗？有一天放学后，我与孩子们讨论大学的事情，其中有个孩子举起手说，他不确定自己能上大学，因为他没有合法证件。他不知道这是否会阻止他上大学。去年，我带他去庆祝生日，我想送他一份礼物，为此我问他想要什么，他开始谈论自己见过的处于困境中的学生，并说：“你知道，我非常想要有关社会公正的书籍。”
我很受感动，这个孩子有愤世嫉俗的理由。他不知道被他称之为祖国的国度是否能圆他上大学的梦想。但他并不觉得自己可怜，甚至没有为自己考虑过。他有更大的使命感，他正吸引更多人追随他。鉴于目前的情况，我无法提及他的名字，因为我不想他陷入危险中。但如果一位不知道未来在何方的高中生都能够竭尽自己所能推动世界前进，那么我们更应该为这个世界做点儿什么。
当你们最后一次走出哈佛大学的校门时，当我们坐在纪念礼堂前时，我想起一段祈祷“MiShebeirach”，每当我面对挑战时，当我抱着她并想到女儿的未来时，我都会向她唱诵。“愿力量之源，保佑我们面前的人，帮助我们找到勇气，让我们的生活得到祝福。”我希望你们也能找让生活受到祝福的勇气。再次祝贺你们，并祝你们好运！（小小）
有兴趣的读者可以看看英文原文：
HarvardCommencement2017
PresidentFaust,BoardofOverseers,faculty,alumni,friends,proudparents,membersoftheadboard,andgraduatesofthegreatestuniversityintheworld,
I'mhonoredtobewithyoutodaybecause,let'sfaceit,youaccomplishedsomethingInevercould.IfIgetthroughthisspeech,it'llbethefirsttimeIactuallyfinishsomethingatHarvard.Classof2017,congratulations!
I'manunlikelyspeaker,notjustbecauseIdroppedout,butbecausewe'retechnicallyinthesamegeneration.Wewalkedthisyardlessthanadecadeapart,studiedthesameideasandsleptthroughthesameEc10lectures.Wemayhavetakendifferentpathstogethere,especiallyifyoucameallthewayfromtheQuad,buttodayIwanttosharewhatI'velearnedaboutourgenerationandtheworldwe'rebuildingtogether.
Butfirst,thelastcoupleofdayshavebroughtbackalotofgoodmemories.
HowmanyofyourememberexactlywhatyouweredoingwhenyougotthatemailtellingyouthatyougotintoHarvardIwasplayingCivilizationandIrandownstairs,gotmydad,andforsomereason,hisreactionwastovideomeopeningtheemail.Thatcouldhavebeenareallysadvideo.IsweargettingintoHarvardisstillthethingmyparentsaremostproudofmefor.
WhataboutyourfirstlectureatHarvardMinewasComputerScience121withtheincredibleHarryLewis.IwaslatesoIthrewonat-shirtanddidn'trealizeuntilafterwardsitwasinsideoutandbackwardswithmytagstickingoutthefront.Icouldn'tfigureoutwhynoonewouldtalktome--exceptoneguy,KXJin,hejustwentwithit.Weendedupdoingourproblemsetstogether,andnowherunsabigpartofFacebook.Andthat,Classof2017,iswhyyoushouldbenicetopeople.
ButmybestmemoryfromHarvardwasmeetingPriscilla.IhadjustlaunchedthisprankwebsiteFacemash,andtheadboardwantedto"seeme".EveryonethoughtIwasgoingtogetkickedout.Myparentscametohelpmepack.Myfriendsthrewmeagoingawayparty.Asluckwouldhaveit,Priscillawasatthatpartywithherfriend.WemetinlineforthebathroominthePfohoBelltower,andinwhatmustbeoneofthealltimeromanticlines,Isaid:"I'mgoingtogetkickedoutinthreedays,soweneedtogoonadatequickly."
Actually,anyofyougraduatingcanusethatline.
Ididn'tendupgettingkickedout--Ididthattomyself.PriscillaandIstarteddating.And,youknow,thatmoviemadeitseemlikeFacemashwassoimportanttocreatingFacebook.Itwasn't.ButwithoutFacemashIwouldn'thavemetPriscilla,andshe'sthemostimportantpersoninmylife,soyoucouldsayitwasthemostimportantthingIbuiltinmytimehere.
We'veallstartedlifelongfriendshipshere,andsomeofusevenfamilies.That'swhyI'msogratefultothisplace.Thanks,Harvard.
TodayIwanttotalkaboutpurpose.ButI'mnotheretogiveyouthestandardcommencementaboutfindingyourpurpose.We'remillennials.We'lltrytodothatinstinctively.Instead,I'mheretotellyoufindingyourpurposeisn'tenough.Thechallengeforourgenerationiscreatingaworldwhereeveryonehasasenseofpurpose.
OneofmyfavoritestoriesiswhenJohnFKennedyvisitedtheNASAspacecenter,hesawajanitorcarryingabroomandhewalkedoverandaskedwhathewasdoing.Thejanitorresponded:"Mr.President,I'mhelpingputamanonthemoon".
Purposeisthatsensethatwearepartofsomethingbiggerthanourselves,thatweareneeded,thatwehavesomethingbetteraheadtoworkfor.Purposeiswhatcreatestruehappiness.
You'regraduatingatatimewhenthisisespeciallyimportant.Whenourparentsgraduated,purposereliablycamefromyourjob,yourchurch,yourcommunity.Buttoday,technologyandautomationareeliminatingmanyjobs.Membershipincommunitiesisdeclining.Manypeoplefeeldisconnectedanddepressed,andaretryingtofillavoid.
AsI'vetraveledaround,I'vesatwithchildreninjuveniledetentionandopioidaddicts,whotoldmetheirlivescouldhaveturnedoutdifferentlyiftheyjusthadsomethingtodo,anafterschoolprogramorsomewheretogo.I'vemetfactoryworkerswhoknowtheiroldjobsaren'tcomingbackandaretryingtofindtheirplace.
Tokeepoursocietymovingforward,wehaveagenerationalchallenge--tonotonlycreatenewjobs,butcreatearenewedsenseofpurpose.
IrememberthenightIlaunchedFacebookfrommylittledorminKirklandHouse.IwenttoNoch'swithmyfriendKX.IremembertellinghimIwasexcitedtoconnecttheHarvardcommunity,butonedaysomeonewouldconnectthewholeworld.
Thethingis,itneverevenoccurredtomethatsomeonemightbeus.Wewerejustcollegekids.Wedidn'tknowanythingaboutthat.Therewereallthesebigtechnologycompanieswithresources.Ijustassumedoneofthemwoulddoit.Butthisideawassocleartous--thatallpeoplewanttoconnect.Sowejustkeptmovingforward,daybyday.
Iknowalotofyouwillhaveyourownstoriesjustlikethis.Achangeintheworldthatseemssoclearyou'resuresomeoneelsewilldoit.Buttheywon't.Youwill.
Butit'snotenoughtohavepurposeyourself.Youhavetocreateasenseofpurposeforothers.
Ifoundthatoutthehardway.Yousee,myhopewasnevertobuildacompany,buttomakeanimpact.Andasallthesepeoplestartedjoiningus,Ijustassumedthat'swhattheycaredabouttoo,soIneverexplainedwhatIhopedwe'dbuild.
Acoupleyearsin,somebigcompanieswantedtobuyus.Ididn'twanttosell.Iwantedtoseeifwecouldconnectmorepeople.WewerebuildingthefirstNewsFeed,andIthoughtifwecouldjustlaunchthis,itcouldchangehowwelearnabouttheworld.
Nearlyeveryoneelsewantedtosell.Withoutasenseofhigherpurpose,thiswasthestartupdreamcometrue.Ittoreourcompanyapart.Afteronetenseargument,anadvisortoldmeifIdidn'tagreetosell,Iwouldregretthedecisionfortherestofmylife.Relationshipsweresofrayedthatwithinayearorsoeverysinglepersononthemanagementteamwasgone.
ThatwasmyhardesttimeleadingFacebook.Ibelievedinwhatweweredoing,butIfeltalone.Andworse,itwasmyfault.IwonderedifIwasjustwrong,animposter,a22year-oldkidwhohadnoideahowtheworldworked.
Now,yearslater,Iunderstandthat*is*howthingsworkwithnosenseofhigherpurpose.It'suptoustocreateitsowecanallkeepmovingforwardtogether.
TodayIwanttotalkaboutthreewaystocreateaworldwhereeveryonehasasenseofpurpose:bytakingonbigmeaningfulprojectstogether,byredefiningequalitysoeveryonehasthefreedomtopursuepurpose,andbybuildingcommunityacrosstheworld.
First,let'stakeonbigmeaningfulprojects.
Ourgenerationwillhavetodealwithtensofmillionsofjobsreplacedbyautomationlikeself-drivingcarsandtrucks.Butwehavethepotentialtodosomuchmoretogether.
Everygenerationhasitsdefiningworks.Morethan300,000peopleworkedtoputamanonthemoon–includingthatjanitor.Millionsofvolunteersimmunizedchildrenaroundtheworldagainstpolio.MillionsofmorepeoplebuilttheHooverdamandothergreatprojects.
Theseprojectsdidn'tjustprovidepurposeforthepeopledoingthosejobs,theygaveourwholecountryasenseofpridethatwecoulddogreatthings.
Nowit'sourturntodogreatthings.Iknow,you'reprobablythinking:Idon'tknowhowtobuildadam,orgetamillionpeopleinvolvedinanything.
Butletmetellyouasecret:noonedoeswhentheybegin.Ideasdon'tcomeoutfullyformed.Theyonlybecomeclearasyouworkonthem.Youjusthavetogetstarted.
IfIhadtounderstandeverythingaboutconnectingpeoplebeforeIbegan,IneverwouldhavestartedFacebook.
Moviesandpopculturegetthisallwrong.Theideaofasingleeurekamomentisadangerouslie.Itmakesusfeelinadequatesincewehaven'thadours.Itpreventspeoplewithseedsofgoodideasfromgettingstarted.Oh,youknowwhatelsemoviesgetwrongaboutinnovationNoonewritesmathformulasonglass.That'snotathing.
It'sgoodtobeidealistic.Butbepreparedtobemisunderstood.Anyoneworkingonabigvisionwillgetcalledcrazy,evenifyouendupright.Anyoneworkingonacomplexproblemwillgetblamedfornotfullyunderstandingthechallenge,eventhoughit'simpossibletoknoweverythingupfront.Anyonetakinginitiativewillgetcriticizedformovingtoofast,becausethere'salwayssomeonewhowantstoslowyoudown.
Inoursociety,weoftendon'tdobigthingsbecausewe'resoafraidofmakingmistakesthatweignoreallthethingswrongtodayifwedonothing.Therealityis,anythingwedowillhaveissuesinthefuture.Butthatcan'tkeepusfromstarting.
SowhatarewewaitingforIt'stimeforourgeneration-definingpublicworks.HowaboutstoppingclimatechangebeforewedestroytheplanetandgettingmillionsofpeopleinvolvedmanufacturingandinstallingsolarpanelsHowaboutcuringalldiseasesandaskingvolunteerstotracktheirhealthdataandsharetheirgenomesTodaywespend50xmoretreatingpeoplewhoaresickthanwespendfindingcuressopeopledon’tgetsickinthefirstplace.Thatmakesnosense.Wecanfixthis.Howaboutmodernizingdemocracysoeveryonecanvoteonline,andpersonalizingeducationsoeveryonecanlearn
Theseachievementsarewithinourreach.Let'sdothemallinawaythatgiveseveryoneinoursocietyarole.Let'sdobigthings,notonlytocreateprogress,buttocreatepurpose.
Sotakingonbigmeaningfulprojectsisthefirstthingwecandotocreateaworldwhereeveryonehasasenseofpurpose.
Thesecondisredefiningequalitytogiveeveryonethefreedomtheyneedtopursuepurpose.
Manyofourparentshadstablejobsthroughouttheircareers.Nowwe'reallentrepreneurial,whetherwe'restartingprojectsorfindingorrole.Andthat'sgreat.Ourcultureofentrepreneurshipishowwecreatesomuchprogress.
Now,anentrepreneurialculturethriveswhenit'seasytotrylotsofnewideas.Facebookwasn'tthefirstthingIbuilt.Ialsobuiltgames,chatsystems,studytoolsandmusicplayers.I'mnotalone.JKRowlinggotrejected12timesbeforepublishingHarryPotter.EvenBeyoncehadtomakehundredsofsongstogetHalo.Thegreatestsuccessescomefromhavingthefreedomtofail.
Buttoday,wehavealevelofwealthinequalitythathurtseveryone.Whenyoudon'thavethefreedomtotakeyourideaandturnitintoahistoricenterprise,wealllose.Rightnowoursocietyiswayover-indexedonrewardingsuccessandwedon'tdonearlyenoughtomakeiteasyforeveryonetotakelotsofshots.
Let'sfaceit.ThereissomethingwrongwithoursystemwhenIcanleavehereandmakebillionsofdollarsin10yearswhilemillionsofstudentscan'taffordtopayofftheirloans,letalonestartabusiness.
Look,Iknowalotofentrepreneurs,andIdon'tknowasinglepersonwhogaveuponstartingabusinessbecausetheymightnotmakeenoughmoney.ButIknowlotsofpeoplewhohaven'tpursueddreamsbecausetheydidn'thaveacushiontofallbackoniftheyfailed.
Weallknowwedon'tsucceedjustbyhavingagoodideaorworkinghard.Wesucceedbybeingluckytoo.IfIhadtosupportmyfamilygrowingupinsteadofhavingtimetocode,ifIdidn'tknowI'dbefineifFacebookdidn'tworkout,Iwouldn'tbestandingheretoday.Ifwe'rehonest,weallknowhowmuchluckwe'vehad.
Everygenerationexpandsitsdefinitionofequality.Previousgenerationsfoughtforthevoteandcivilrights.TheyhadtheNewDealandGreatSociety.Nowit'sourtimetodefineanewsocialcontractforourgeneration.
WeshouldhaveasocietythatmeasuresprogressnotjustbyeconomicmetricslikeGDP,butbyhowmanyofushavearolewefindmeaningful.Weshouldexploreideaslikeuniversalbasicincometogiveeveryoneacushiontotrynewthings.We’regoingtochangejobsmanytimes,soweneedaffordablechildcaretogettoworkandhealthcarethataren'ttiedtoonecompany.We'reallgoingtomakemistakes,soweneedasocietythatfocuseslessonlockingusuporstigmatizingus.Andastechnologykeepschanging,weneedtofocusmoreoncontinuouseducationthroughoutourlives.
Andyes,givingeveryonethefreedomtopursuepurposeisn'tfree.Peoplelikemeshouldpayforit.Manyofyouwilldowellandyoushouldtoo.
That'swhyPriscillaandIstartedtheChanZuckerbergInitiativeandcommittedourwealthtopromotingequalopportunity.Thesearethevaluesofourgeneration.Itwasneveraquestionofifweweregoingtodothis.Theonlyquestionwaswhen.
Millennialsarealreadyoneofthemostcharitablegenerationsinhistory.Inoneyear,threeoffourUSmillennialsmadeadonationandsevenoutoftenraisedmoneyforcharity.
Butit'snotjustaboutmoney.Youcanalsogivetime.Ipromiseyou,ifyoutakeanhourortwoaweek--that'sallittakestogivesomeoneahand,tohelpthemreachtheirpotential.
Maybeyouthinkthat'stoomuchtime.Iusedto.WhenPriscillagraduatedfromHarvardshebecameateacher,andbeforeshe'ddoeducationworkwithme,shetoldmeIneededtoteachaclass.Icomplained:"Well,I'mkindofbusy.I'mrunningthiscompany."Butsheinsisted,soItaughtamiddleschoolprogramonentrepreneurshipatthelocalBoysandGirlsClub.
Itaughtthemlessonsonproductdevelopmentandmarketing,andtheytaughtmewhatit'slikefeelingtargetedforyourraceandhavingafamilymemberinprison.Isharedstoriesfrommytimeinschool,andtheysharedtheirhopeofonedaygoingtocollegetoo.Forfiveyearsnow,I’vebeenhavingdinnerwiththosekidseverymonth.OneofthemthrewmeandPriscillaourfirstbabyshower.Andnextyearthey’regoingtocollege.Everyoneofthem.Firstintheirfamilies.
Wecanallmaketimetogivesomeoneahand.Let'sgiveeveryonethefreedomtopursuetheirpurpose--notonlybecauseit'stherightthingtodo,butbecausewhenmorepeoplecanturntheirdreamsintosomethinggreat,we'reallbetterforit.
Purposedoesn'tonlycomefromwork.Thethirdwaywecancreateasenseofpurposeforeveryoneisbybuildingcommunity.Andwhenourgenerationsays"everyone",wemeaneveryoneintheworld.
Quickshowofhands:howmanyofyouarefromanothercountryNow,howmanyofyouarefriendswithoneofthesefolksNowwe'retalking.Wehavegrownupconnected.
Inasurveyaskingmillennialsaroundtheworldwhatdefinesouridentity,themostpopularanswerwasn'tnationality,religionorethnicity,itwas"citizenoftheworld".That'sabigdeal.
Everygenerationexpandsthecircleofpeopleweconsider"oneofus".Forus,itnowencompassestheentireworld.
Weunderstandthegreatarcofhumanhistorybendstowardspeoplecomingtogetherinevergreaternumbers--fromtribestocitiestonations--toachievethingswecouldn'tonourown.
Wegetthatourgreatestopportunitiesarenowglobal--wecanbethegenerationthatendspoverty,thatendsdisease.Wegetthatourgreatestchallengesneedglobalresponsestoo--nocountrycanfightclimatechangealoneorpreventpandemics.Progressnowrequirescomingtogethernotjustascitiesornations,butalsoasaglobalcommunity.
Butweliveinanunstabletime.Therearepeopleleftbehindbyglobalizationacrosstheworld.It'shardtocareaboutpeopleinotherplacesifwedon’tfeelgoodaboutourliveshereathome.There’spressuretoturninwards.
Thisisthestruggleofourtime.Theforcesoffreedom,opennessandglobalcommunityagainsttheforcesofauthoritarianism,isolationismandnationalism.Forcesfortheflowofknowledge,tradeandimmigrationagainstthosewhowouldslowthemdown.Thisisnotabattleofnations,it'sabattleofideas.Therearepeopleineverycountryforglobalconnectionandgoodpeopleagainstit.
Thisisn'tgoingtobedecidedattheUNeither.It'sgoingtohappenatthelocallevel,whenenoughofusfeelasenseofpurposeandstabilityinourownlivesthatwecanopenupandstartcaringabouteveryone.Thebestwaytodothatistostartbuildinglocalcommunitiesrightnow.
Weallgetmeaningfromourcommunities.Whetherourcommunitiesarehousesorsportsteams,churchesormusicgroups,theygiveusthatsensewearepartofsomethingbigger,thatwearenotalone;theygiveusthestrengthtoexpandourhorizons.
That'swhyit'ssostrikingthatfordecades,membershipinallkindsofgroupshasdeclinedasmuchasone-quarter.That'salotofpeoplewhonowneedtofindpurposesomewhereelse.
ButIknowwecanrebuildourcommunitiesandstartnewonesbecausemanyofyoualreadyare.
ImetAgnesIgoye,who'sgraduatingtoday.Whereareyou,AgnesShespentherchildhoodnavigatingconflictzonesinUganda,andnowshetrainsthousandsoflawenforcementofficerstokeepcommunitiessafe.
ImetKaylaOakleyandNihaJain,graduatingtoday,too.Standup.KaylaandNihastartedanon-profitthatconnectspeoplesufferingfromillnesseswithpeopleintheircommunitieswillingtohelp.
ImetDavidRazuAznar,graduatingfromtheKennedySchooltoday.David,standup.He’saformercitycouncilorwhosuccessfullyledthebattletomakeMexicoCitythefirstLatinAmericancitytopassmarriageequality--evenbeforeSanFrancisco.
Thisismystorytoo.Astudentinadormroom,connectingonecommunityatatime,andkeepingatituntilonedayweconnectthewholeworld.
Changestartslocal.Evenglobalchangesstartsmall--withpeoplelikeus.Inourgeneration,thestruggleofwhetherweconnectmore,whetherweachieveourbiggestopportunities,comesdowntothis--yourabilitytobuildcommunitiesandcreateaworldwhereeverysinglepersonhasasenseofpurpose.
Classof2017,youaregraduatingintoaworldthatneedspurpose.It'suptoyoutocreateit.
Now,youmaybethinking:canIreallydothis
RememberwhenItoldyouaboutthatclassItaughtattheBoysandGirlsClubOnedayafterclassIwastalkingtothemaboutcollege,andoneofmytopstudentsraisedhishandandsaidhewasn'tsurehecouldgobecausehe'sundocumented.Hedidn'tknowifthey'dlethimin.
LastyearItookhimouttobreakfastforhisbirthday.Iwantedtogethimapresent,soIaskedhimandhestartedtalkingaboutstudentshesawstrugglingandsaid"Youknow,I'dreallyjustlikeabookonsocialjustice."
Iwasblownaway.Here'sayoungguywhohaseveryreasontobecynical.Hedidn'tknowifthecountryhecallshome--theonlyonehe'sknown--woulddenyhimhisdreamofgoingtocollege.Buthewasn'tfeelingsorryforhimself.Hewasn'teventhinkingofhimself.Hehasagreatersenseofpurpose,andhe'sgoingtobringpeoplealongwithhim.
ItsayssomethingaboutourcurrentsituationthatIcan'tevensayhisnamebecauseIdon'twanttoputhimatrisk.Butifahighschoolseniorwhodoesn'tknowwhatthefutureholdscandohisparttomovetheworldforward,thenweoweittotheworldtodoourparttoo.
Beforeyouwalkoutthosegatesonelasttime,aswesitinfrontofMemorialChurch,Iamremindedofaprayer,MiShebeirach,thatIsaywheneverIfaceachallenge,thatIsingtomydaughterthinkingaboutherfuturewhenItuckherintobed.Itgoes:
"Maythesourceofstrength,whoblessedtheonesbeforeus,helpus*findthecourage*tomakeourlivesablessing."