Edward's speech on STMC's 35th Speech Competition

Are You Willing?

Today, for around 4 minutes of your day, I want to ask you just one question. Are you willing? You might be wondering what exactly am I talking about. I want to talk to you about the concept that many people don’t quite understand about ‘What are you willing to do?’. This speech might sound a bit cheesy, I know, but when I was asked to write this speech, and I hear soo many people suggesting their ideas on games, sports, animals, I thought I’d make mine a little different.

Some of you may know that I love basketball, sometimes you see me in the hall, carrying a ball. Sometimes not. But what most of you, in fact I think all of you, don’t know is the amount of hours, days, I’ve put into the game, the dedication. I’m not going to say that I am best at it, I’m not even close, but I will and can say that I am willing to wake up every morning at 5:40 to play the game and to play it whenever I have the chance, just so I can become the best that I can be. To reach my greatest potential, in this sport. I am willing. Does this mean that I am willing to do other things, such as doing my homework? No, not at all. But I do, because I have to. Am I willing to play the piano? Definitely not. But, I am willing to work in the morning before I come to school, because I am willing to get somewhere in my life.

To be honest, when I look around and I see people around me, whether it be in hallways or anywhere, I sometimes think; how many of these people know what they want to be in their life? How many of them actually have a goal? How far are they willing to go for that goal? Are YOU willing to work for your goal? I’ve got no idea of the answer, only you know. Now, let me tell you a little bit of where my whole speech came from.

2 weeks ago during spring break, I went to a basketball camp. Many great players from all over BC where there for the whole week. On the fourth day of the camp, my coach gave us a little story. He decided to tell us about his basketball life, which began somewhat during grade 8. He loved the game. He was and is known as the best basketball player to have ever come out of BC, other than Steve Nash. But the thing that brought him to success was setting goals for himself. And he worked hard to achieve those goals. He’d wake up every morning at 5:45,his coach would pick him up to the gym, and they’d work on his game everyday before school for 3 years. That’s a great example of someone who is willing to work to achieve.

So in conclusion, I’m not telling any of you to go and wake up every morning or whatever and work on something. I’m just telling you what you need to do if you want to go anywhere in your life. Not meaning that you’re gonna have to wake up early, but that you’re going to have to work to be successful, and more importantly, you’re going to have to be willing to.

Freedom

He who feels that his will is not free is insane; he who denies it is foolish. --- Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

那些觉得自己的意志不是自由的人是精神上不健全的人；那些否认自己是自由的人其实只是傻瓜。 --- 尼采

When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty. --- Thomas Jefferson

当人们害怕他们的政府的时候，那就是专制暴政；当政府害怕人们的时候，那就是自由。 --- 杰佛逊

独裁专制对人民进行道德绑架的思想武器 /

独裁专制对人民进行道德绑架的思想武器

文章提交者：laotao

读一点安•兰德（六）

在一般人看来，如果人类没有了利他主义的牺牲奉献精神，这个世界一定会崩溃，会因充满邪恶而难以维持下去。

但是看看事实，似乎并非如此。

世界上宣传、强调利他主义牺牲奉献精神，甚至强迫大家牺牲奉献的地方，大多贫穷落后，腐败和专制独裁，老百姓的人权得不到保障，人与人的关系冷漠而缺乏诚信。而保护和尊重个人权利的地方，虽然也不是理想的乐土，但是比较起来要好得多。这个世界上，总是那些强调牺牲奉献的地方的人往尊重保护个人权利的地方跑。在保护和尊重个人权利的地方，虽然每个人也和强调牺牲奉献的地方的人一样是自私的，但是他们在维护和图谋个人利益的同时能够尊重他人的利益，能够有基本的礼貌和诚信，从而使社会比较和谐和稳定。而强调牺牲奉献的地方，大家口口声声牺牲奉献，毫不利己专门利人，为人民服务，为什么理想奋斗终生，而实际上非常虚伪和贪婪，人与人之间勾心斗角尔虞我诈，社会矛盾重重，一切都靠潜规则运行。 在尊重个人权利，允许人们理直气壮地追求和维护个人权利的地方，个人的权利是得到保障的，各种权利之间，人与人的权利之间有明确的界限，这种界限受到法律和社会道德规范的维护，特别是私有财产受到保护，使每个人都有心理上的安全感。这样才有利于大家考虑自己的长远利益，发挥创造性。而强调牺牲奉献的地方，因为大家的个人利益得不到有效的保障，社会号召道德高尚的人必须为另外一些人作出牺牲，人人都必须为什么理想、主义、乌托邦做出牺牲。利他主义的道德高压使大家以虚伪求生存。人人都生活在虚伪和算计别人的竞赛中。

这种牺牲奉献利他主义不仅造成人的心理扭曲、阴暗与狡诈，还是专制独裁者宗教狂最好的伪装和迷魂药。 我们只要稍微睁开眼睛，就可以看到在利他主义、牺牲奉献以及各种人间天上的乌托邦所掩盖迷惑下制造的灾难。

今天的朝鲜、昨天的苏联、东欧和柬埔寨，希特勒的德国，种种暴行和灾难，都是在利他主义、牺牲奉献等名义下制造和实施的。牺牲奉献利他主义口号喊得最响的时候，就是饿死人最多的时候。

专制独裁不仅在行动上用暴力劫持国家和民族，还用无私、奉献、牺牲、忠孝等对人民进行道德绑架，用为人民服务，解放全人类的谎言欺骗人民。

安•兰德说：“如果人为了‘公共利益’就要被杀死供奉到祭坛上作祭品这样的观念未被接受，这些暴行还会发生吗？读读这些国家的政治领袖们的讲话，再问问你们自己，如果奉献没有被视作一种道德理想，而是实事求是地视作一种反人性的邪恶，那么这些领袖们还能拿出什么论据来。” 安•兰德1962年发表的这些话，至今仍然有穿透骨髓的力量。

那些所谓的主义、理想、理论等等，以科学和人类历史发展规律等面目出现，说人不过是社会上的一个齿轮和螺丝钉，必须为了集体、国家和主义牺牲一切，必须服从领袖发出的号召和命令，无须也无权进行自我独立思考，无论这些理论主义以多么美丽堂皇的面目出现，都不是什么新鲜东西，而不过是非理性的、对邪教的陈腐盲目的模仿。

在这些地方，领袖们可以自由地（在某种程度上）面对他们自己行为所造成的事实，可以撒谎、欺骗、抢劫、杀戮——只要他们坚持这样一种绝对真理，即相信他们是更高真理的载体，这使他们的任何作为都是公正的；这给了他们一种可以塑造的、非绝对的现实，这也正是他们的基本目标。

对于利他主义的受害者来说，怀疑被负罪感所掩盖了；对于领袖们来说，利他主义使得怀疑——亦即思想——变得多余。

安•兰德这一段话发表于1973年，我想她当时一定想到了中国的三年大饥荒和文化大革命。

为什么极权主义独裁者认为有必要不惜金钱、不遗余力地大肆开展官方宣传，欺骗那些无助的、身受枷锁所得、言论自由受到钳制的奴隶，而这些奴隶毫无反抗或防御的办法？这个问题的答案就是：如果意识到自己正作为牺牲而受到宰杀——不是献祭给某些不可理解的“高尚目的”，而是献祭给明明白白、赤裸裸的人类邪恶，那么甚至最卑微的农夫或最低贱的野蛮人也会发动盲目叛乱。

安•兰德一定不了解中国人，她不知道，在这种情况下，中国还有人歌颂伟大领袖，还为能喊一句万岁而热泪盈眶呢！

永誌不忘 -- “自由頌”音樂會光碟介紹

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