I think, therefore I am英文演讲稿及译文
i think, therefore i am
mo junhua
dear fellow friends:
good morning. today im going to share with you the most valuable thing that i have learned at university.
i was born in1977. but my life didnt begin in the real sense until1999. prior to that, i spent every hour, every day and every year doing what was expected of me , eating, sleeping, studying, playing, so on and so forth. i didn"t have the idea of who i am, what i should do now and next or what life means to me. never had i thought about these questions. this situation lasted for year after year. it underwent few changes even after i entered the university. and it was another two years later that i began to think about these questions, which are of great significance to me, from then on, my life turned over a new leaf, because independent thinking, which didnt have any place in my life, started to play an important part.
first, thinking helps me to know myself, such as my dream, interest, strengths and weaknesses. as we all know, every one of us has his own character, although we are all human beings. it is therefore vital for us to develop a sense of identity, form our own opinions, make our own choices and take responsibility for our own destinies. we wont be the initiator of our action or in charge of our life, unless we think about our uniqueness and make our individuality clear. to my joy, ive started to do that. now i set my own standards and regard them as my code of conduct rather than judge myself by how others estimate me or how much approval im getting from other people. i wont live in the shadow of anyone else. i live my life in my own way.
second, thinking stimulates me to treat life and time seriously. mans dearest possession is life. it is given to him but once. so how we spend our life and time is a question we are supposed to ask ourselves. its a pity that some people have never made an effort to seek the meaning of life. they live their own life, but not in a meaningful way. most of them seem disoriented, not knowing what to do or how to make use of time. to be honest, i used to be troubled by the same problems. however, as i learned to think, i came to know the purpose of life, which is by no means food, drink and merrymaking. now ive made up my mind to be a diligent, responsible man. on the one hand, im eager to give full play to my professional knowledge and live out my dream. on the other hand, im trying my best to fulfill my obligations to society as well as my family and friends. in a word, i want to live a full, meaningful life. i hate to spend my time in vain. so im working hard to challenge and improve myself. it can be said without the fear of exaggeration that thinking has awakened my slumbering soul, transformed me into an enterprising young man.《1》《2》《3》
it is therefore apparent that thinking is playing a very important role in my life. however, it can be painful at times. although i spend much time thinking, i still cannot sort out some of the problems i encounter. consequently, i will get depressed. it seems that im asking for trouble. why not go and have some fun instead of taking pains to think? the reason is that its rewards far outnumber those momentary displeasure. thinking is the key to life, the gateway to psychological maturity, and the beacon to the road ahead.
leaning to think is the milestone in my life. it is the most valuable thing i learned at university. now it has become an indispensable part of my life.
"i think, therefore i am."
thank you!
译文：
我思故我在
亲爱的朋友们：
早上好!今天，我将与大家一起分享我在大学里学到的最有价值的东西。
我是1977年出生的，但是，我真正意义上的人生却是到1999年才开始的。在那以前的每一时、每一天、每一年，我都是做着别人希望我做的事，吃饭、睡觉、学习、玩耍。我根本就不知道我是谁，不知道我现在该做什么、将来要做什么，也不知道生活对我意味着什么。我也从来没有想过这些问题。这种状态持续了许多年，即使在我上大学之后，也没有发生什么变化。在大学里呆了两年之后，我才开始独立思考一些对我有重大意义的问题。从那时候起，我的人生翻开了崭新的一页，因为过去不曾在我生活中占有一席之地的独立思考逐渐成为我生活中的一件大事。
首先，独立思考帮助我认识自己，比如说我的梦想、兴趣、优点和缺点。我们都知道，虽然大家都是人，但我们中的每一个人都有自己的个性和特征。因此，发展我们的个性、形成我们自己的观点、做出我们自己的选择以及对我们自己的人生负责就是一件至关重要的大事。如果不考虑自身的特点、不明确自己的个性，我们就不会是自己行动的发起者或自己命运的主人。令我感到欣慰的是，我已经开始这么做了。现在，我有了自己的标准并以此作为自己行为的主要准则，而不是根据别人对我的评价来评价自己，或是根据我得到别人的多少认可来肯定自己。我不愿意生活在任何人的阴影之下，我要按自己的方式来生活。
其次，独立思考促使我认真地对待时间与生命。人的一生最宝贵的是生命，生命属于人只有一次。那么，如何度过我们这一生、如何分配我们的时间就值得我们去扪心自问。遗憾的是，有些人从来没有试着去寻找生命的意义。他们一天天地活着，但活得并不是很有意义。他们似乎没有目标，不知道该干什么或是怎样利用时间。老实说，我曾经也被这些问题困扰过。但是，当我慢慢地学会独立思考，我就逐渐认识到生活的目的。我认为人活着决不是为了吃喝玩乐。现在，我已下定决心做一个勤奋的、有责任心的人。一方面，我渴望发挥自己的才能，实现自己的梦想；另一方面，我又尽力去履行我对社会、亲人和朋友的义务。总之，我想过一种充实的、有意义的生活。我不愿意无所事事、浪费时间。所以，我现在很勤奋、很努力，不断挑战自己、提高自己。可以毫不夸张地说，独立思考唤醒了我沉睡的心灵，使我成为一个积极向上、不断进取的年轻人。