小扎2017年哈佛畢業(yè)演講全文：我們這代人的使命是什么

　　5月26日消息 據(jù)外媒報道，F(xiàn)acebook創(chuàng)始人馬克·扎克伯格（Mark Zuckerberg）日前重回母校，參加了哈佛大學(xué)2017屆學(xué)生的畢業(yè)典禮，并在典禮上向在場師生和全世界的網(wǎng)民做了一場演講。值得注意的是，扎克伯格還在演講中談到了目標(biāo)、使命感和公益事業(yè)！

　　以下是演講全文：

　　浮士德主席、監(jiān)察委員會、老師、校友、朋友們、自豪的父母們、廣告委員會成員以及世界上最大的大學(xué)畢業(yè)生們，我很榮幸今天能與你們共聚這里，因為你們完成了我當(dāng)年沒有完成的事。當(dāng)然，如果我今天能完成（演講）的話，這可能是我在哈佛首次真正完成的一件事。祝賀你們，2017屆畢業(yè)生！

　　對于我來說，能在哈佛大學(xué)畢業(yè)典禮上發(fā)表演講讓我充滿驚喜，不是因為我曾在這里輟學(xué)，而是因為從技術(shù)上說，我們都屬于同一代人。我們在這里就讀相隔不到10年時間，在這里學(xué)習(xí)同樣的理念，在同樣的Ec10講座中打過瞌睡。我們可能是通過不同的方式進入哈佛大學(xué)的，但是今天我想與大家分享下自己的想法，包括有關(guān)我們這代人的使命以及我們正共同創(chuàng)造的世界。

　　首先，過去幾天的經(jīng)歷帶給我很多美好的回憶。當(dāng)你們收到電子郵件，通知你被哈佛大學(xué)錄取時，有多少人還記得自己當(dāng)時正在做什么？我當(dāng)時在玩游戲，然后飛奔到樓下，告訴爸爸這個喜訊。出于某種原因，他的反應(yīng)是錄下我打開電子郵件的瞬間場景。這可能是令人感到傷心的視頻。我發(fā)誓，能進入哈佛大學(xué)依然是父母最為我感到驕傲的事情。

　　你在哈佛大學(xué)上的第一節(jié)課是什么？我的首節(jié)課是《Computer Science 121》。當(dāng)時我上課遲到了，所以匆匆穿著T恤就跑，直到之后才意識到穿反了。我不明白為什么沒人跟我說話，除了KX金（KX Jin）。最后，我們共同解決問題，如今他在Facebook負責(zé)重要業(yè)務(wù)。2017屆的畢業(yè)生們，這就是為何你們應(yīng)該友善待人的原因。

　　但是哈佛大學(xué)留給我的最美好回憶是遇到普莉希拉（Priscilla）。當(dāng)時我剛剛推出惡作劇網(wǎng)站Facemash，廣告委員會想要“審查我”。每個人都以為我會被開除，父母來幫我收拾行李，朋友們?yōu)槲遗e行送行派對。然而幸運的是，普莉希拉與她的朋友也出現(xiàn)在派對上。我們在Pfoho Belltower的衛(wèi)生間外相識，那肯定是最浪漫的邂逅。我說：“我可能在3天內(nèi)被開除，為此我們需要快速約會。”

　　然而最終，我沒有被開出，而是自己選擇了輟學(xué)。普莉希拉與我開始約會。正如你們所知道的那樣，電影中描述稱Facemash對Facebook的創(chuàng)建非常重要。但事實并非如此。可是如果沒有Facemash，我可能就不會認識普莉希拉，她是我生命中最重要的人。為此，你們可以這樣說，這是我在哈佛大學(xué)取得的最大成就。我們正這里建立起能夠維持終生的友誼，有些人甚至組建了家庭。這就是我為何如此感激哈佛大學(xué)的原因。

　　今天，我還想要談?wù)勀繕?biāo)或稱使命的問題。在這里，我不是為你們設(shè)定尋找使命的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。我們都是千禧一代，都嘗試著依靠本能行事。相反，我在這里想要告訴你們的是，找到使命感還不夠。對于我們這代人來說，最大的挑戰(zhàn)是創(chuàng)造人人都有使命感的世界。我最喜歡的故事之一就是約翰·肯尼迪（John F Kennedy）總統(tǒng)參觀美國宇航局太空中心的場景，他看到守門人手持掃帚，然后走過去問他在做什么。守門人回答說：“總統(tǒng)先生，我在幫助將人類送上月球！”

　　使命感是一種意識，我們總是處于比我們自己更大的東西里面。這些東西是我們所需要的，我們也需要努力工作讓它變得更美好。使命感就是創(chuàng)造真正的快樂和幸福。當(dāng)你畢業(yè)時，它變得尤其重要。當(dāng)我們的父母畢業(yè)時，他們的目標(biāo)是找到工作�？墒墙裉欤�技術(shù)和自動化正導(dǎo)致許多工作消失，社區(qū)成員也在減少。許多人為此感到沮喪，正嘗試填補空虛。

　　當(dāng)我四處旅行時，我曾前往少年拘留所和鴉片戒癮所看望那里的未成年人，他們對我講述了自己的生活，并說如果放學(xué)后有事可做或有地方可去，他們的生活可能會變得完全不同。我也曾前往工廠，那里的工人知道他們的工作正在消失，并嘗試尋找新的工作。為了確保社會向前發(fā)展，我們這代人面臨的挑戰(zhàn)不僅僅是創(chuàng)造新的就業(yè)機會，還要創(chuàng)造新的使命感。

　　我記得在Kirkland House小宿舍中推出Facebook當(dāng)晚的情境。我與朋友金去了Noch‘s。我記得告訴他，聯(lián)系上哈佛社區(qū)讓我非常興奮，但將來某人或許能夠連接整個世界。事情的確是這樣的，但我從未想過這個人就是我們。我們是剛上大學(xué)的孩子，我們對此還一無所知。有許多大型科技公司，他們擁有龐大的資源，我想某個公司能夠?qū)崿F(xiàn)這個目標(biāo)。但是我們的這個想法如此清晰，所有人都想被連接起來。所以我們只需要保持前進，每天保持進步。

　　我知道你們都有自己的故事。改變世界似乎變得如此明顯，你們確定其他人會去做。但他們沒有，你們卻會。但是只有自己的目標(biāo)還不夠，你還必須為其他人也創(chuàng)造出使命感。我自己的經(jīng)歷就是如此。我的希望從來不是創(chuàng)辦公司，而是創(chuàng)造影響。隨著這些人開始加入我們的行列，我只是認為他們也關(guān)心影響力，所以我從來未解釋過自己想要建立什么。

　　幾年后，有些大公司想要收購我們，但我不想賣掉它。我想看看，我們能不能連接更多的人。我們首先建立了News Feed，我想如果我們能夠啟動它，這會改變我們了解世界的方式。然而，幾乎所有人都希望賣掉公司。他們沒有更高的使命感，畢竟這是初創(chuàng)企業(yè)夢想成真的良機。最終我解散了會議，在一次激烈爭論后，有顧問告訴我：如果我不同意出售，我會為這個決定后悔終生。在其后1年時間里，人際關(guān)系變得如此緊張，管理團隊中的所有人都選擇了離開。

　　那是我創(chuàng)建Facebook以來陷入的最困難時期。我相信我們所做的一切，但我感到孤獨。更糟糕的是，這是我的錯誤。我想知道是否真是自己錯了，我成了騙子，畢竟22歲的青年并非真的了解這個世界。多年以后，我終于理解沒有更高使命感的后果。我們可以創(chuàng)造它，然后共同努力實現(xiàn)它。

　　今天，我想談三種能夠創(chuàng)造人人都有使命感的世界的三種方式：共同從事有意義的大項目，重新定義平等以便讓每個人都有追求各自目標(biāo)的自由，以及建立全球性社區(qū)。

　　首先，讓我們以有意義的大項目開始。我們這代人將不得不應(yīng)對工作自動化的挑戰(zhàn)，將有數(shù)以百萬計的工作被取代，包括無人駕駛汽車和卡車。但我們擁有更大潛力能夠迎接這種挑戰(zhàn)。每一代人都有對工作的不同定義。為了將人類送上火星，超過30萬人為之努力，包括那個看門人。世界各地成千上萬的志愿者為兒童接種脊髓灰質(zhì)炎疫苗，數(shù)百萬人參與修建胡佛大壩和其他重大項目。這些項目不僅為從事這些工作到人提供了目標(biāo)，還提升了整個國家的自豪感。

　　現(xiàn)在，輪到我們?nèi)プ鰝ゴ蟮氖虑椤Ｎ抑�道，你們可能會想：我不知道如何建造大壩，或讓�?shù)百萬人參與到某件事中來。但讓我告訴你們一個秘密：開始的時候，沒人知道如何去做，思想還未完全成形。只有當(dāng)你開始工作的時候，它們才會逐漸變得清晰。你只需要勇敢地開始去做。如果我在創(chuàng)建Facebook前需要了解所有東西，那么我可能永遠無法成功。

　　有關(guān)這些東西的電影和流行文化都是錯誤的。某個靈光一現(xiàn)的想法都是危險的謊言。它讓我們覺得不足勝任，因為我們沒有自己的想法。它會阻止人們從一開始就獲得很好的想法。你還知道哪些電影對創(chuàng)新的描述是錯誤的？沒有人在玻璃上寫數(shù)學(xué)公式。有理想是好事，但你要準(zhǔn)備好遭人誤解。任何從事巨大愿景的人都會被稱之為瘋子，即使最終證明你是對的。任何竭力解決復(fù)雜問題的人總被譴責(zé)對面臨的挑戰(zhàn)缺乏充分理解，即使他前期已經(jīng)進行過充分了解。任何主動的人都會因為“行動太快”而受到批評，因為總是有人想讓你慢下來。

　　在我們的社會中，我們經(jīng)常不去做大事，因為我們害怕犯錯。如果我們什么也不做，就會忽略今天所有的錯誤。而現(xiàn)實就是，我們做的任何事情將來都會出現(xiàn)問題，但這并不能阻止我們開始。那我們還等什么？我們這代人需要完成更多的公共工程。如何在我們毀掉地球前阻止氣候變化，讓數(shù)以百萬計的人參與到制造和安裝太陽能電池板中來嗎？如何治愈所有的疾病，要求志愿者們跟蹤他們的健康數(shù)據(jù)，并分享他們的基因組嗎？與尋找治療方案以便人們不會生病的花費相比，如今我們治療患者的資金消耗是前者的50倍。但這毫無意義。我們可以解決這個問題。如果實現(xiàn)民主，以便每個人都能在網(wǎng)上投票？如何獲得個性化教育，以便人人都能參加學(xué)習(xí)？

　　這些成就都是我們有望能夠?qū)崿F(xiàn)的。我們只需要讓所有人多能在社會上發(fā)揮自己的作用，讓我們啟動大的項目，不僅要創(chuàng)造進步，還要創(chuàng)造使命感。所以，啟動有意義的大項目是我們創(chuàng)造人人都有使命感的世界的第一步。

　　第二是重新定義平等，以便每個人都能自由地追求他們的目標(biāo)。我們的許多父母在其職業(yè)生涯中都有穩(wěn)定的工作�，F(xiàn)在我們都在創(chuàng)業(yè)，無論是開始項目還是尋找項目，亦或是正在項目中發(fā)揮作用。我們的企業(yè)文化是如何創(chuàng)造如此多的進步。現(xiàn)在，創(chuàng)業(yè)文化正蓬勃發(fā)展，嘗試新觀念變得越來越容易。Facebook并非我首先創(chuàng)建的東西，我還開發(fā)過游戲、聊天系統(tǒng)、學(xué)習(xí)工具以及音樂播放器。

　　并非只有我經(jīng)歷了如此多的嘗試。羅琳（JK Rowling）的《哈里·波特》（Harry Potter）在出版前，曾被拒絕12次。即使碧昂斯（Beyonce）也曾創(chuàng)作過數(shù)百首曲目才成就了《Halo》。最大的成功往往源自無數(shù)的失敗。但是今天，我們的財富不平等已經(jīng)傷害到所有人。當(dāng)你無法自由嘗試自己的想法，并將其變成歷史性的機遇時，我們都成了失敗者。現(xiàn)在，我們的社會過于注重成功的獎勵，我們還不足以讓每個人都進行嘗試并取得成功。

　　讓我們面對現(xiàn)實。當(dāng)我離開哈佛大學(xué)時，我們的系統(tǒng)存在某些問題，我10年內(nèi)賺了數(shù)十億美元，而數(shù)以百萬計的學(xué)生卻無力償還助學(xué)貸款，更別說創(chuàng)業(yè)。我認識許多企業(yè)家，但沒有1個人是因為沒有足夠的錢而放棄創(chuàng)業(yè)。但我知道許多人沒有追求的夢想，因為如果他們承受不起失敗的后果。我們都知道，成功不僅僅需要好的想法或努力工作，還需要運氣。如果我的家庭沒有辦法支持我去學(xué)習(xí)編碼，如果我不知道即使Facebook失敗我也無所謂，我今天可能無法站在這里。坦誠地將，我們都知道我們非常幸運。

　　每一代人都在擴展平等的定義。此前幾代人為投票權(quán)和公民權(quán)而奮斗，他們有了新政和偉大社會�，F(xiàn)在，到了我們?yōu)檫@代人定義新的社會契約的時候了。我們應(yīng)該建立這樣的社會：不僅僅利用經(jīng)濟指標(biāo)（比如GDP）等衡量社會是否進步，而是我們中有多少人找到有意義的角色。我們應(yīng)該為每個人提供“全民基本收入”這樣的保障，以便他們能夠嘗試新事物。我們需要對工作進行大幅改造，以便我們不必只為撫養(yǎng)孩子而去工作，不再將醫(yī)保與公司綁定。我們都會犯錯，所以我們需要能夠較少鎖定我們或讓我們感到恥辱的社會。隨著技術(shù)發(fā)展，我們需要更多地關(guān)注終身教育。

　　的確，為每個人提供追求目標(biāo)的自由并非是免費的，而像我這樣的人應(yīng)該為此做出貢獻。你們中的許多人會做得很好，也應(yīng)該做得更好。這就是為何我和普莉希拉創(chuàng)建Chan Zuckerberg Initiative和承諾在有生之年利用我們的財富促進機會平等的原因。這些都是我們這代人必須要建立起的價值觀。如果我們?nèi)プ�，這些都不是問題，唯一的問題是何時去做。

　　千禧一代是有史以來最慷慨的一代。在過去1年里，美國千禧一代的4大富翁中，有3人慷慨捐贈，占慈善捐贈的七成。但這不僅僅是錢的問題。你也可以付出時間去幫助他人。你們每周可以花費一兩個小時去幫助別人，幫助他們發(fā)揮自己的潛力�；蛟S你認為這個時間太多，我過去也這樣認為。當(dāng)普莉希拉畢業(yè)時，她成為教師，并打算要我也去教某個班級。我說：“我有點兒忙，需要經(jīng)營這家公司。”但她堅持如此，為此我負責(zé)在當(dāng)?shù)鼐銟凡拷淌谥邪唷?/p>

　　我教授孩子們有關(guān)產(chǎn)品開發(fā)和市場營銷方面的知識，他們則幫助我感受有關(guān)種族歧視、家人在監(jiān)獄中的感覺。我分享自己在學(xué)校中的故事，他們也分享自己的希望，比如將來也能進入大學(xué)。5年來，我每個月都與這些孩子共進晚餐。明年，他們就將進入大學(xué)，所有人都能進入，而且他們都是各自家庭中的首位大學(xué)生。我們可以騰出時間幫助別人，讓我們賦予每個人追求目標(biāo)的自由，不僅僅因為這是正確的事情，還因為更多的人將夢想變成偉大的東西時，我們的世界將變得更美好。

　　使命感不僅僅是關(guān)于工作方面的。我們能夠創(chuàng)造人人都有使命感的世界的第三種方式就是建立起社區(qū)。當(dāng)我們這代人說“每個人”時，我們的意思是指世界上的每個人。你們中有多少人來自其他國家？有多少人有這樣的朋友？在我演講的這一刻，我們的聯(lián)系正變得更緊密。

　　一項調(diào)查表明，在全球詢問千禧一代對我們身份的定義時，最流行的答案不是民族、宗教或種族，而是“世界公民”。這非常重要。每一代人都在擴大“自己人”的圈子。對于我們來說，現(xiàn)在它包括了整個世界。我們都知道，人類歷史傾向于人類更大規(guī)模的聚居，從部落到城市再到國家，這可以實現(xiàn)我們此前無法做到的事情。現(xiàn)在社區(qū)擴展到整個世界，對我們來說也是最大的機遇。我們這代人或許可根除貧困和疾病。我們應(yīng)對最大挑戰(zhàn)需要全球的響應(yīng)，沒有任何國家能夠單獨對抗全球變暖和流行疫情�，F(xiàn)在要想取得進步不僅僅需要城市或國家協(xié)作，而是需要以全球社區(qū)為基礎(chǔ)。

　　但是我們生活在不夠穩(wěn)定的時代。有許多人被全球化拋在后面，如果我們覺得自己的生活不夠好，那么很難去關(guān)心其他地方的人。這就是我們這個時代面臨的困境。自由、公開的全球社區(qū)力量反對獨 裁、孤立主義以及民族主義的力量，知識、貿(mào)易以及遷徙的流動力量反對阻止它們的力量。這不是一場國家之戰(zhàn)，而是思想大戰(zhàn)。每個國家都有人支持全球連接，當(dāng)然也有人反對。

　　這種情況并非聯(lián)合國能夠解決的，因為它發(fā)生在地方層面，當(dāng)有足夠多的人產(chǎn)生使命感，生活穩(wěn)定后，我們就會開始關(guān)心別人。最好的方法就是從現(xiàn)在開始建設(shè)本地社區(qū)。我們都從自己的社區(qū)中獲益。無論這些社區(qū)是房屋還是運動隊伍、教堂還是音樂團體，他們都讓我們覺得自己是某個更大東西的一部分，我們并不孤單。同時，他們也會賦予我們更大的力量，幫助我們?nèi)�擴展視野。

　　這就是它為何數(shù)十年來如此引人注目的原因，各種團體成員人數(shù)最多下降了1/4，許多人現(xiàn)在需要在其他地方找到自己的目標(biāo)。但我知道，我們可以重建我們的社區(qū)，開始新的社區(qū)，因為你們許多人已經(jīng)身在社區(qū)中。我曾與今天畢業(yè)的艾格尼絲·伊格耶（Agnes Igoye）聊天，她的童年是在烏干達戰(zhàn)區(qū)中度過的，如今她已經(jīng)培訓(xùn)了數(shù)以千計的執(zhí)法人員，幫助確保社區(qū)安全。我也見到了凱拉·奧科利（Kayla Oakley）和尼哈·賈恩（Niha Jain），他們創(chuàng)建了非盈利組織，將遭受疾病折磨的人與社區(qū)中愿意提供幫助的人聯(lián)系起來。還有大衛(wèi)·拉族·亞茲納（David Razu Aznar），他曾是前市政廳議員，成功帶領(lǐng)墨西哥城成為拉丁美洲首個支持婚姻平等的城市，甚至在舊金山之前。

　　我也有類似的個人經(jīng)歷。作為大學(xué)宿舍中的學(xué)生，連接某個社區(qū)，維持它直到其聯(lián)通整個世界。改變往往始于局部。即使全球性的改變也從小地方開始，就像我們這樣的人。在我們這代人中，挑戰(zhàn)在于能否連接更多人，能否實現(xiàn)最大的機遇，即創(chuàng)建社區(qū)和人人都有使命感的世界。

　　2017屆畢業(yè)生們，你們即將步入需要目標(biāo)的世界，而且它是由你們創(chuàng)造的�，F(xiàn)在，你可能在想：我真的能做到嗎？你們還記得我從教的故事嗎？有一天放學(xué)后，我與孩子們討論大學(xué)的事情，其中有個孩子舉起手說，他不確定自己能上大學(xué)，因為他沒有合法證件。他不知道這是否會阻止他上大學(xué)。去年，我?guī)�他去慶祝生日，我想送他一份禮物，為此我問他想要什么，他開始談?wù)撟约阂娺^的處于困境中的學(xué)生，并說：“你知道，我非常想要有關(guān)社會公正的書籍。”

　　我很受感動，這個孩子有憤世嫉俗的理由。他不知道被他稱之為祖國的國度是否能圓他上大學(xué)的夢想。但他并不覺得自己可憐，甚至沒有為自己考慮過。他有更大的使命感，他正吸引更多人追隨他。鑒于目前的情況，我無法提及他的名字，因為我不想他陷入危險中。但如果一位不知道未來在何方的高中生都能夠竭盡自己所能推動世界前進，那么我們更應(yīng)該為這個世界做點兒什么。

　　當(dāng)你們最后一次走出哈佛大學(xué)的校門時，當(dāng)我們坐在紀(jì)念禮堂前時，我想起一段祈禱“Mi Shebeirach”，每當(dāng)我面對挑戰(zhàn)時，當(dāng)我抱著她并想到女兒的未來時，我都會向她唱誦。“愿力量之源，保佑我們面前的人，幫助我們找到勇氣，讓我們的生活得到祝福。”我希望你們也能找讓生活受到祝福的勇氣。再次祝賀你們，并祝你們好運！

　　當(dāng)然，有興趣的讀者也可以看看英文原文：

　　Harvard Commencement 2017

　　President Faust， Board of Overseers， faculty， alumni， friends， proud parents， members of the ad board， and graduates of the greatest university in the world，

　　I‘m honored to be with you today because， let’s face it， you accomplished something I never could. If I get through this speech， it‘ll be the first time I actually finish something at Harvard. Class of 2017， congratulations！

　　I’m an unlikely speaker， not just because I dropped out， but because we‘re technically in the same generation. We walked this yard less than a decade apart， studied the same ideas and slept through the same Ec10 lectures. We may have taken different paths to get here， especially if you came all the way from the Quad， but today I want to share what I’ve learned about our generation and the world we‘re building together.

　　But first， the last couple of days have brought back a lot of good memories.

　　How many of you remember exactly what you were doing when you got that email telling you that you got into Harvard？ I was playing Civilization and I ran downstairs， got my dad， and for some reason， his reaction was to video me opening the email. That could have been a really sad video. I swear getting into Harvard is still the thing my parents are most proud of me for.

　　What about your first lecture at Harvard？ Mine was Computer Science 121 with the incredible Harry Lewis. I was late so I threw on a t-shirt and didn’t realize until afterwards it was inside out and backwards with my tag sticking out the front. I couldn‘t figure out why no one would talk to me -- except one guy， KX Jin， he just went with it. We ended up doing our problem sets together， and now he runs a big part of Facebook. And that， Class of 2017， is why you should be nice to people.

　　But my best memory from Harvard was meeting Priscilla. I had just launched this prank website Facemash， and the ad board wanted to “see me”。 Everyone thought I was going to get kicked out. My parents came to help me pack. My friends threw me a going away party. As luck would have it， Priscilla was at that party with her friend. We met in line for the bathroom in the Pfoho Belltower， and in what must be one of the all time romantic lines， I said： “I’m going to get kicked out in three days， so we need to go on a date quickly.”

　　Actually， any of you graduating can use that line.

　　I didn‘t end up getting kicked out -- I did that to myself. Priscilla and I started dating. And， you know， that movie made it seem like Facemash was so important to creating Facebook. It wasn’t. But without Facemash I wouldn‘t have met Priscilla， and she’s the most important person in my life， so you could say it was the most important thing I built in my time here.

　　We‘ve all started lifelong friendships here， and some of us even families. That’s why I‘m so grateful to this place. Thanks， Harvard.

　　Today I want to talk about purpose. But I’m not here to give you the standard commencement about finding your purpose. We‘re millennials. We’ll try to do that instinctively. Instead， I‘m here to tell you finding your purpose isn’t enough. The challenge for our generation is creating a world where everyone has a sense of purpose.

　　One of my favorite stories is when John F Kennedy visited the NASA space center， he saw a janitor carrying a broom and he walked over and asked what he was doing. The janitor responded： “Mr. President， I‘m helping put a man on the moon”。

　　Purpose is that sense that we are part of something bigger than ourselves， that we are needed， that we have something better ahead to work for. Purpose is what creates true happiness.

　　You’re graduating at a time when this is especially important. When our parents graduated， purpose reliably came from your job， your church， your community. But today， technology and automation are eliminating many jobs. Membership in communities is declining. Many people feel disconnected and depressed， and are trying to fill a void.

　　As I‘ve traveled around， I’ve sat with children in juvenile detention and opioid addicts， who told me their lives could have turned out differently if they just had something to do， an after school program or somewhere to go. I‘ve met factory workers who know their old jobs aren’t coming back and are trying to find their place.

　　To keep our society moving forward， we have a generational challenge -- to not only create new jobs， but create a renewed sense of purpose.

　　I remember the night I launched Facebook from my little dorm in Kirkland House. I went to Noch‘s with my friend KX. I remember telling him I was excited to connect the Harvard community， but one day someone would connect the whole world.

　　The thing is， it never even occurred to me that someone might be us. We were just college kids. We didn’t know anything about that. There were all these big technology companies with resources. I just assumed one of them would do it. But this idea was so clear to us -- that all people want to connect. So we just kept moving forward， day by day.

　　I know a lot of you will have your own stories just like this. A change in the world that seems so clear you‘re sure someone else will do it. But they won’t. You will.

　　But it‘s not enough to have purpose yourself. You have to create a sense of purpose for others.

　　I found that out the hard way. You see， my hope was never to build a company， but to make an impact. And as all these people started joining us， I just assumed that’s what they cared about too， so I never explained what I hoped we‘d build.

　　A couple years in， some big companies wanted to buy us. I didn’t want to sell. I wanted to see if we could connect more people. We were building the first News Feed， and I thought if we could just launch this， it could change how we learn about the world.

　　Nearly everyone else wanted to sell. Without a sense of higher purpose， this was the startup dream come true. It tore our company apart. After one tense argument， an advisor told me if I didn‘t agree to sell， I would regret the decision for the rest of my life. Relationships were so frayed that within a year or so every single person on the management team was gone.

　　That was my hardest time leading Facebook. I believed in what we were doing， but I felt alone. And worse， it was my fault. I wondered if I was just wrong， an imposter， a 22 year-old kid who had no idea how the world worked.

　　Now， years later， I understand that *is* how things work with no sense of higher purpose. It’s up to us to create it so we can all keep moving forward together.

　　Today I want to talk about three ways to create a world where everyone has a sense of purpose： by taking on big meaningful projects together， by redefining equality so everyone has the freedom to pursue purpose， and by building community across the world.

　　First， let‘s take on big meaningful projects.

　　Our generation will have to deal with tens of millions of jobs replaced by automation like self-driving cars and trucks. But we have the potential to do so much more together.

　　Every generation has its defining works. More than 300，000 people worked to put a man on the moon – including that janitor. Millions of volunteers immunized children around the world against polio. Millions of more people built the Hoover dam and other great projects.

　　These projects didn’t just provide purpose for the people doing those jobs， they gave our whole country a sense of pride that we could do great things.

　　Now it‘s our turn to do great things. I know， you’re probably thinking： I don‘t know how to build a dam， or get a million people involved in anything.

　　But let me tell you a secret： no one does when they begin. Ideas don’t come out fully formed. They only become clear as you work on them. You just have to get started.

　　If I had to understand everything about connecting people before I began， I never would have started Facebook.

　　Movies and pop culture get this all wrong. The idea of a single eureka moment is a dangerous lie. It makes us feel inadequate since we haven‘t had ours. It prevents people with seeds of good ideas from getting started. Oh， you know what else movies get wrong about innovation？ No one writes math formulas on glass. That’s not a thing.

　　It‘s good to be idealistic. But be prepared to be misunderstood. Anyone working on a big vision will get called crazy， even if you end up right. Anyone working on a complex problem will get blamed for not fully understanding the challenge， even though it’s impossible to know everything upfront. Anyone taking initiative will get criticized for moving too fast， because there‘s always someone who wants to slow you down.

　　In our society， we often don’t do big things because we‘re so afraid of making mistakes that we ignore all the things wrong today if we do nothing. The reality is， anything we do will have issues in the future. But that can’t keep us from starting.

　　So what are we waiting for？ It‘s time for our generation-defining public works. How about stopping climate change before we destroy the planet and getting millions of people involved manufacturing and installing solar panels？ How about curing all diseases and asking volunteers to track their health data and share their genomes？ Today we spend 50x more treating people who are sick than we spend finding cures so people don’t get sick in the first place. That makes no sense. We can fix this. How about modernizing democracy so everyone can vote online， and personalizing education so everyone can learn？

　　These achievements are within our reach. Let’s do them all in a way that gives everyone in our society a role. Let‘s do big things， not only to create progress， but to create purpose.

　　So taking on big meaningful projects is the first thing we can do to create a world where everyone has a sense of purpose.

　　The second is redefining equality to give everyone the freedom they need to pursue purpose.

　　Many of our parents had stable jobs throughout their careers. Now we’re all entrepreneurial， whether we‘re starting projects or finding or role. And that’s great. Our culture of entrepreneurship is how we create so much progress.

　　Now， an entrepreneurial culture thrives when it‘s easy to try lots of new ideas. Facebook wasn’t the first thing I built. I also built games， chat systems， study tools and music players. I‘m not alone. JK Rowling got rejected 12 times before publishing Harry Potter. Even Beyonce had to make hundreds of songs to get Halo. The greatest successes come from having the freedom to fail.

　　But today， we have a level of wealth inequality that hurts everyone. When you don’t have the freedom to take your idea and turn it into a historic enterprise， we all lose. Right now our society is way over-indexed on rewarding success and we don‘t do nearly enough to make it easy for everyone to take lots of shots.

　　Let’s face it. There is something wrong with our system when I can leave here and make billions of dollars in 10 years while millions of students can‘t afford to pay off their loans， let alone start a business.

　　Look， I know a lot of entrepreneurs， and I don’t know a single person who gave up on starting a business because they might not make enough money. But I know lots of people who haven‘t pursued dreams because they didn’t have a cushion to fall back on if they failed.

　　We all know we don‘t succeed just by having a good idea or working hard. We succeed by being lucky too. If I had to support my family growing up instead of having time to code， if I didn’t know I‘d be fine if Facebook didn’t work out， I wouldn‘t be standing here today. If we’re honest， we all know how much luck we‘ve had.

　　Every generation expands its definition of equality. Previous generations fought for the vote and civil rights. They had the New Deal and Great Society. Now it’s our time to define a new social contract for our generation.

　　We should have a society that measures progress not just by economic metrics like GDP， but by how many of us have a role we find meaningful. We should explore ideas like universal basic income to give everyone a cushion to try new things. We’re going to change jobs many times， so we need affordable childcare to get to work and healthcare that aren‘t tied to one company. We’re all going to make mistakes， so we need a society that focuses less on locking us up or stigmatizing us. And as technology keeps changing， we need to focus more on continuous education throughout our lives.

　　And yes， giving everyone the freedom to pursue purpose isn‘t free. People like me should pay for it. Many of you will do well and you should too.

　　That’s why Priscilla and I started the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and committed our wealth to promoting equal opportunity. These are the values of our generation. It was never a question of if we were going to do this. The only question was when.

　　Millennials are already one of the most charitable generations in history. In one year， three of four US millennials made a donation and seven out of ten raised money for charity.

　　But it‘s not just about money. You can also give time. I promise you， if you take an hour or two a week -- that’s all it takes to give someone a hand， to help them reach their potential.

　　Maybe you think that‘s too much time. I used to. When Priscilla graduated from Harvard she became a teacher， and before she’d do education work with me， she told me I needed to teach a class. I complained： “Well， I‘m kind of busy. I’m running this company.” But she insisted， so I taught a middle school program on entrepreneurship at the local Boys and Girls Club.

　　I taught them lessons on product development and marketing， and they taught me what it‘s like feeling targeted for your race and having a family member in prison. I shared stories from my time in school， and they shared their hope of one day going to college too. For five years now， I’ve been having dinner with those kids every month. One of them threw me and Priscilla our first baby shower. And next year they’re going to college. Every one of them. First in their families.

　　We can all make time to give someone a hand. Let’s give everyone the freedom to pursue their purpose -- not only because it‘s the right thing to do， but because when more people can turn their dreams into something great， we’re all better for it.

　　Purpose doesn‘t only come from work. The third way we can create a sense of purpose for everyone is by building community. And when our generation says “everyone”， we mean everyone in the world.

　　Quick show of hands： how many of you are from another country？ Now， how many of you are friends with one of these folks？ Now we’re talking. We have grown up connected.

　　In a survey asking millennials around the world what defines our identity， the most popular answer wasn‘t nationality， religion or ethnicity， it was “citizen of the world”。 That’s a big deal.

　　Every generation expands the circle of people we consider “one of us”。 For us， it now encompasses the entire world.

　　We understand the great arc of human history bends towards people coming together in ever greater numbers -- from tribes to cities to nations -- to achieve things we couldn‘t on our own.

　　We get that our greatest opportunities are now global -- we can be the generation that ends poverty， that ends disease. We get that our greatest challenges need global responses too -- 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 world. It’s hard to care about people in other places if we don’t 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‘s a battle of ideas. There are people in every country for global connection and good people against it.

　　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 in our own lives that we can open up and start caring about everyone. The best way to do that is to start building local communities right now.

　　We all get meaning from our communities. Whether our communities are houses or sports teams， churches or music groups， they give us that sense we are part of something bigger， that we are not alone; they give us the strength to expand our horizons.

　　That’s why it‘s so striking that for decades， membership in all kinds of groups has declined as much as one-quarter. That’s a lot of people who now need to find purpose somewhere else.

　　But I know we can rebuild our communities and start new ones because many of you already are.

　　I met Agnes Igoye， who‘s graduating today. Where are you， Agnes？ She spent her childhood navigating conflict zones in Uganda， and now she trains thousands of law enforcement officers to keep communities safe.

　　I met Kayla Oakley and Niha Jain， graduating today， too. Stand up. Kayla and Niha started a non-profit that connects people suffering from illnesses with people in their communities willing to help.

　　I met David Razu Aznar， graduating from the Kennedy School today. David， stand up. He’s a former city councilor who successfully led the battle to make Mexico City the first Latin American city to pass marriage equality -- even before San Francisco.

　　This is my story too. A student in a dorm room， connecting one community at a time， and keeping at it until one day we connect the whole world.

　　Change starts local. Even global changes start small -- with people like us. In our generation， the struggle of whether we connect more， whether we achieve our biggest 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. It’s up to you to create it.

　　Now， you may be thinking： can I really do this？

　　Remember when I told you about that class I taught at the Boys and Girls Club？ One day after class I was talking to them about college， and one of my top students raised his hand and said he wasn‘t sure he could go because he’s undocumented. He didn‘t know if they’d let him in.

　　Last year I took him out to breakfast for his birthday. I wanted to get him a present， so I asked him and he started talking about students he saw struggling and said “You know， I‘d really just like a book on social justice.”

　　I was blown away. Here’s a young guy who has every reason to be cynical. He didn‘t know if the country he calls home -- the only one he’s known -- would 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 current situation 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 can do his part to move the world forward， then we owe it to the world to do our part too.

　　Before you walk out those gates one last time， as we sit in front of Memorial Church， I am reminded of a prayer， Mi Shebeirach， that I say whenever I face a challenge， that I sing to my daughter thinking about her future when I tuck her into bed. It goes：

　　“May the source of strength， who 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 ‘17！ Good luck out there.