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My welcoming Speech to CUHK Freshmen 2013
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Sir Run Run Shaw Hall, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
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2 September 2013
Two years ago, I gave a speech to the graduates of 2011 entitled "My Parting Words to the Graduates". In the 4-minute-less-than-200 words communication, I asked our graduates to live a simple life, a humble life and a noble life, which I thought was "mother-and-applepie". The speech was circulated in cyberspace to millions of students in Hong Kong and the mainland and I was astounded.
But then when I reflected upon what I said, it was not so easy to live such a life after you have graduated from college. Living in a highly competitive world, when money and fame are a measure of success, when the size of your house and the car that you drive are symbols of your achievement, it is not easy to live a simple, noble and humble life.
So today, I urge you freshmen of CUHK, to start training and molding yourselves when you enter the university, not when you leave the university.
I ask that you live a simple life on campus so that you know in fact happiness does not require a lot of material and a lot of money. When you find out that you can live a fulfilled life without spending much, you will be a happy man. Can you walk to classes from hostel instead of taking the bus (especially if you can get up half an hour early)? You can walk down the hill as morning exercise and save some energy. Can you be a vegetarian, for at least once per week (I started that a few months ago during the summer and I feel good)? It is good for your health and it is good to the environment. Can you turn off your air-conditioner at night and open some windows? CUHK has the best campus in Hong Kong with breezes brought in from the sea. Can you keep your mobile phone even though the newest model of iPhone is coming out and it has a very cool shape and colours.
I ask that you live a noble life in your school days: be honest, be fair and abiding to justice. Respect yourselves by not cheating or taking short-cuts in your assignments and projects. Share what you have learned with your colleagues. I tell you, the best way to make what you''ve learned really part of you is to "share with" your colleagues. Respect cultural differences among colleagues on campus (we have different backgrounds, different religions, different ways of living). A multi-cultural and multi-ethnic campus is the best place for you to enrich yourselves. Uphold the value of honesty and justice, even on campus, and help us in doing so. This is the time for you to be trained not to compromise these human values before temptations are getting too strong to resist.
I ask that you live a humble life every day: humble as a servant to help those who are in need. Serve your classmates who may have physical needs, serve your roommates who may not be acquainted with Hong Kong or speak Cantonese well, serve the public by joining our experiential learning programmes. We will have many opportunities in our college activities as well as our I•CARE programme. Think of ways to give more, instead of receiving more. Serve the ones in need instead of serving your grades or your egos.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the success of this University is not measured by how much funding we have raised, not by the ranking, not by the monthly income of our graduates, but by whether or not we can train YOU to be noble and humble persons that live a simple but happy life.
