A More Beautiful World一个更美好的世界

萨拉·苏利文　赵敏/译

Eleven years ago—to the day—I was in your shoes at my own commencement. Its not so long ago， so I can still remember the victories and the late late nights， the tests and the setbacks， the near misses and wins that Im sure have brought you to today. Maybe you are overcoming generational odds2 to get here. Maybe you have faced more personal challenges than I could assume or imagine. All of you have done it within the context of the isolation and frustration， disruption and polarization of the last few years. Youve done it in the context of a world that can sometimes feel on fire， where Im sure its hard to imagine how this class or this paper will matter in the end. But you endured still and somehow because you must know that the advancement of your own mind always matters in the end. Now， thanks to how you have persisted， you get to sit here in your triumph. What a miracle. Congratulations.

十一年前的今天，我和你们一样在参加自己的毕业典礼。时间还不算太久，所以我仍然记得那些胜利和熬夜、考验和挫折、侥幸和成功。我相信，是以上种种使你们走到了今天。也许你们正在克服代际逆境来到这里，也许你们面临的个人挑战比我想象的还要多。在过去几年的孤立与挫折、混乱和极化的背景下，你們所有人都做到了。在一个有时会感觉到燃烧般痛苦的世界里，你们所有人都做到了——我确信在这种情况下，很难想象这门课或这篇论文最终会有什么作用。但你们仍然以某种方式挺过来了，因为你们一定知道，到最后，你们自身思想的进步总是很重要的。因为你们的坚持，你们现在可以坐在这里收获成功的喜悦。这真是一个奇迹。祝贺你们！

I studied sociology because I want to live in a more beautiful world. I studied sociology because I have the wild idea that maybe we can get to that world if we understand each other a little better.

我学习社会学是因为我想生活在一个更美好的世界里。我学习社会学是因为我有一个疯狂的想法——如果我们能更好地理解彼此，也许我们就能到达那个世界。

For the 11 years since I graduated， I have been trying my best to contribute to making a more beautiful world. Ive gotten to see change happen at a scale and speed that is hard to fathom.

毕业后的11年里，我一直在尽最大的努力为建造一个更加美好的世界做出贡献。我已经看到，变化以难以想象的规模和速度发生。

In 2016， the US Government was months behind schedule of meeting its target of clearing3 85，000 refugees for entry into the country， and tens of thousands of eligible refugees werent going to make it in time. President Obama asked my team to look at the problem. We met with frontline staff across 10 federal agencies to ask them what was wrong. When my colleagues talked to real people on the ground， we found out that expert DHS officers were spending part of their precious time flying around the world to physically sign paperwork. They werent allowed to sign forms digitally. This cost the government millions and kept refugees in camps longer than they needed to be. My colleague got the digital signature approved， DHS officers stopped flying around the world to sign forms， and 85，000 refugees left refugee camps and came to the US that year.

2016年，美国政府在实现其接纳8.5万名难民的目标上落后了几个月，数万名符合条件的难民无法及时入境。奥巴马总统要求我的团队研究这个问题。我们会见了10个联邦机构的一线工作人员，询问他们出了什么问题。当我的同事與当事人交谈时，才发现国土安全部的专家官员们正将一部分宝贵的时间用于在世界各地飞来飞去亲自签署文书。他们不被允许以数字方式签署文件。这耗费了政府数百万美元的开支，也使难民在难民营中停留的时间过长。于是我的同事设法使数字签名获得批准，国土安全部官员们不再全球奔波签文件，当年有8.5万名难民离开难民营来到美国。

In 2020， I led a team of researchers to understand the experiences of young people who had recently been institutionalized4 in foster care. We talked to 78 young people who had recently been taken from their homes and placed in what are often prison-like settings. They shared their heartbreaking stories， poems， and art with us. Then， we published what we found in a book called Away From Home， and called for an end to the institutionalization of foster youth. When leaders in child welfare heard this information， they wept. Then， they changed. Within hours， two states came forward and said they were ending these institutions in their states. Within weeks， over 20 states said the same. Many people have told us that this report is the most important contribution to child welfare in 20 years.

2020年，我带领一个研究团队了解了最近被送往收容所寄养的青少年的经历。我们采访了78名青少年，他们最近从家里被带走，安置在监狱般的环境中。他们与我们分享了自己令人心碎的故事、诗歌和美术作品。然后，我们出版了一本名为《离家》的书，呼吁不再将代养的青少年送往收容所。当儿童福利界的领导人听到这一信息时，他们哭了。然后，他们做出了改变。几个小时内，两个州主动表示，将关闭本州的这些机构。几周内，20多个州做出了同样的承诺。许多人告诉我们，这份报告是20年来对儿童福利事业做出的最重要贡献。

Im convinced that talking to those most impacted by our problems is the fastest way to solve them. The good news is that this is exactly what you have been training to do.

我相信，与那些受我们问题影响最大的人交谈是解决问题的最快方式。好消息是，这正是你们一直在接受的教育。

My career has been around government. But all of our problems need the mind of a sociologist at the table. Whatever your job， whatever your field： be the sociologist at the table， and center the voices of real people in your work.

我的职业一直围绕着政府工作。但我们所有的问题都需要一位实干派社会学家的头脑。无论你做什么工作，无论你身处哪个领域：成为一名实干派的社会学家，在你的工作中注重倾听真实人物的声音。

As you do， here are a few practical tips Ive found for changing the world：

在此过程中，可参考以下我发现的一些改变世界的实用建议：

1. Find the Truth. Tell the Truth.

1.找到真相，讲述真相。

Change making requires that you tell the purest truth you can in the calmest voice you can. But first， youve got to find the truth. Go talk to the people who are most impacted by our problems. Hear what they are saying. Find the patterns. Cultivate a curious， neutral mind that can understand reality from their perspective， not yours. See reality with the crispest， clearest eyes you can.

做出改变，需要你用最平静的声音说出最纯粹的真相。但首先，你必须找到真相。去找那些受我们问题影响最大的人谈一谈，听听他们在说什么，找到范例。培养爱探究的中立思维，从他们的角度而不是你的角度来理解现实。用最敏锐、最清晰的眼光看待现实。

2. Open your Heart.

2.敞开心扉。

Academia is skittish5 about the heart， but changing the world has everything to do with your capacity to love. We cannot hate each other into unity. We cannot hate the world into its beauty. Believe me， if this could work， it would have worked already. Change making requires a vigorous， devotional practice of opening your heart—especially in moments you do not want to. Open your heart to people who think differently than you， who you want to hate and judge6， to systems that you feel you just cant tolerate and definitely cant understand.

学术界对人心感到不安，但改变世界与人们爱的能力息息相关。我们不能通过互相仇恨来实现团结。我们不能通过憎恨这个世界来让它变美好。相信我，如果这样做能奏效，那早就奏效了。做出改变需要我们积极、虔诚地敞开心扉，在你不想这样做的时候更要如此：向那些与你想法不同的人敞开心扉，向那些你想憎恨和指责的人敞开心扉，向那些让你觉得自己无法容忍、绝对无法理解的制度敞开心扉。

3. Strengthen your capacity to hope.

3.增强希望的能力。

Some of you have an allergic reaction to Hope because you think that cynicism is the way. Others of you will confuse optimism with Hope. But cynicism and optimism are equally delusional. They both fail to see reality as it actually is. Hope is the way of the pragmatist. It is hope that opens your mind and your heart at the same time. It is Hope that says： I dont know how… But I believe there is another way. Strengthen your capacity to hope.

你们中的一些人对希望谈之色变，因为你们认为愤世嫉俗才是对的。还有一些人会把乐观和希望混为一谈。但愤世嫉俗和乐观主义都是妄想。它们都没有看到现实本身的样子。希望是实用主义者的方式。希望能同时打开你的思想和心灵。希望说：我不知道怎么……但我相信还有另一种方法。要增强你希望的能力。

I dont know if studying sociology is wise. But I do know that it is brave. To stare into the face of our most daunting social problems without looking away or closing the heart is a brave thing to do. And it might be the only thing that can set us free.

我不知道学习社会学是否明智。但我知道这是勇敢的——直面最令人畏惧的社会问题而不移开视线或闭上心扉，这是一件需要勇气的事情。这可能也是唯一能让我们获得自由的事情。

It is my personal belief that our souls did a lot of work in other realms to earn our place on planet Earth right now. I dont believe its an accident that we are here together today. We need exactly you to make the more beautiful world we see in our dreams. Youre my colleagues now. Ill be by your side.

我個人认为，我们的同伴在其他领域做了很多工作，现在才在地球上赢得一席之地。我认为我们今天聚在一起绝不是偶然。我们正需要你来一起建造我们梦想中更美好的世界。你们现在是我的同事了。我会在身边支持你们。