Source: CCTV.com
11-11-2007 13:00
Special Report: 2007 CCTV Cup ESCGood Morning, honorable judges, friends, and family..
We gather here today to discuss “Unity and Diversity,” a topic that people spend a lifetime trying to understand. Today, I will just tell you two stories of two men to illustrate my point of view on the subject: ‘Unity and Diversity’.
The first story is about a man who didn’t want to die. He first believed that rich people live longer, so he dedicated his life to earning money and did become rich. But then one day, a robber broke into his home. He got killed while protecting his possessions.
In his second life, he became a doctor and took great care of himself until SARS came along. He got infected and died again.
In his third life, he heard that people in heaven could live forever, so he traveled around the world looking for the place called ‘Heaven’. But this time, he killed himself eventually in great desperation when someone told him: ‘you have to die first to go to heaven’.
Each of our lives will follow a different course, but in the end, there is a single final destination that we all share. The diversity of life finds unity in its inevitable passage from birth to death.
The second story is about my father. My father was once diagnosed with terminal cancer and should expect to live no longer than three to six months. Friends and family came to see my dad, and even for those who never got along with him also came to comfort him, but when a subsequent exam report came out, we all cried tears of joy. It turned out that this cancer was actually curable with surgery. He had the surgery in Shanghai and came back a healthy man.
Death is not a pleasant topic to talk about, but if we neglect to consider its implications, we will miss out on so much of what is really important in life. Minor concerns and arguments melt away in the face of death, leaving only what truly matters: the love of life, the unity of life. This is what unity and diversity are all about.
But too often, we can’t help asking ourselves, why do people out there still have to fight? Our ears can still hear the haunting echoes of the screams and cries of those who suffered and died from wars and oppression. Why can’t we tolerate the diversity of different beliefs? Why can’t we find a better option than force and violence? Why kill, not love? Why?
Ladies and Gentlemen, differences and diversity are not reasons for hatred, conflicts, or wars; instead, they should be respected, admired, and appreciated.
Rose Kennedy once said: “Birds sing after a storm, so why shouldn’t people feel free to delight in whatever sunlight remains to them?” So let us all learn to love life, enjoy the sunshine every day, and make the world a better place for you, for me, and for the entire human race. Thank you all!
Editor:Yang Jie
