我在高中橄榄球队打四分卫
but don't be too impressed
但别以为我们有多了不起
we had the longest losing streak in the nation by the time I graduated as a senior
在我毕业那年 我们是全国连败最长的队
Years and years without a victory
一年又一年 我们一次都没赢过
It was said that grandfathers of my teammates
有人说 我同学的爷爷们
had contributed to the multi-generational loosing streak
早就为子孙后代的连败打下了基础
After high school, I eventually ended up at Brown University
高中毕业后 我最终考进了布朗大学
and I remember vividly one particular day when I returned from college
有一次从大学回家 我尤其记忆犹新
My father picked me up at the airport
我的父亲到机场接我
and when we were driving home, he asked me in the most casual way
在我们开车回家的路上 他很随便地问了我一句
"Jim, what are you thinking of studying?"
"金墉 你想学什么呢"
I told him I was excited about philosophy and political science
我说我对哲学和政治学很感兴趣
I thought I could make a difference in the world
我认为我可以改变这个世界
and I was thinking of going into politics
我在考虑从政
My father put the blinker on
我父亲打开车子的闪光灯
slowly pulled over to the side of the road, turned off the car
把车缓缓开到路边停下
looked back at me and said, "Hey
他转过身来看着我说 "听着"
"once you finish your medical residency, you can do anything you want"
"你只要完成了医生实习期 就可以做任何你想做的事情"
Now, I see some Asian parents in audience nodding their heads
我看到在座的亚洲家长正在点头
saying, what's funny about that?
说 这有什么好笑的
But you see, my father knew all about uncertainty
不过你们看到 我父亲十分懂得不确定性
He knew that it's impossible to be sure about where you might end up in life
他很清楚 一个人不可能知道自己最终会做什么
And he worried that his own success
而且他很担心自己的成功
might have deprived his children of the opportunity to understand deeply
有可能会使自己的子女没有机会深入理解
the meaning of running away from the noodle police
从警察身边跑开 当然同时还要
while, of course, finishing your noodles
吃完剩下的面条意味着什么