正在長大的聲音

孔子說：“后生可畏?！蔽蚁矚g這句話，因為他不是隨口夸年輕人，而是真的把年輕人當回事。他在說：年紀小，不等于心里空；閱歷還不多，也不等于沒有資格開口。

一個人可以年輕，同時已經看清某些事情；一個人可以還在學習，同時已經擁有自己的聲音。

2013年7月12日，馬拉拉在聯合國發表演講，那一天是她十六歲生日。她沒有把自己裝成什么都懂的大人，只是從一個清楚的信念出發：孩子應該擁有受教育的權利。在那次演講里，她說書和筆是有力量的武器。她聲音里的力量，不來自年齡，而來自清楚。

很多學生沉默，并不是因為沒有想法，而是怕自己的想法還不成熟。

怕說得不完美，怕被笑，怕被誤解，怕別人評價。于是，為了安全，就把觀點又放回心里。

可是，如果一個人非要等到每句話都完美才開口，他可能永遠不會真正開始表達。

表達不是表演完美，而是讓自己的想法進入世界，并接受練習。

你不需要變得咄咄逼人，才算有自己的聲音。你完全可以繼續禮貌、謹慎，同時保留判斷。

班級討論時，可以說：“我覺得也許還有另一種看法?！焙屯瑢W講題時，可以說：“這一步我還沒有完全被說服?！甭牭揭环N流行觀點時，可以問：“它的依據是什么？”

這些話不喧嘩，但有力量。它們是獨立思考的開始。

這一周，試著在一個你平時可能沉默的地方，留下一句清楚的話。

你不用變成房間里最能說的人，只需要慢慢成為那個一開口，就說真話的人。

出處說明

開頭依據《論語·子罕》：“后生可畏，焉知來者之不如今也？”英文為本文原創翻譯。馬拉拉案例依據2013年7月12日她在聯合國發表的十六歲生日演講，馬拉拉基金會保存的演講文本記錄了她關于“書和筆”的表述。

Week 3｜The Young Are Worthy of Respect

A Voice That Is Still Growing

Confucius said, “The young are worthy of awe.” I like this sentence because it does not flatter young people. It takes them seriously. It says that being young does not mean being empty, and having less experience does not mean having no right to speak.

A person may be young and still see something clearly. A person may still be learning and yet already have a voice.

On July 12, 2013, Malala Yousafzai spoke at the United Nations on her sixteenth birthday. She did not speak like someone pretending to know everything. She spoke from a clear belief: children should have the right to education. In that speech, she called books and pens powerful weapons. The strength of her voice did not come from age. It came from clarity.

Many students remain silent not because they have no thoughts, but because they fear their thoughts are not mature enough. They worry about saying something imperfect. They worry about being laughed at, misunderstood, or judged. So they choose safety. They put their views back into themselves.

But if a person waits until every sentence is perfect before speaking, he may never truly begin to speak. Expression is not a performance of perfection. It is a way of letting your mind enter the world and accept practice.

You do not need to be aggressive in order to have a voice. You can remain polite and careful while still keeping your judgment. In a class discussion, you may say, “I think there may be another way to see this.” When solving a problem with a classmate, you may say, “I am not fully convinced by this step.” When hearing a popular opinion, you may ask, “What is the evidence?”

These sentences are not loud, but they are strong. They are the beginning of independent thought.

This week, try to leave one clear sentence in a place where you would usually stay silent. You do not need to become the most talkative person in the room. You only need to become someone whose words, when spoken, are true.

Source Notes

The opening idea comes from The Analects, Zihan: “后生可畏，焉知來者之不如今也？” The English rendering in this article is original. The Malala example is based on Malala Yousafzai’s United Nations speech on July 12, 2013, her sixteenth birthday; the Malala Fund transcript records her statement that books and pens are powerful weapons.

作者：云貴人