埃文·斯皮格尔2015南加州大学马歇尔商学院毕业演讲(2)
It only recently occurred to me, while preparing this address, how totally absurd this whole charade was.
直到最近，在准备这次演讲稿时，我才意识到，自己在毕业典礼上的装模作样简直荒谬至极。
It reminded me that oftentimes we do all sorts of silly things to avoid appearing different.
这件事提醒我：我们经常做各种傻事，以避免自己与众不同。
Conforming happens so naturally that we can forget how powerful it is
从众是很自然的事情，以至于我们会忘了它的力量有多么强大，
we want to be accepted by our peers — we want to be a part of the group. It’s in our biology.
我们希望为同龄人所接受–我们希望自己是这个群体的一分子。我们生来如此。
But the things that make us human are those times we listen to the whispers of our soul
但人之所以为人，是因为很多时候，我们听从内心的声音，
and allow ourselves to be pulled in another direction.
并允许自己被指引着朝另一个方向前进。
Conformity is so fascinating and so pervasive that it has been studied for a very long time.
从众令人无法抗拒且普遍存在，人们对其已经研究了很长时间。
See, it turns out there are two things that can dramatically reduce conformity in a group setting.
结果发现，有两点可以极大地减少一个群体里的从众行为：
The first is a single dissenting voice, and the second is the ability to communicate privately with other members of the group
第一是发出一个表示不同意见的声音，第二是具有与群体其他成员私下沟通的能力。
Our government gives us the right to privacy and the right to express ourselves freely in the hope that we might mitigate conformity.
政府赋予我们隐私权和自由表达权，就是希望我们可以减少随大流的行为。
Democracy wasn’t designed to promote popular thought. It was architected to protect dissent.
实行民主的目的不是为了促使思想大众化，而是为了保护不同的声音。
For, as President Kennedy said, “Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.”
因为，正如肯尼迪总统所说的那样：“从众是羁押自由的狱卒，是阻碍进步的敌人。”
埃文·斯皮格尔2015南加州大学马歇尔商学院毕业演讲