Afternoon Exercises | Harvard Commencement 2019

TL;DR

Chancellor Angela Merkel delivers a powerful commencement speech at Harvard, urging graduates to break down walls, think globally, and take action to create positive change.

Transcript

GOOD AFTERNOON. NICE, FIRST TRY. WELCOME. PRESIDENT BACOW, MEMBERS OF THE HARVARD CORPORATION AND THE BOARD OF OVERSEERS, CHANCELLOR MERKEL, MEMBERS OF THE FACULTY, HONORED GUESTS, FELLOW ALUMNI, NEW GRADUATES, FRIENDS. WELCOME TO THE 150th ANNUAL MEETING OF THE HARVARD ALUMNI ASSOCIATION. [APPLAUSE] MY NAME IS MARGARET WANG, HARVARD COLLEGE CLASS ... Read More

Key Insights

• 🍳 Walls, both physical and metaphorical, limit our opportunities and must be broken down in order to create a better future.
• 🌐 Global challenges require multilateral approaches and global cooperation.
• ⛔ Technology should be harnessed for the benefit of humanity and should not dictate our actions or limit our individual freedoms.

Questions & Answers

Q: What challenges does Chancellor Merkel identify as priorities for the graduates to address?

Chancellor Merkel highlights protectionism, trade conflicts, climate change, forced migration, and technology as some of the challenges that graduates need to address in order to create a better world.

Q: How does Chancellor Merkel emphasize the importance of global cooperation?

Merkel states that in a time of increasing nationalism and isolationism, it is vital to prioritize multilateralism and global perspectives, and work together to find solutions to global issues.

Q: How does Chancellor Merkel highlight the role of technology and its impact on society?

Merkel urges graduates to question the role of technology, ensuring that it serves people as individuals and respects human dignity, rather than reducing individuals to mere consumers or data sources.

Q: What message does Chancellor Merkel convey about the future?

Merkel shares her belief that change is possible and encourages graduates to embrace new beginnings, take risks, and challenge the status quo. She reminds them that nothing should be taken for granted, and everything is possible with the right mindset and determination.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Chancellor Merkel reflects on her experiences growing up in East Germany and the fall of the Berlin Wall, emphasizing the importance of embracing new beginnings and the power of individual and collective action.

• She highlights the need for global cooperation and multilateralism in addressing current challenges, such as protectionism, climate change, and displacement.

• Merkel encourages graduates to question the status quo, prioritize human dignity and values, and use technology responsibly.