The Letter from Zuckerberg to His New Born Daughter 扎克伯格给女儿的一封信

马克·扎克伯格，Facebook创始人，优秀的青年企业家、慈善家，哈佛辍学生，身家上百亿美元却喜欢租房住、穿廉价衣服、开旧车的计算机天才……这都不重要。

　　重要的是，美国当地时间12月1日，他跟华裔妻子普莉希拉·陈的女儿Max出生了。

　　可以想见的是，这个发明世界上最受欢迎社交网站的天才爸爸，今后将越来越多地晒娃了。女儿出生，让这个创建Facebook连接世界的人，收到了来自全世界的祝福。

　　然而更重要的事发生在女儿出生之后。扎克伯格决定把自己所拥有Facebook股份的99%，约450亿美元，用于推动医疗、教育、慈善等事业。请看他在自己网页上的声明：

　　

 

　　消息一发出这个世界就沸腾了，但这一消息后面紧跟的一封信让人们暖暖地安静下来——这位新爸爸写给女儿的信。
Dear Max,

Your mother and I don't yet have the words to describe the hope you give us for the future. Your new life is full of promise, and we hope you will be happy and healthy so you can explore it fully. You've already given us a reason to reflect on the world we hope you live in.

Like all parents, we want you to grow up in a world better than ours today.

While headlines often focus on what's wrong, in many ways the world is getting better. Health is improving. Poverty is shrinking. Knowledge is growing. People are connecting. Technological progress in every field means your life should be dramatically better than ours today.

We will do our part to make this happen, not only because we love you, but also because we have a moral responsibility to all children in the next generation.

We believe all lives have equal value, and that includes the many more people who will live in future generations than live today. Our society has an obligation to invest now to improve the lives of all those coming into this world, not just those already here.

But right now, we don't always collectively direct our resources at the biggest opportunities and problems your generation will face.

Consider disease. Today we spend about 50 times more as a society treating people who are sick than we invest in research so you won't get sick in the first place.

Medicine has only been a real science for less than 100 years, and we've already seen complete cures for some diseases and good progress for others. As technology accelerates, we have a real shot at preventing, curing or managing all or most of the rest in the next 100 years.

Today, most people die from five things -- heart disease, cancer, stroke, neuro degenerative and infectious diseases -- and we can make faster progress on these and other problems.

Once we recognize that your generation and your children's generation may not have to suffer from disease, we collectively have a responsibility to tilt our investments a bit more towards the future to make this reality. Your mother and I want to do our part.

Curing disease will take time. Over short periods of five or ten years, it may not seem like we're making much of a difference. But over the long term, seeds planted now will grow, and one day, you or your children will see what we can only imagine: a world without suffering from disease.

There are so many opportunities just like this. If society focuses more of its energy on these great challenges, we will leave your generation a much better world.

Our hopes for your generation focus on two ideas: advancing human potential and promoting equality.

Advancing human potential is about pushing the boundaries on how great a human life can be.

Can you learn and experience 100 times more than we do today?

Can our generation cure disease so you live much longer and healthier lives?

Can we connect the world so you have access to every idea, person and opportunity?

Can we harness more clean energy so you can invent things we can't conceive of today while protecting the environment?

Can we cultivate entrepreneurship so you can build any business and solve any challenge to grow peace and prosperity?

Promoting equality is about making sure everyone has access to these opportunities -- regardless of the nation, families or circumstances they are born into

Our society must do this not only for justice or charity, but for the greatness of human progress.

Today we are robbed of the potential so many have to offer. The only way to achieve our full potential is to channel the talents, ideas and contributions of every person in the world.

Can our generation eliminate poverty and hunger?

Can we provide everyone with basic health care?

Can we build inclusive and welcoming communities?

Can we nurture peaceful and understanding relationships between people of all nations?

Can we truly empower everyone -- women, children, underrepresented minorities, immigrants and the unconnected?

If our generation makes the right investments, the answer to each of these questions can be yes--and hopefully within your lifetime.

This mission -- advancing human potential and promoting equality -- will require a new approach for all working towards these goals.

We must make long term investments over 25, 50 or even 100 years. The greatest challenges require very long time horizons and cannot be solved by short term thinking.

We must engage directly with the people we serve. We can't empower people if we don't understand the needs and desires of their communities.

We must build technology to make change. Many institutions invest money in these challenges, but most progress comes from productivity gains through innovation.

We must participate in policy and advocacy to shape debates. Many institutions are unwilling to do this, but progress must be supported by movements to be sustainable.

We must back the strongest and most independent leaders in each field. Partnering with experts is more effective for the mission than trying to lead efforts ourselves.

We must take risks today to learn lessons for tomorrow. We're early in our learning and many things we try won't work, but we'll listen and learn and keep improving.

Our experience with personalized learning, internet access, and community education and health has shaped our philosophy.

Our generation grew up in classrooms where we all learned the same things at the same pace regardless of our interests or needs.

Your generation will set goals for what you want to become -- like an engineer, health worker, writer or community leader. You'll have technology that understands how you learn best and where you need to focus. You'll advance quickly in subjects that interest you most, and get as much help as you need in your most challenging areas. You'll explore topics that aren't even offered in schools today. Your teachers will also have better tools and data to help you achieve your goals.

Even better, students around the world will be able to use personalized learning tools over the internet, even if they don't live near good schools. Of course it will take more than technology to give everyone a fair start in life, but personalized learning can be one scalable way to give all children a better education and more equal opportunity.

We're starting to build this technology now, and the results are already promising. Not only do students perform better on tests, but they gain the skills and confidence to learn anything they want. And this journey is just beginning. The technology and teaching will rapidly improve every year you're in school.

Your mother and I have both taught students and we've seen what it takes to make this work. It will take working with the strongest leaders in education to help schools around the world adopt personalized learning. It will take engaging with communities, which is why we're starting in our San Francisco Bay Area community. It will take building new technology and trying new ideas. And it will take making mistakes and learning many lessons before achieving these goals.

But once we understand the world we can create for your generation, we have a responsibility as a society to focus our investments on the future to make this reality.

Together, we can do this. And when we do, personalized learning will not only help students in good schools, it will help provide more equal opportunity to anyone with an internet connection.

Many of the greatest opportunities for your generation will come from giving everyone access to the internet.

People often think of the internet as just for entertainment or communication. But for the majority of people in the world, the internet can be a lifeline.

It provides education if you don't live near a good school. It provides health information on how to avoid diseases or raise healthy children if you don't live near a doctor. It provides financial services if you don't live near a bank. It provides access to jobs and opportunities if you don't live in a good economy.

The internet is so important that for every 10 people who gain internet access, about one person is lifted out of poverty and about one new job is created.

Yet still more than half of the world's population -- more than 4 billion people --don't have access to the internet.

If our generation connects them, we can lift hundreds of millions of people out of poverty. We can also help hundreds of millions of children get an education and save millions of lives by helping people avoid disease.

This is another long term effort that can be advanced by technology and partnership. It will take inventing new technology to make the internet more affordable and bring access to unconnected areas. It will take partnering with governments, non-profits and companies. It will take engaging with communities to understand what they need. Good people will have different views on the best path forward, and we will try many efforts before we succeed.

But together we can succeed and create a more equal world.

Technology can't solve problems by itself. Building a better world starts with building strong and healthy communities.

Children have the best opportunities when they can learn. And they learn best when they're healthy.

Health starts early -- with loving family, good nutrition and a safe, stable environment.

Children who face traumatic experiences early in life often develop less healthy minds and bodies. Studies show physical changes in brain development leading to lower cognitive ability.

Your mother is a doctor and educator, and she has seen this firsthand.

If you have an unhealthy childhood, it's difficult to reach your full potential.

If you have to wonder whether you'll have food or rent, or worry about abuse or crime, then it's difficult to reach your full potential.

If you fear you'll go to prison rather than college because of the color of your skin, or that your family will be deported because of your legal status, or that you may be a victim of violence because of your religion, sexual orientation or gender identity, then it's difficult to reach your full potential.

We need institutions that understand these issues are all connected. That's the philosophy of the new type of school your mother is building.

By partnering with schools, health centers, parent groups and local governments, and by ensuring all children are well fed and cared for starting young, we can start to treat these inequities as connected. Only then can we collectively start to give everyone an equal opportunity.

It will take many years to fully develop this model. But it's another example of how advancing human potential and promoting equality are tightly linked. If we want either, we must first build inclusive and healthy communities.

For your generation to live in a better world, there is so much more our generation can do.

Today your mother and I are committing to spend our lives doing our small part to help solve these challenges. I will continue to serve as Facebook's CEO for many, many years to come, but these issues are too important to wait until you or we are older to begin this work. By starting at a young age, we hope to see compounding benefits throughout our lives.

As you begin the next generation of the Chan Zuckerberg family, we also begin the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to join people across the world to advance human potential and promote equality for all children in the next generation. Our initial areas of focus will be personalized learning, curing disease, connecting people and building strong communities.

We will give 99% of our Facebook shares -- currently about $45 billion -- during our lives to advance this mission. We know this is a small contribution compared to all the resources and talents of those already working on these issues. But we want to do what we can, working alongside many others.

We'll share more details in the coming months once we settle into our new family rhythm and return from our maternity and paternity leaves. We understand you'll have many questions about why and how we're doing this.

As we become parents and enter this next chapter of our lives, we want to share our deep appreciation for everyone who makes this possible.

We can do this work only because we have a strong global community behind us. Building Facebook has created resources to improve the world for the next generation. Every member of the Facebook community is playing a part in this work.

We can make progress towards these opportunities only by standing on the shoulders of experts -- our mentors, partners and many incredible people whose contributions built these fields.

And we can only focus on serving this community and this mission because we are surrounded by loving family, supportive friends and amazing colleagues. We hope you will have such deep and inspiring relationships in your life too.

Max, we love you and feel a great responsibility to leave the world a better place for you and all children. We wish you a life filled with the same love, hope and joy you give us. We can't wait to see what you bring to this world.

Love,

Mom and Dad

　　扎克伯格给女儿的信

　　亲爱的马克斯，

　　你给我们的未来带来的希望，我和你的妈妈尚难以言表。你的新生命充满了期许，我们希望你幸福安康，好愿得偿。你给了我们一个理由，对我们愿汝所在的世界，一番思量。

　　一如天下父母心，我们愿你成长的世界比今天更美好。

　　头条新闻常常针砭时弊，可在许多方面，世界正在改良。健康在改善，贫穷在消除，知识在增长，交互在增强。每个领域中的技术进步都预示着，你的生活将远比今天更棒。

　　我们将尽绵薄之力，将其实现，不仅因为我们爱你，也因为我们对所有下一代儿童，有着道德的责任。

　　我们相信众生平等，未来将有更多的人如此。现在，我们的社会有义务去投资，改善后来人的生活，不仅是已经出生的人，还有将要来到这个世上的人。

　　可现在，我们并不总能勠力同心，为你们一代创造最大的机会，解决最大的问题。

　　疾病如是。今天的社会，治疗病患的费用庞大，对让人不生病的研究而进行的投资却稀少，前者约为后者的五十倍。

　　医疗成为真正的科学不足百年，我们已对某些疾病有了全套的治疗方法，另外一些也取得良好进展。随着技术加速发展，我们有望在未来一百年预防、治疗或控制所有或大多数疾病。

　　今天，多数死于五种疾病：心脏病、癌症、中风、神经退行性病变及传染疾病，我们能够取得更加迅速的进展。

　　当我们意识到你这一代人和你的下一代人可能不再受疾病困扰，我们都有责任更多地投资于让此成真的未来。我和你的妈妈愿尽其力。

　　治愈疾病来日方长。短短五到十年内，我们不会让一切不同。可假以时日，种子要发芽。总有一天，你或你的孩子讲目睹我们只能想象的世界：一个没有疾病的世界。

　　机会良多，只要社会对如是挑战多一点努力，你们这一代将生活在更美好的世界。

　　我们希望你这一代人想两件事： 推进人之所能，促进人人平等。

　　推进人之所能，拓展人生之所以伟大的边界。

　　你的学习和经历能百倍于我们今天的人吗?

　　我们这一代人能治愈疾病，让你们有更长寿、更健康的生命吗?

　　我们能把世界连接起来，让你们去接触每一个想法、每一个人和每一次机会吗?

　　我们能获取更加清洁的能源，让你们在保护环境的同时投身于我们今天想象不到的事业吗?

　　我们能培育出创业的精神，让你们开拓事业、解决挑战以促进和平和繁荣吗?.

　　促进人人平等，确保所有人，不论民族、出身或成长环境，都能获得机会。

　　我们的社会必须如是为之，不仅为正义，为慈善，还为了人类进步之伟大。

　　今天，我们丧失了诸多潜能。自我实现的唯一途径是疏浚人才、想法和这世上每个人的贡献。

　　我们这一代人能够消除贫穷和饥饿吗?

　　我们能让每一个人享受基本的健康保障吗?

　　我们能建造包容友善的社区吗?

　　我们能培育各民族人民间和平互谅的关系吗?

　　我们能让所有人——女人、儿童、边缘化的少数群落、移民和无从与人交流的人真正自立吗?

　　如果我们这一代人做了正确的投资，这些问题的答案是“Yes”，生也有涯，切盼亲历。

　　这个任务——推进人之所能，促进人人平等——需要所有致力于此的人从新开始。

　　我们必须进行长期投资，25年、50年甚至100年。最艰难的挑战需要非凡的远见，短视思维解决不了问题。

　　我们必须直接面对我们要服务的人。如果不了解他们社会的需求和欲望，我们没法让他们自立。

　　我们要让技术改变世界。许多机构都投钱应对这些挑战，但最长足的进步来自于创新带来的生产力提升。

　　我们必须参与政策制定和宣传推广，以形成辩论。许多机构不愿如此，但唯有开展社会运动，进步方可持续。

　　我们必须支持每一个领域中最强大最独立的领袖。与专家一起工作比自行完成任务要更为有效。

　　我们今天必须承担风险，为明天提供教训。我们所知尚少，不少尝试会以失败告终，但我们会倾听、学习、不断进步。

　　个性化学习、互联网、社区教育和健康塑造了我们的思维。

　　我们这一代人在课堂上长大，以相同的速度学着相同的东西，无视你的兴致和需求所在。

　　你们这一点人将为自己设定目标，你想成为什么?工程师、医生、作家或是社区领袖。技术帮助你了解怎样学习最好，你应该注意什么。你可以在最感兴趣的领域迅速取得进步，在最困难的领域获得所需的帮助。你能接触到今天的课堂没有的东西。你的老师会有更棒的工具和数据帮助你实现目标。

　　更好的是，全世界的学生都会在互联网上使用个性化学习工具，即使他们并不生活在好学校附近。当然，除了科技之外，每个人也需要拥有生活中更公平的起点。个性化学习是一种可扩展的方式，可以给所有孩子更优质的教育和更平等的机会。

　　我们开始研发这种技术，前景广阔。不仅学生在测试中表现更好，他们还能获得技能和信心，学习任何他们想要学习的东西。这一旅程已经开始，你所在学校的技术和教学每年都会发生巨大变化。

　　我和你的妈妈都曾教过学生，我们知道这项工作需要什么。它需要教育领域最强大的领导者，帮助全世界的学校去普及个性化学习。它需要与社区进行交流，这就是我们以旧金山湾区为起点的原因。它需要研发新的技术，尝试新的创意。实现这些目标前，它也会犯错误，同时也吸取许多教训。

　　一旦我们理解了我们能够为你们这一代创造的世界，我们就有责任集中我们的投资于未来，实现这个目标。

　　我们现在一起努力。当我们开始时，个性化学习不仅可以帮助好学校的学生，它也会为那些上网的人提供更平等的机会。

　　对于你们这一代人而言，许多最好的机遇来自人人都能上网。

　　人们常将互联网看做娱乐或交流工具，但对世界上大多数人来说，互联网可以成为生命线。

　　如果你不住在好学校附近，它可以为你提供更好的教育;如果你不方便看医生，它可以为你提供健康信息，例如如何避免生病或抚养健康孩子;如果你附近没有银行，它可提供金融服务;如果你收入不佳，它可提供就业机会。

　　互联网如此重要，每10个可上网的人，其中就有一人通过互联网摆脱贫困或找到新工作。

　　尽管世界上还有半数人——超过40亿——没法上网。

　　如果我们这一代能帮助他们联网，我们可以帮助数亿人摆脱贫困，帮助数亿孩子接受教育，通过帮助人们免于疾病而挽救成千上万人的生命。

　　这是利用技术与合作的另一项长期努力。但这需要发明新技术，让互联网更廉价，并可连通无网地区。这需要与政府、非营利组织和公司进行合作，与社区接触以理解他们的需求。人们对前路观点不同，成功前我们会上下求索。

　　我们共同努力，必定取得成功，创造一个更加平等的世界。

　　技术无法自行解决问题，建造更好世界需要以建造更强、更健康的社区为起点。

　　孩子们学习时需要有最好的机会，而只有他们身体健康才能保证更好地学习。

　　健康从早开始，和睦的家庭、良好的营养以及安全稳定的环境。

　　童年遭受心灵创伤的孩子常有着不怎么健康的思维和身体。研究显示，大脑发育的变化可导致认知能力降低。

　　你的妈妈是一位医生和老师，她亲眼见过这些。

　　如果你有不健康的童年，很难完全发挥潜力。

　　如果你衣食无凭，或担心遭受虐待或罪行，很难完全发挥潜力。

　　如果你担心因肤色就会进入监狱而没法上大学，或这你的家人因为你的身份地位可能被驱逐，或你因为宗教、性倾向成为暴力受害者，很难完全发挥潜力。

　　我们需要那些能够了解这些问题的机构，将他们联合起来。这就是你的母亲正在创建的新式学校的理念。

　　通过与学校、健康中心、家长团体以及当地政府合作，通过确保所有孩子从小都能获得良好的食物和照料，我们开始将这些无法获得平等机会的人连通起来。只有那时，我们才能真正开始给每个人以平等机会。

　　要想完全实现这个目标，可能需要多年时间，但这是推进人之所能与促进人人平等之间紧密相联的另一个证据。如果我们要实现这两个使命，我们必须首先建立包容、健康的社区。

　　对于你们这一代生活在更好世界中的人来说，你们将能够比我们做的更多。

　　今天，我和你的母亲承诺，我们将竭尽全力帮助解决这些挑战。我将继续担任Facebook CEO多年，但这些问题太重要，可能需要你们长大或我们老时才会开始产生效果。可是从年轻时开始，我们希望在生活中能看到更多变化。

　　当你作为扎克伯格和陈的下一代出生时，我们也开始了陈-扎克伯格倡议活动，加入世界各地许多致力于推进人之所能和促进人人平等的行列。我们最初关注的领域将是个性化学习、治愈疾病、连通人们及建立强大的社区。

　　在我们有生之年，我们会捐出持有的Facebook 99%股份帮助实现这些使命。我们知道，与那些开始应对这些问题的天才相比，我们的贡献相当小，但我们将竭尽全力。

　　当我们适应新的家庭节奏，并从产假归来后，我们将在未来数月分享更多细节。我们理解，你们对我们为何和如何做这些项目存在许多疑问。

　　随着我们为人父母，并翻开生活的新篇章，我们希望对致力于此的每个人表达谢意。

　　我们做这些工作，因为我们的背后有强大的全球社区支持。建立Facebook已经创造了为下一代改善世界的资源，Facebook社区的每个成员都在发挥作用。

　　我们只有站在专家的肩膀上才能取得进展，我们的导师、合作伙伴以及许多令人难以置信的人，都在为这些领域的建设做出贡献。

　　我们只关注服务社区和这个使命，因为我们周围是和睦相亲的家庭、助人为乐的朋友和出色的同事。我们希望你的生活中也能拥有同样深远且鼓舞人心的情谊。

　　马克斯，我们爱你，我们有责任为你和所有孩子打造一个更好世界。我们希望你的生活中充满了和我们一样的爱、希望和快乐。我们已经等不及享受你带给这个世界的一切了。

　　爱你的

　　爸爸妈妈

　　为了让女儿生活得更好，他和妻子没有把巨额财富留给女儿，而是留给了女儿来到的这个世界。给女儿一个更加美好的世界，这就是给她最好的礼物。