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2009年4月30日
扶幼會滙豐銀行慈善基金讀寫發展中心開幕禮／頒奬禮 香港上海滙豐銀行有限公司主席鄭海泉先生講辭 [謝謝石教授。]我好榮幸能夠跟大家見面。 首先，我要向大家致歉。因為我接下來的講辭會忽略在場大部分的來賓，包括扶幼會職員、教育界專家和老師、傳媒朋友及家長。今天，只有在座的小朋友，才是我演說的對象。 話雖如此，如果大家願意傾聽，我當然無任歡迎。 各位小朋友，你們今天能夠來到這個中心，是因為上天送了一份禮物給你們。 可能你也聽過，世上不少名人和你們一樣都有讀寫障礙。例如發明電燈泡，讓這個房間有照明的科學家；又或是你們父母經常說個不停的手提電話，即發明世界上第一個電話的科學家，他們都擁有和你們相同的獨特天賦。 電影 «魔盜王» 的兩位主要角色Will Turner和 Elizabeth Swan也不例外。還有，其中一位我最喜歡的歷史人物 — 邱吉爾，以及前新加坡總理和至少6名美國總統，他們都和大家一樣，擁有這份禮物。 迪士尼樂園創辦人的先天條件亦跟大家差不多。事實上，很多成功人士，包括作家、電影明星、歌手、音樂家、運動員、發明家、國家領導人，以及商人都有讀寫障礙。 各位小朋友，不幸的是，並不是所有人都能理解你們的獨特天賦。 事實上，剛才我提到的一些知名人物，都曾提及當他們和你們一樣年紀的時候，日子是多麼的難過。同學有時候會取笑他們愚蠢或懶惰。常常被別人指責他們不够用功，本應可取得更高分數，使他們經常覺得比不上別人，或受人忽略。 我理解他們，亦能感受到大家在課堂、操場甚至家裡所面對的難處。 在我和你們一樣年紀的求學時期，日子也不容易過。因為行動不方便，有些事別人能做到，但我做不到。有些同學取笑我，還給我起別名。 和你們一樣，這些事都令我難受。但是，後來我慢慢明白，終日自怨自艾是不能解決問題的。天生我才必有用，我更要把握一切機會，發揮潛能。 當我再長大一點，我更明白患有小兒麻痺症其實是一種福氣，它令我變得更堅強和更有決心，要比其他人更努力，取得更高的成就。 回顧過去，我覺得自己實在很幸運。我的父母十分支持我，我相信大家也一樣。同學及老師經常鼓勵我；而當我長大投身社會，我亦得到不少同事的幫助。 各位小朋友，我絮絮不休，只是希望鼓勵大家不要放棄，雖然你們目前在學習方面遇到很多困難，但情況一定會改善。 最重要的是，我希望大家知道，你們擁有獨特的天賦。無論頑皮的同學、部分沒有耐性的老師，甚至親戚朋友說些什麼，大家都應該堅守這個信念。 好了，我的講話到此為止，因為我們還有其他的事情要做，包括頒發奬項，假如我再說個不停，恐怕在座的大朋友會開始覺得不耐煩了。 多謝大家。 30 April 2009 Speech by Mr Vincent Cheng, Chairman The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited Society of Boys' Centres Hongkong Bank Foundation Learning Development Centre Ceremony, Hong Kong It is indeed a pleasure to be able to be with you today. That said, I must begin by apologising as I intend to ignore a large number of you while making my speech this afternoon. In fact, my remarks today are directed not at the officials from the SBC. Nor the learning specialists and teachers. Nor the media who are with us. And not really even for the parents in attendance. Rather, what I want to say today is for the children who are here. Of course, the rest of you are welcome to listen as well! Now, my young friends, you are here today, at this Centre, because you have a gift. As you may or may not know, many famous people have the same gift that you do. For example, the man who invented light bulbs — like these above our heads — had dyslexia. And the mobile phone that your Mom or Dad like to talk on all the time — well, the man who invented the first telephone also had the same gift you do. And in the movie Pirates of the Caribbean, the actors who played Will Turner and Elizabeth Swan both have this gift too. Also, one of my own favourite historical figures — Sir Winston Churchill — had your gift. So does a former Prime Minister of Singapore and so do at least 6 former Presidents of the United States. And, the man who built the very first Disneyland, also had your gift. In fact, there is a very long list of very successful people — writers, movie stars, singers, musicians, athletes, inventors, leaders of countries, and business people — who have the gift of dyslexia. Now, my young friends, unfortunately not everyone realises just yet that what you have is a gift. In fact, some of the famous people I mentioned have also talked about how hard it was when they were the age you are now. How their classmates sometimes teased them, calling them stupid or lazy. How they were constantly told they weren't trying hard enough or that they should be getting better grades. And how very often they just felt left behind or left out. I can understand what they are saying because I know what some of you may be going through right now — in the classroom, in the playground, in your home. You see, when I was your age, I too struggled in school. I also got teased and laughed at. Other kids also called me all sorts of hurtful nicknames. And there were also some things that my friends could do that I could not because of my disability. Those things hurt. But you know what? As I got older, I realised that while I was different, there was no point in feeling sorry for myself. I had what I had and I needed to make the best of it. As I got even older, I realised that having polio was actually a gift. A gift because it made me a tougher person. And because it also made me decide to work even harder and achieve more. Now, I was lucky. I also got a lot of support from my parents. And I hope you do too. And I got a lot of help from some of my classmates and some of my teachers. And when I was even older still and got a job, many people I worked with also helped me. My young friends, I am telling you this long story because I want to encourage all of you. I want you to know that while some things might seem really hard right now in school, it will get better. Most of all, I want you to realise that what you have is a gift. And that you should not let anyone — whether it be a naughty classmate or an impatient teacher or even someone in your own family — tell you otherwise. With that, I am going to stop talking now. Because we have some other things to do — including some awards to present. And because I think these other adults around might be getting impatient.
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