The Chance To Be Nice

(Aung San Suu Kyi, June 2012. Speaking on her memories of life at Oxford, at her honorary doctor’s degree acceptance)
These were very precious memories because I had lived a happy life, and this made me understand so much better the young people of Burma who wanted to live a happy life and had never been given an opportunity to lead one. When I met some of the students of Oxford yesterday, I saw myself again as a young student: carefree, happy, nice. We were nice, the students now are nice. They have been given the chance to be nice. It’s a very simple word but it’s an important one. When you look at their faces you don’t see any hidden agenda there. They were so open, as we were open, because we had been given the chance to be open. We were not afraid – there was no reason for us to be afraid, and this opened us to the world.

2012年Oxford大学でのスーチー氏のスピーチの一部です。彼女にとってOxford での幸せな生活、素晴らしい思い出は、同じ若者でありながら、幸せに生きたくてもその機会さえ与えられていないビルマの状況をより鮮明にしました。‘昔も今も、Oxfordの学生はみないい人達です。nice という言葉はシンプルであり、重要です。彼らはいい人になれる機会を与えられ、オープンになれる機会を与えられ、恐れる理由もないのです。’私たち日本人にも当てはまりますが、自分自身を顧みて、これらを意識したことがあったでしょうか。このスピーチは、私たちが当たり前に手にしているものの重さを感じます。ご興味のあるかたは、ぜひスピーチ全部をお聞きになってください。