Li Ka-shing encourages STU graduates to be innovative solution providers and strategic visionaries
Achieve excellence and brace the storm
(Shantou and Hong Kong, 30 June 2016) Honorary Chairman of the Shantou University (STU) Council, Mr Li Ka-shing, today urged STU graduates to become innovative solution providers and strategic visionaries amid a climate of sociopolitical and economic uncertainty.
Delivering a speech to the graduates during this morning's congregation, Mr Li also pointed out the key to excellence is to stay curious and humble and be compassionate in their pursuit of success.
Founder of the Yao Foundation, Yao Ming, excited the graduates as guest of honour at the congregation. Mr Yao shared with them his experience and said everyone can overcome intimidating new environments as long as they have clear goals and the courage to take responsibilities, adding that one earns his stripes through every setback and defeats make victories ever more satisfying. "Throughout your life, residence may change, nationality may change, but your education record will never change," he said.
Beware of the toxic combo
Mr Li reckoned a myriad of technological forces is surging forward into every corner of life, thus necessitating the need to reimagine and reshape established models and conventions. He urged everyone to consider whether we are facing opportunities or considerable challenges when the past is no longer and the future is not just yet. He also stressed that there is no place for the rigid and unimaginative, and a grand vision without solutions can be damaging – such behaviour is a toxic combo that lays waste to valuable resources and time.
Take on challenges and brace the storm
"Without question, this is an era where creativity and knowledge bring on opportunities that previous generations haven't had. That said, our world is a troubled place: unsustainable, unequal, unjust and conflicted," he said.
Mr Li urged the students to brace the storm the world faces and use the fear these forces generate to their advantage, to motivate and guide them to become who they aspire to be - the fearless solution providers and strategic visionaries who make a difference in the world.
"Mental inertness is an obstacle to effective thinking," Mr Li said, "It spawns misguided strategies and policies. It could condemn us to a Sisyphean future, a future where our goals are forever out of our reach."
Also, those who are blindly selfish in their ambitions are doomed to fail as they are wasting valuable resources and precious time, he added.
Trinity of Innovation
A staunch believer in a technology-driven future, Mr Li said one needs to always stay curious and humble to reach success. Passion for learning can advance one's readiness and potential for intellectual growth and wonder and enables us to make smarter, faster and better decisions.
He believed technology is the cornerstone of economic progress, talent powers productivity and tolerance spurs competitiveness and equity. Such a trinity forms the basis for innovation, and innovation allows everyone to learn together and formulate new perspectives that lead to new insights. He noted that only in a progressive society can the benefits of prosperity be enjoyed by all.
To Mr Li, it is important for one to live with a sense of purpose when the times are changing rapidly and everything is unpredictable, we must live lives where moxie counts. He encouraged the graduates to stay compassionate in their pursuit of success and remember the world is human and intrinsically connected across the globe.
Learning the calligraphy of Huai Su
Mr Li mentioned that he immersed in the world of calligraphy and practised writing Buddhist sutras in Huai Su's cursive form while he recovered from a mild illness - he found the wild cursive script fascinating and enlightening. With new-found wisdom inspired by the scriptures, Mr Li would like to thank his family, friends and everyone for their care and love. Referencing Tao Yuanming's poetry Going Home and Ouyang Xiu's Ode to the Sounds of Autumn, Mr Li considered himself a contented man, as he has done everything in his capacity as a human being, a citizen and a businessman to serve society.
Guests attending today's ceremony witnessed the congregation of class of 2012, with 2,700 graduates receiving their bachelor's, master's, doctoral and adult learning degrees.
STU has more than 20,000 students, 9,000 of them full-time on campus, and each year more than 2,000 graduates, of whom approximately 25 per cent are medical students. The STU Li Ka Shing Foundation's contribution to the university will reach HKD8 billion by 2018.
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Speech by Mr. Li Ka-shing
Shantou University Commencement Ceremony
30 June 2016
The Future is Now
Mr. Yao Ming, Distinguished Guests, Faculty and Graduates,
It is such a great honour to return to STU every year. I am so humbled and grateful for all your love. Thank you for sharing this happy moment with me.
Class of 2012, four years of hard work, now is the time to celebrate. Let's give a thunderous round of applause to yourselves and your supportive teachers and loving families.
A dynamic and complex future awaits you. Amid a climate of sociopolitical and economic uncertainty, a myriad of technological forces surge forward into every corner of life, necessitating the need to reimagine and reshape established models and conventions.
In this time of flux, where the past is no longer and the future is not just yet, are you facing opportunity or a considerable challenge?
People with rigid ideas and lack of creativity have nowhere to go. Nor do Icarian visionaries without solutions, those who are blindly selfish in their ambition to reach success - such behaviour is a toxic combo that lays waste to valuable resources and time.
Mental inertness is an obstacle to effective thinking. It spawns misguided strategies and policies. It could condemn us to a Sisyphean future, a future where our goals are forever out of our reach.
Without question, this is an era where creativity and knowledge bring on opportunities that previous generations haven't had. That said, our world is a troubled place: unsustainable, unequal, unjust and conflicted.
Stay strong in the wind and rain that shake today's world. Use the fear these forces generate to your advantage - let it motivate you to become who you want to be. It can guide you all to becoming fearless solution providers and strategic visionaries who make a difference in the world.
How will you get there? I don't have a formula to offer but I'd like to share some thoughts that have helped me get where I am today.
We need to always stay curious and humble to reach success. A passion for learning advances our readiness and potential for intellectual growth and wonder - it enables us to make smarter, faster and better decisions.
Technology is the cornerstone of economic progress. Talent is the engine that powers productivity. Tolerance is the edge that spurs competitiveness and equity. Together this is the trinity that forms the basis for innovation.
Innovation allows us to learn together, to formulate new perspectives, which lead to new insights. Only in a progressive society that has the possibility to support progress can the benefits of prosperity be enjoyed by all.
In these changing times where everything is unpredictable, we need to live with a sense of purpose, we must live lives where moxie counts. In our pursuit of success, we must never forget that our world is human and intrinsically connected across the globe.
While recovering from a recent bout of illness, I immersed myself into the world of virtual reality and copied the diamond sutra in the wild cursive script of Master Huai Su. The spontaneity and unrestrainedness is fascinating and enlightening. "All conditioned phenomena are like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, a shadow." But in reality I'm keenly aware of how blessed I am with love and concern from friends and family that fill each morning and sunset with joy.
My life has not been an easy journey - I have seen many triumphs and tribulations. Yet all in all I'm a happy man for I have tried to serve society to the best of my ability as a human being, as a citizen and a businessman.
Congratulations again. I know each and every one of you is ready to go out into the world and create a new formula for a brighter future. Be generous, be creative, live your life to its truest, in duty, in dignity and joy.
Today you are proud to be part of Shantou University. Tomorrow Shantou University will be proud to be part of you. Thank you so much.
About the Li Ka Shing Foundation
Established in 1980, the Li Ka Shing Foundation (LKSF) has four core imperatives: 1) empower people, 2) foster change, 3) develop a better society, and 4) inspire societal improvement. Mr. Li considers the Foundation to be his "third son" and has pledged one-third of his assets to it. To date, over HK$20 billion has been put to work to support all its initiatives across 27 countries and regions. 87% of LKSF's donations benefit projects in the Greater China region.
For more information, please visit: http://www.lksf.org.
Weibo: weibo.com/LKSfoundation
Twitter: www.twitter.com/lksf
Instagram: @lksfoundation
Youtube: www.youtube.com/lksfoundationhk
For inquiries, please contact:
Li Ka Shing Foundation
Jeremy Lau
Tel: (852) 2128 1207
Fax: (852) 2128 1766
Email: jeremy.lau@lksf.org
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