Principal, teachers, and students:
Good morning.
Today I want to share a word with you. We hear this word often, and it may even seem a bit cliché, but it is the most important "invisible superpower" for a person to stand on in society—that is, a sense of responsibility.
What is a sense of responsibility? Some people think that a sense of responsibility means doing something earth-shattering. But that's not the case. For most people, a sense of responsibility is often hidden in the most ordinary, everyday details.
For us students, a sense of responsibility means handing in homework on time every day, cleaning the blackboard when it's our turn to do chores, and sincerely apologizing when we accidentally bump into someone. A sense of responsibility can also mean taking the initiative to do our part in group reports, instead of pushing the work onto others and being a "free rider."
For Form 5 and Form 6 students who are about to face the DSE, a sense of responsibility is about taking responsibility for their future—when they want to give up, they should grit their teeth and persevere by reading one more page or doing one more problem.
Everyone has probably heard of Bill Gates, the world's richest man and founder of Microsoft. He once said, "Life is not fair. You have to get used to it. And the first step to getting used to it is to take responsibility."
In Microsoft's early days, a serious security vulnerability emerged in its systems, putting the data of many enterprise customers at risk. The young engineer in charge of the project was terrified, fearing dismissal and even considering concealing the error. When Bill Gates learned of this, he didn't publicly reprimand him; instead, he and his team worked through the night for dozens of hours to patch the vulnerability.
Afterwards, Bill Gates told the engineer, "Making mistakes is something everyone does, but avoiding mistakes will make you lose credibility. A responsible person is not someone who never makes mistakes, but someone who, after making a mistake, has the courage to stand up, take responsibility for the consequences, and do their best to make amends." These words changed the engineer and laid the foundation for Microsoft's corporate culture of "facing problems head-on and taking responsibility."
Dear students, a responsible person makes others feel at ease and trustworthy. In the future society, there will be many highly educated people and many intelligent people, but those who ultimately gain the respect of others and go the furthest are often the most reliable and responsible.
Conversely, if we always make excuses to avoid things, such as "It's not my problem," "It's someone else's fault," or "I forgot," we will eventually lose the trust of others and even despise ourselves.
The middle school years are the golden period for everyone to cultivate this "superpower". A sense of responsibility is not something you are born with; it is like a muscle that needs to be exercised every day.
So, students, when you return to the classroom today, why not try starting with these three small things:
First, take responsibility for your studies: complete the review goals you set for today today.
Second, be responsible for your words and actions: fulfill your promises to classmates or teachers on time.
Third, be responsible to the collective: if you see litter on the ground, pick it up and put it in the trash can.
Dear students, taking responsibility may be a little tiring, and may even require sacrificing some playtime. But please remember, you only truly begin to grow up when you start taking responsibility for your own life.
I hope everyone can become a responsible and respected young person.
Thank you everyone.