I remember going to Davos some years back and sitting on a global health panel that was discussing ways to save millions of lives.Millions！Think of the thrill of saving just one person’s life-then multiply that by millions.……Yet this was the most boring panel I‘ve ever been on-ever.So boring even I couldn’t bear it.What made that experience especially striking was that I had just come from an event where we were introducing version 13of some piece of software，and we had people jumping and shouting with excitement.I love getting people excited about software-but why can‘t we generate even more excitement for saving lives？
You can’t get people excited unless you can help them see and feel the impact.And how you do that-is a complex question.Still，I‘m optimistic.Yes，inequity has been with us forever，but the new tools we have to cut through complexity have not been with us forever.They are new-they can help us make the most of our caring-and that’s why the future can be different from the past.
The defining and ongoing innovations of this age-biotechnology，the personal computer，the Internet-give us a chance we‘ve never had before to end extreme poverty and end death from preventable disease.
Sixty years ago，George Marshall came to this commencement and announced a plan to assist the nations of post-war Europe.He said：“I think one difficulty is that the problem is one of such enormous complexity that the very mass of facts presented to the public by press and radio make it exceedingly difficult for the man in the street to reach a clear appraisement of the situation.It is virtually impossible at this distance to grasp at all the real significance of the situation.”
Thirty years after Marshall made his address，thirty years ago as my class graduated without me，technology was emerging that would make the world smaller，more open，more visible，less distant.The emergence of low-cost personal computers gave rise to a powerful network that has transformed opportunities for learning and communicating.
The magical thing about this network is not just that it collapses distance and makes everyone your neighbor.It also dramatically increases the number of brilliant minds we can have working together on the same problem-and that scales up the rate of innovation to a staggering degree.At the same time，for every person who has access to this technology，five people don’t.That means many creative minds are left out of this discussion-smart people with practical intelligence and relevant experience who don‘t have the technology to hone their talents or contribute their ideas to the world.
We need as many people as possible to have access to this technology，because these advances are triggering a revolution in what human beings can do for one another.They are making it possible not just for national governments，but for universities，corporations，smaller organizations，and even individuals to see problems，see approaches，and measure the impact of their efforts to address the hunger，poverty，and desperation George Marshall spoke of 60years ago.
Members of the Harvard Family：Here in the Yard is one of the great collections of intellectual talent in the world.
For what purpose？
There is no question that the faculty，the alumni，the students，and the benefactors of Harvard have used their power to improve the lives of people here and around the world.But can we do more？Can Harvard dedicate its intellect to improving the lives of people who will never even hear its name？Let me make a request of the deans and the professors-the intellectual leaders here at Harvard：As you hire new faculty，award tenure，review curriculum，and determine degree requirements，please ask yourselves：
Should our best minds be dedicated to solving our biggest problems？
Should Harvard encourage its faculty to take on the world’s worst inequities？Should Harvard students know about the depth of global poverty……the problem of world hunger……the scarcity of clean water……the girls kept out of school……the children who die from diseases we can cure？
Should the world‘s most privileged learn about the lives of the world’s least privileged？
These are not rhetorical questions-you will answer with your policies.
My mother，who was filled with pride the day I was admitted here-never stopped pressing me to do more for others.A few days before I was marriage，she hosted a bridal event，at which she read aloud a letter about marriage that she had written to Melinda.My mother was very ill with cancer at the time，but she saw one more opportunity to deliver her message，and at the close of the letter she said：“From those to whom much is given，much is expected.”
When you consider what those of us here in this Yard have been given-in talent，privilege，and opportunity-there is almost no limit to what the world has a right to expect from us.
In line with the promise of this age，I want to exhort each of the graduates here to take on an issue-a complex problem，a deep inequity，and become a specialist on it.If you make it the focus of your career，that would be phenomenal.But you don‘t have to do that to make an impact.For a few hours every week，you can use the growing power of the Internet to get informed，find others with the same interests，see the barriers，and find ways to cut through them.
Don’t let complexity stop you.Be activists.Take on the big inequities.I will be sure it will be one of the great experiences of your lives.
You graduates are coming of age in an amazing time.As you leave Harvard，you have technology that members of my class never had.You have awareness of global inequity，which we did not have.And with that awareness，you likely also have an informed conscience that will torment you if you abandon these people whose lives you could change with very little effort.You have more than we had；you must start sooner，and carry on longer.
