I New York er jeg leder af en non-profit kaldet Robin Hood. Når jeg ikke bekæmper fattigdom, bekæmper jeg ildebrande som den assisterende brandkaptajn af et frivilligt brandvæsen. I vores by, hvor de frivillige bidrager med et højt kvalificeret beredskab, er du nødt til at nå til ildebranden hurtigt, for at tage del i aktionen.
Back in New York, I am the head of development for a non-profit called Robin Hood. When I'm not fighting poverty, I'm fighting fires as the assistant captain of a volunteer fire company. Now in our town, where the volunteers supplement a highly skilled career staff, you have to get to the fire scene pretty early to get in on any action.
Jeg husker min første ildebrand. Jeg var den næsthurtigste frivillig på stedet, så der var en ret god chance for, at jeg skulle ind. Men alligevel var det et kapløb mod de andre frivillige, at komme til den ansvarlige kaptajn, for at finde ud af hvad ens opgave ville være. Da jeg fandt kaptajnen, havde han en meget engageret samtale med boligejeren, som helt sikkert havde en af de værste dage i hendes liv. Her midt om natten stod hun udenfor i silende regn, under en paraply, i hendes pyjamas, med bare fødder mens hendes hus stod i flammer.
I remember my first fire. I was the second volunteer on the scene, so there was a pretty good chance I was going to get in. But still it was a real footrace against the other volunteers to get to the captain in charge to find out what our assignments would be. When I found the captain, he was having a very engaging conversation with the homeowner, who was surely having one of the worst days of her life. Here it was, the middle of the night, she was standing outside in the pouring rain, under an umbrella, in her pajamas, barefoot, while her house was in flames.
Den anden frivillige som var ankommet lige før mig - lad os kalde ham Lex Luther - (Latter) nåede først hen til kaptajnen og blev bedt om at gå indenfor for at redde boligejerens hund. Hunden! Jeg var fyldt med jalousi. Her var en eller anden advokat eller penge manager, der i resten af sit liv kunne fortælle folk, at han gik ind i en brandende bygning for at redde et levende væsen, bare fordi han slog mig med fem sekunder. Nå, jeg var den næste. Kaptajnen vinkede mig over. Han sagde, "Bezos, jeg har brug for at du går ind i huset. Jeg har brug for du går ovenpå, forbi branden, og jeg har brug for, at du skaffer denne kvinde et par sko." (Latter) Jeg sværger. Nå, ikke lige hvad jeg havde håbet, men ind gik jeg - op af trapperne, ned af gangen, forbi de "rigtige" brandmænd, som mere eller mindre havde slukket branden på dette tidspunkt, ind i soveværelset for at skaffe et par sko.
The other volunteer who had arrived just before me -- let's call him Lex Luther -- (Laughter) got to the captain first and was asked to go inside and save the homeowner's dog. The dog! I was stunned with jealousy. Here was some lawyer or money manager who, for the rest of his life, gets to tell people that he went into a burning building to save a living creature, just because he beat me by five seconds. Well, I was next. The captain waved me over. He said, "Bezos, I need you to go into the house. I need you to go upstairs, past the fire, and I need you to get this woman a pair of shoes." (Laughter) I swear. So, not exactly what I was hoping for, but off I went -- up the stairs, down the hall, past the 'real' firefighters, who were pretty much done putting out the fire at this point, into the master bedroom to get a pair of shoes.
Jeg ved, hvad I tænker, men jeg er ingen helt. (Latter) Jeg bar min last tilbage ned af trapperne, hvor jeg mødte min nemesis og den dyrebare hund ved frontdøren. Vi tog vores skatte med udenfor til boligejeren, hvor, ikke overraskende, hans modtog meget mere opmærksomhed end min. Nogle uger efter modtog afdelingen et brev fra boligejeren, som takkede os for den tapre indsats, vi viste, da vi reddede hendes hjem. Den venlighed hun listede over alt andet: nogen havde endda hentet hende en par sko.
Now I know what you're thinking, but I'm no hero. (Laughter) I carried my payload back downstairs where I met my nemesis and the precious dog by the front door. We took our treasures outside to the homeowner, where, not surprisingly, his received much more attention than did mine. A few weeks later, the department received a letter from the homeowner thanking us for the valiant effort displayed in saving her home. The act of kindness she noted above all others: someone had even gotten her a pair of shoes.
(Latter)
(Laughter)
Både i mit kald hos Robin Hood og min fritidsbeskæftigelse som frivillig brandmand er jeg vidne til handlinger af gavmildhed og venlighed på en storslået skale, men jeg er også vidne til handlinger af nåde og mod på et personligt plan. Og ved I, hvad jeg har lært? Det hele betyder noget. Så når jeg kigger rundt i dette rum på mennesker, der enten har opnået, eller er på vej til at opnå bemærkelsesværdig grad af succes, vil jeg gerne tilbyde denne påmindelse: lad vær at vente. Lad vær at vente indtil du har lavet din første million før du gør en forskel i en andens liv. Hvis du har noget at give, giv det nu. Server mad hos et center for hjemløse, ryd op i en nærliggende park, vær en mentor.
In both my vocation at Robin Hood and my avocation as a volunteer firefighter, I am witness to acts of generosity and kindness on a monumental scale, but I'm also witness to acts of grace and courage on an individual basis. And you know what I've learned? They all matter. So as I look around this room at people who either have achieved, or are on their way to achieving, remarkable levels of success, I would offer this reminder: don't wait. Don't wait until you make your first million to make a difference in somebody's life. If you have something to give, give it now. Serve food at a soup kitchen. Clean up a neighborhood park. Be a mentor.
Det er ikke hver dag, der giver os chancen for at redde en andens liv, men hver dag giver os muligheden for at påvirke et. Så kom ind i kampen; red skoene.
Not every day is going to offer us a chance to save somebody's life, but every day offers us an opportunity to affect one. So get in the game. Save the shoes.
Tak skal I have,
Thank you.
(Bifald)
(Applause)
Bruno Giussani: Mark, Mark, kom tilbage.
Bruno Giussani: Mark, Mark, come back.
(Bifald)
(Applause)
Mark Bezos: Tak skal I have.
Mark Bezos: Thank you.