Good morning ladies and gentlemen, my topic for today’s speech is a humanistic role in Today's Technologically Advanced World.

         You may remember that not too long ago, many Chinese people felt terribly sad when they heard the shocking news of the suicides of so many workers with the Fox Conn company that was due to the intense pressure under which they were forced to work. Many also felt bitter on hearing of the death of the 22-year-old model Ai Weiwei from constant overwork and of the nurse Ding Aimei who died in similar circumstances. We cannot help but wonder: what has led to these tragedies? Were they unavoidable? If these people had not been put under such pressure, if they could have got the necessary humanistic care, would they still be with us today and not have died in such tragic circumstances and at such a young age.

Sadly, many children in China are also suffering from heavy workloads. I still remember my little sister asking me tearfully: “why do I have to study English? Why do I have to go to training classes? Why can’t I have my own free weekends?” Yes, why? Maybe it is because of the high expectation that parents have for their children, because parents focus too much on driving their children to compete rather than on adopting a more humanistic approach to their education. Can you imagine what a pain it is for a 6-year –old girl to learn New Concept English? If we were to give them less burdens to carry and a little more humanistic care and freedom, things could be so different. Our children could have a real childhood with fewer tears in their eyes and less painful faces and a smile coming from their hearts.

        In today’s technologically advanced society, conflicts in politics, economics and industry have frequently arisen among countries. Many innocent people are suffering from the pain of wars in today’s world. Yes, we can’t deny the fact that conflicts are inevitable in some fields, but why should we use such an extreme way which neglects the humanistic spirit to deal with these contradictions? The consequence of all this is seen in so many people becoming destitute and homeless, as well as the disasters and trauma that have such dreadful effects on their lives. I believe that human beings, including each one of us, have one common dream: that is, to live in a homeland without violence or slaughter; one with peace, -real peace. If we take actions that are accompanied by the spirit of humanism, we can certainly live in a world of harmony.

         Ladies and gentleman, people need humanism, countries need humanism and in fact the whole world needs humanism. Today, in such a technologically advanced world in which we live, humanism can play an important role in its development. So, let humanity become the flower of life and as a result let it spread to every corner of our world.