女士们，先生们：
请环顾四周。我们的世界痴迷于将一切事物划分为三六九等，而这种执念，几乎贯穿了我们的一生，使我们无所遁形。
当我们还只是学生时，这一切就开始了，从小学到大学，我们被困在一个严苛的排名体系中。老师往往偏爱优等生，而普通学生则常常感到被忽视；接着步入大学，我们又被学历严格划分：专科、本科、硕士与博士。
当我们步入职场，我们又发现了什么？我们陷入了同样残酷的阶层循环。有些人，在空调房里惬意地品着茶，拿着高薪；而另一些人，却在烈日炎炎下挥汗如雨地从事体力劳动，比如建筑工人，甚至还要被世俗的眼光调侃：“劳力者治于人"！
当我们好不容易挤出一点时间去旅行时，分类依然存在。高铁将我们分为二等座、一等座和商务座；航空公司将我们分为经济舱、商务舱和头等舱；酒店则提供标准间、豪华间和总统套房。而囊中羞涩，或是习惯了节俭的我们，只能默默选择二等座、经济舱和最便宜的旅馆标准间。
甚至在个人生活中，攀比也从未停止。有权有势的亲戚备受尊崇，正所谓“请君试看筵中酒，杯杯只敬有钱人”；而没有地位的人，则往往被无情无视。在家庭中，父母可能会对那个“有出息”的孩子偏心。小时候，我们被告知“别人家的孩子”更优秀；长大后，我们的伴侣又指着别人说：“你看看某某的老公（老婆）！”
这种划分不仅限于社会地位，还蔓延到了我们的身体上。众所周知，我们与生俱来的特质是我们无法选择的。然而，那些碰巧长得更高、更帅、更美的人，立刻就会被贴上“受欢迎”的标签，备受青睐；即使他们犯了错，也往往容易被原谅。与此同时，那些个子较矮，或不符合传统审美标准的人，却会遭到鄙夷，以至于无缘无故地遭受唾弃——仅仅因为他们拥有了一副自己根本无法选择的躯壳！
值得一提的是，连扔出的垃圾，都要分类！
有人说我们懒惰，有人说我们不顾家，有人说我们一无是处……被贴标签、被比较、被评判，我们无处可逃。所以，我想问问大家：这世上，还有谁是没有被分级的？还有谁，是不分等级的？！
我们早被强行塞进了僵化的阶层里。所以，我想问问大家：这是我们的错吗？！难道我们能接受这样的三等九般吗？！
今天，我要大声告诉你们：我们绝不答应！绝不！决不！
是的，我们绝不向阶层划分妥协，人人生而平等！真正的尊重，无法继承，更无法购买，它只能用汗水与坚持去赢得！无论你是烈日下的建筑工人，还是空调房里的高管，只要你的财富源于双手，只要你的收入干干净净、合理合法，你就配得上平等的尊重！
有人生在罗马，而有人穷极一生也无法抵达；有人含着金汤匙出生，有人却从第一口呼吸起，就要忍受贫穷。我们无法选择自己的出身，但可以改变自己的命运！
我，就是那个白手起家的人。我出生在广西钟山县回龙镇一个偏远的小山村，陪伴我长大的，只有沉默的群山，和生活的艰辛。
出身只是起点，绝非终点！因为起点与终点之间，相隔十万八千里，那是一条一望无际的漫长道路！别人是别人，我们是我们；他们的耀眼，永远无法掩盖我们的道路；眼前的困境，也绝不应成为我们妥协退让的借口。我们拒绝庸碌，因为命运，从来不是在出生的那一刻写就的。它是在我们每一次拒绝屈服的时刻中锻造的，是在每一个破晓与深夜的不懈努力中，浇灌出希望的种子的！
没有人天生平庸，除非你拒绝改变！我们所谓的“平凡”，不过是一颗尚未被坚持点燃的星星。别再和别人攀比，别再满眼艳羡地仰望他人。走好脚下的路，用双手去披荆斩棘，用双脚去丈量远方。当汗水浸透衣衫，当信念在心中生根发芽，命运，自会为你开辟一条通往星辰的路！
我们站在一起，并肩宣告：没有人有权利将我们分三六九等！我们生而平等，通过自己的拼搏，终将赢得那份属于我们自己的、真正的尊重！
Born Equal
— A Speech by Luo Linxi at the Hebei Sino-International Fans Convention
Ladies and gentlemen, please look around. Our world is obsessed with classifying everything into different tiers, and this obsession has permeated almost our entire lives, leaving us with nowhere to hide.
It begins when we are just students. From elementary school to university, we are trapped in a ruthless ranking system. Teachers often favor the top students, while leaving average students feeling neglected. Then, as we enter university, we are strictly categorized by our degrees: associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral.
When we step into the workplace, what do we find? We fall into the same cruel cycle of social classes. Some people comfortably sip tea in air-conditioned offices, earning high salaries; while others, like construction workers, toil under the scorching sun, only to be mocked by worldly prejudice: "Those who work with their hands are ruled by those who work with their minds!"
Even when we finally manage to carve out some time to travel, the classifications remain. High-speed trains divide us into second class, first class, and business class; airlines separate us into economy, business, and first class; hotels offer standard rooms, deluxe rooms, and presidential suites. And those of us who are short on cash, or accustomed to frugality, can only silently choose second-class seats, economy cabins, and the cheapest standard rooms.
In our personal lives, the comparison never ceases. Relatives with power and status are highly revered. As the old poem goes, "Look at the wine at the banquet; every cup is raised only to the wealthy," while those without status are ruthlessly ignored. Within families, parents may show favoritism toward the "successful" child. As children, we are told that "other people's kids" are superior; as adults, our spouses point at others and say, "Look at so-and-so's husband (or wife)!"
This division is not limited to social status; it even extends to our physical bodies. As we all know, our innate traits are beyond our control. Yet, those who happen to be taller, handsomer, or more beautiful are instantly labeled as "popular" and highly favored; even when they make mistakes, they are easily forgiven. Meanwhile, those who are shorter or fail to meet traditional beauty standards face contempt, and are even despised for no reason—simply because they inhabit a shell they never chose!
It is worth mentioning that even the garbage we throw out has to be sorted!
Some call us lazy, some call us neglectful of our families, some call us useless... Labeled, compared, and judged, we have nowhere to hide. So, let me ask you: Is there anyone in this world who is not graded? Is there anyone who is not ranked?!
We have long been forced into rigid social classes. So, I ask you again: Is this our fault?! Are we supposed to accept such inequality?!
Today, I want to say it out loud to you: We absolutely refuse to accept this! Never! Never!
Yes, we will never compromise with class divisions, for we are all born equal! True respect cannot be inherited, nor can it be bought; it is earned through our own sweat and perseverance. Whether you are a construction worker toiling under the scorching sun or an executive sitting in an air-conditioned office, as long as your wealth is earned by your own hands and your income is clean and lawful, you deserve equal respect!
Some are born in Rome, while others exhaust their entire lives and never arrive; some are born with a silver spoon in their mouth, while others have to endure poverty from their very first breath. We cannot choose our origins, but we can change our destinies!
I am one of those who built my life from scratch. I was born in a remote mountain village in Huilong Town, Zhongshan County, Guangxi. Growing up, my only companions were the silent mountains and the hardships of life.
Origin is merely a starting point, never a finish line! For the distance between the two is poles apart, stretching endlessly before us! Others are others; we are us. Their brilliance can never overshadow our path; and our current predicaments should never be an excuse for us to back down. We refuse mediocrity, because destiny is never written at the moment of our birth. It is forged in every moment we refuse to yield, and it is nurtured through every relentless effort from dawn till midnight, watering the seeds of hope!
No one is born mediocre, unless you refuse to change! What we call "ordinary" is merely a star that has not yet been ignited by perseverance. Stop comparing yourself to others; stop looking up at them with envious eyes. Walk your own path firmly. Use your hands to clear the thorns, and use your feet to measure the distance. When sweat soaks your clothes and conviction takes root in your heart, destiny will naturally pave a path to the stars for you!
Let us stand together and declare side by side: No one has the right to divide us into different tiers! We are born equal, and through our own struggles, we will ultimately win that true respect that belongs to us!
