Imagine big to change the world, Prof Yunus asks students at PKU

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Saturday urged students to imagine big things always aiming to change the world, reports BSS.

“A university or educational institution is not only a place to learn what happen, but imagine,” he said while addressing a function at Peking University (PKU) in Beijing this morning.

Noting imagination is the greatest power of the earth, Prof Yunus said, “If you imagine, it will happen. If you do not imagine, it will never happen.”

Asking the students to look back, he said things happen because somebody imagined.

“Imagination is more powerful than anything we can bring together,” he said.

Prof. Yunus encouraged them to imagine the most odd and unhurt things although doing such things seems to be impossible.

“But, the human journey is about making impossible possible. That is our job. And we can make it happen,” Prof Yunus said.

Prof Yunus received an honorary doctorate degree from Peking University (PKU) at the function.

Chair of the Peking University Council He Guangcai and President Gong Qihuang also spoke on the occasion.

In his speech, Prof Yunus said he feels the KPU is his home as he was accepted as an honorary professor of the university.

Terming the PKU a centre of knowledge, wisdom, innovation and excellence, the Chief Adviser said he feels honour receiving a honorary doctorate degree from such a prestigious university.

He said conferring the honour reminds him about his commitment to relalise the dream of millions of youth who were the vanguard of the transformational change in Bangladesh last year.

Their vision was to build a new Bangladesh which would be free from poverty and hunger, Prof Yunus said.

Highlighting the reform agenda of his government, the Chief Adviser said it is working towards building a democratic and resilient Bangladesh, focusing on entrepreneurship where equal opportunities for all will flourish.

Mentioning that people are not poor by born, the Chief Adviser said wrong economic systems, where all people are not given fair chance, make them poor.

People suffer due to many wrong ideas prevailing in society, he observed.

The human beings are not born to be job seekers as they are creators, Prof Yunus said.

He stressed promoting human beings to become entrepreneurs, not to be job seekers. “All human beings are entrepreneurs,” he said.

Focuing on immense potential of women, the Nobel peace laureate said even the poorest woman in Bangladesh can be an entrepreneur taking a loan of US$ 20.

Women can be entrepreneurs all around the world, he added.

About the purpose of education, Prof Yunus said, “What should be the purpose of education?…Purpose of education is to enable to go out and bring all creative capacity to change the world.”

He stressed the need for carbon-free economic systems to protect the planet from destruction.

The Chief Adviser also focused on his “Three Zero Theory” – zero cabon emission, zero poverty and zero unemployment. He also highlighted his ‘social business’ theory saying it is such a business that solves social problems.

Asking the students not to contribute to carbon emissions, he said all should build themselves as ‘three-zero’ persons.