How fiction can change reality - Jessica Wise

Translator: Pandu Fathurrohman Reviewer: Elda Indria Sari

Emily Dickinson berkata lebih dari seabad yang lalu

Emily Dickinson said over a century ago

that "There is no frigate like a book to take us lands away ..."

" Tidak ada kapal seperti buku yang membawa kita pergi..."

And it's true.

Itu benar.

When we pick up a book, turn on the TV, or watch a movie,

Ketika kita membaca buku, menyalakan TV, ataupun menonton film

we're carried away down the currents of story into a world of imagination.

Kita terbawa oleh arus kisah ke dalam dunia imajinasi.

And when we land, on a shore that is both new and familiar,

Saat kita mendarat di pantai yang baru sekaligus familier,

something strange happens.

sesuatu yang aneh terjadi.

Stepping onto the shore, we're changed.

Saat berlabuh di pantai, kita berubah.

We don't retrace the footsteps of the authors

Kita tidak menelusuri jejak para penulis

or characters we followed here.

ataupun karakter yang kita ikuti.

No; instead, we walk a mile in their shoes.

Sebagai gantinya, kita berjalan sebagai mereka.

Researchers in psychology, neuroscience, child development and biology

Peneliti psikologi, ilmu saraf, tumbuh kembang anak dan biologi

are finally starting to gain quantifiable scientific evidence,

akhirnya mulai mendapatkan bukti ilmiah yang terukur,

showing what writers and readers have always known:

tentang hal yang telah lama diketahui penulis dan pembaca:

that stories have a unique ability to change a person's point of view.

cerita memiliki kemampuan unik untuk mengubah cara pandang seseorang.

Scholars are discovering evidence that stories shape culture,

Akademisi menemukan bukti cerita membentuk budaya,

and that much of what we believe about life comes not from fact,

banyak hal yang kita percayai dalam hidup tak berasal dari fakta,

but from fiction -

tetapi fiksi -

that our ideas of class, marriage and even gender are relatively new,

bahwa gagasan soal kasta, pernikahan bahkan gender masih relatif baru,

and that many ideologies which held fast for centuries

dan banyak ideologi yang sudah ada berabad-abad lamanya

were revised within the 18th century,

telah diubah pada abad ke-18

and redrafted in the pages of the early novel.

dan ditulis ulang dalam halaman novel zaman dahulu.

Imagine a world where class, and not hard work,

Bayangkan dunia di mana kasta, alih-alih kerja keras,

decides a person's worth;

menentukan nilai seseorang;

a world where women are simply men's more untamed copy;

Di mana wanita hanyalah salinan liar pria;

a world where marriage for love is a novel notion.

di mana pernikahan atas cinta hanyalah fiksi.

Well, that was the world in which Samuel Richardson's "Pamela"

Itulah dunia tempat "Pamela", karya Samuel Richardson,

first appeared.

pertama kali muncul.

Richardson's love story starred a poor, serving-class heroine,

Kisah cinta Richardson dibintangi oleh seorang protagonis miskin,

who is both more superior and smarter than her upper-class suitor.

yang lebih unggul dan pintar dibanding peminangnya yang kaya.

The book, challenging a slew of traditions,

Novel tersebut, yang menantang tradisi,

caused quite a ruckus.

menimbulkan keributan.

There was more press for "Pamela" than for Parliament.

“Pamela” lebih terkenal dari Parlemen.

Hal itu memicu perdebatan sengit dan beberapa novel tandingan.

It spawned intense debate and several counter-novels.

Still, for all those who couldn't accept "Pamela,"

Namun, walau ada yang mengkritik "Pamela,"

others were eager for this new fictional world.

yang lain mengapresiasi dunia fiksi yang baru ini.

This best seller and all its literary heirs -

Novel laris ini beserta semua pewaris kesastraannya -

"Pride and Prejudice," "Jane Eyre," and yes, even "Twilight" -

“Pride and Prejudice,” “Jane-Eyre,” bahkan "Twilight" -

have continuously shared the same tale and taught similar lessons,

menceritakan dan mengajarkan hal serupa,

which are now conventional and commonplace.

yang lazim saat ini.

Similarly, novels have helped shape the minds of thought leaders

Novel membentuk pemikiran para pemimpin

across history.

lintas sejarah.

Some scholars say that Darwin's theory of evolution

Beberapa ilmuwan menyatakan teori evolusi Darwin

is highly indebted to the plots he read and loved.

dipengaruhi oleh plot yang dia baca dan gemari.

His theory privileges intelligence, swiftness, and adaptability to change -

Teorinya mengutamakan kecerdasan, kecepatan, dan kemampuan beradaptasi -

all core characteristics in a hero.

semua karakteristik inti seorang pahlawan.

Whether you're reading "Harry Potter" or "Great Expectations,"

Saat membaca “Harry Potter” maupun “Great Expectations,”

you're reading the kind of plot that inspired Darwin.

Anda sedang membaca plot yang menginspirasi Darwin.

Yet, recent studies show that his theory might not be the whole story.

Namun, penelitian menunjukkan teorinya mungkin bukan keseluruhan cerita.

Our sense of being a hero - one man or one woman

Ide mengenai pahlawan, pria atau wanita

or even one species taking on the challenges of the world -

atau bahkan satu spesies yang menghadapi tantangan dunia -

might be wrong.

mungkin saja salah.

Instead of being hardwired for competition

Alih-alih dirancang untuk kompetisi

for being the solitary heroes in our own story,

sebagai pahlawan tunggal dalam kisah kita sendiri,

we might instead be members of a shared quest.

mungkin kita hanya berbagi petualangan.

More Hobbit than Harry.

Lebih mirip Hobbit dibanding Harry.

Sometimes, of course, the shoes we've been walking in

Terkadang, sepatu yang kita pakai dapat menjadi usang.

can get plain worn out.

After all, we haven't walked just one mile

Karena kita tak hanya telah berjalan 1 mil

in Jane Austen's or Mark Twain's shoes -

sebagai Jane Austen atau Mark Twain -

we've walked about 100 trillion miles in them.

kita telah berjalan sejauh 100 triliun mil.

This isn't to say that we can't read and enjoy the classics;

Bukan berarti kita tak bisa menikmati novel klasik;

we should travel with Dickens,

kita harus bepergian dengan Dickens,

let Pip teach us what to expect from ourselves,

biarkan Pip mengajari harapan dalam diri,

have a talk with Austen and Elizabeth about our prides and prejudices.

bercakap dengan Austen dan Elizabeth tentang rasa bangga dan prasangka.

We should float with Twain down the Mississippi,

Berlayar bersama Twain menyusuri Mississippi,

and have Jim show us what it means to be good.

meminta Jim mengajarkan arti kebaikan.

But on our journey, we should also keep in mind

Namun, perlu diingat dalam perjalanan kita

that the terrain has changed.

bahwa medannya telah berubah.

We'll start shopping around for boots

Kita mulai mencari sepatu bot untuk memasuki era baru.

that were made for walking into a new era.

Take, for instance, Katniss Everdeen and her battle with the Capitol.

Contohnya, pertempuran Katniss Everdeen dengan Capitol.

Can "Hunger Games" lead us into thinking about capitalism in a new way?

Mampukah “Hunger Games” mengubah pandangan kita tentang kapitalisme?

Can it teach us a lesson

Mampukah ia mengajarkan

about why the individual should not put herself before the group?

mengapa seseorang tak boleh mementingkan diri sendiri?

Will "Uglies" reflect the dangers of pursuing a perfect body

Maukah “Uglies” memikirkan bahaya sosok yang sempurna

and letting the media define what is beautiful?

dan definisi media akan arti kecantikan?

Will "Seekers" trod a path beyond global warming?

Bisakah “Seekers” selamat dari pemanasan global?

Will the life-and-death struggles of Toklo, Kallik, Lusa and the other bears

Akankah perjuangan hidup dan mati Toklo, Kallik, Lusa dan beruang lainnya

chart a course for understanding animals and our place in their world?

memberi pemahaman soal hewan dan peranan kita di dunia mereka?

Only the future will tell which stories will engage our imagination,

Hanya masa depan yang tahu kisah mana yang akan memikat kita,

dongeng apa yang akan kita ciptakan esok hari.

which tales of make-believe we'll make tomorrow.

But the good news is this:

Namun, ini kabar baiknya:

there are new stories to venture in every day,

banyak cerita baru yang bisa diikuti tiap hari,

kisah baru yang berpengaruh, yang memicu perubahan -

new tales that promise to influence, to create and to spark change -

stories that you might even write yourself.

kisah yang mungkin Anda tulis sendiri.

So I guess the final question is this:

Jadi, pertanyaan terakhirnya:

Cerita apa yang akan Anda baca berikutnya?

What story will you try on next?