Jared Diamond: How societies can grow old better

Translator: Muamer Seljubac Reviewer: Ema Bilbija Zulic

To give me an idea of how many of you here

Kako bih stekao utisak za koliko vas ovdje

may find what I'm about to tell you

će ovo o čemu ću vam govoriti biti

of practical value,

od praktične vrijednosti,

let me ask you please to raise your hands:

dozvolite mi da vas zamolim da podigne ruku

Who here is either over 65 years old

onaj ko ima više od 65 godina

or hopes to live past age 65

ili se nada da će živjeti više od 65

or has parents or grandparents who did live

ili ima roditelje ili baku i djeda koji su živjeli

or have lived past 65,

tačno ili više od 65,

raise your hands please. (Laughter)

podignite ruku, molim. (Smijeh)

Okay. You are the people to whom my talk

Uredu. Vi ste ljudi za koje će moj govor

will be of practical value. (Laughter)

biti od praktične vrijednosti. (Smijeh)

The rest of you

Ostatak prisutnih

won't find my talk personally relevant,

neće vidjeti ličnu povezanost sa mojim govorom

but I think that you will still find the subject

ali mislim da će vam ova tema ipak biti

fascinating.

fascinantna.

I'm going to talk about growing older

Govorit ću o starenju

in traditional societies.

u tradicionalnim društvima.

This subject constitutes just one chapter

Ova tema čini samo jedno poglavlje

of my latest book, which compares

moje najnovije knjige, koja upoređuje

traditional, small, tribal societies

tradicionalna, mala, plemenska društva

with our large, modern societies,

sa našim velikim, modernim društvima

with respect to many topics

uključujući mnoge teme

such as bringing up children,

poput odgajanja djece,

growing older, health, dealing with danger,

starenja, zdravlja, postupanja u slučaju opasnosti

settling disputes, religion

rješenja rasprava, religije

and speaking more than one language.

i poznavanja više od jednog jezika.

Those tribal societies, which constituted

Ta plemenska društva, koja su činila

all human societies for most of human history,

sva ljudska društva za većinu ljudske historije,

are far more diverse than are our modern,

su mnogo različitija nego naša moderna,

recent, big societies.

novija, velika društva.

All big societies that have governments,

Sva velika društva koja imaju vlade,

and where most people are strangers to each other,

i gdje se većina ljudi međusobno ne poznaje,

are inevitably similar to each other

neizbježno su slična jedna drugima

and different from tribal societies.

i različita su od plemenskih društava.

Tribes constitute thousands of natural experiments

Plemena sačinjavaju na hiljade prirodnih eksperimenata

in how to run a human society.

o tome kako voditi ljudsko društvo.

They constitute experiments from which we ourselves

Oni sačinjavaju eksperimente od kojih mi sami

may be able to learn.

možda možemo dosta da naučimo.

Tribal societies shouldn't be scorned

Plemenska društva ne bi trebalo podcjenjivati

as primitive and miserable,

i smatrati primitivnim i jadnim,

but also they shouldn't be romanticized

ali ona također ne bi trebala biti romantizovana

as happy and peaceful.

i smatrana sretnim i mirnim.

When we learn of tribal practices,

Kada učimo o plemenskim običajima,

some of them will horrify us,

neki od njih nas užasavaju,

but there are other tribal practices which,

ali postoje i drugi plemenski običaji kojima se,

when we hear about them,

kad čujemo za njih,

we may admire and envy

divimo i zavidimo na njima

and wonder whether we could adopt those practices

i razmišljamo o tome da li bismo mogli takve običaje usvojiti

ourselves.

i mi sami.

Most old people in the U.S. end up living

Većina ljudi u SAD-u završe živeći

separately from their children

odvojeno od svoje djece

and from most of their friends

i većine svojih prijatelja

of their earlier years,

iz prijašnjih godina,

and often they live in separate retirements homes for the elderly,

i oni često žive odvojeno u staračkim domovima,

whereas in traditional societies,

za razliku od tradicionalnih društava gdje

older people instead live out their lives

stariji ljudi žive svoje živote

among their children, their other relatives,

među njihovom djecom, njihovom ostalom rodbinom,

and their lifelong friends.

i njihovim doživotnim prijateljima.

Nevertheless, the treatment of the elderly

Ipak, način ophođenja prema starijim osobama

varies enormously among traditional societies,

uveliko se razlikuje među tradicionalnim društvima,

from much worse to much better

od mnogo goreg do mnogo boljeg

than in our modern societies.

nego u modernim društvima.

At the worst extreme, many traditional societies

U najgorem obliku, mnoga tradicionalna društva

get rid of their elderly

se rješavaju njihovih starijih

in one of four increasingly direct ways:

na jedan od četiri sve češće direktna načina:

by neglecting their elderly

zapostavljajući njihove starije

and not feeding or cleaning them until they die,

i odbijajući da ih hrane i čiste sve dok ne umru

or by abandoning them when the group moves,

ili napuštajući ih kada se grupa odseli

or by encouraging older people to commit suicide,

ili podstičući starije osobe da izvrše samoubistvo

or by killing older people.

ili ubijajući starije osobe.

In which tribal societies do children

U kojim plemenskih društvima djeca

abandon or kill their parents?

napuštaju ili ubijaju njihove roditelje?

It happens mainly under two conditions.

To se uglavnom dešava u jednom od dva slučaja.

One is in nomadic, hunter-gather societies

Jedan pripada nomadskim, lovačko-sakupljačkim društvima

that often shift camp

koja često pomijeraju svoj kamp

and that are physically incapable

i koji su fizički nesposobni

of transporting old people who can't walk

da transportuju starije osobe koje ne mogu hodati

when the able-bodied younger people already

kada sposobne mlađe osobe već

have to carry their young children

moraju da nose svoju mladu djecu

and all their physical possessions.

i svu svoju materijalnu imovinu.

The other condition is in societies

Drugi slučaj je kada društva

living in marginal or fluctuating environments,

žive u marginalnim i promjenjivim okruženjima

such as the Arctic or deserts,

kao što su Arktik ili pustinje,

where there are periodic food shortages,

gdje dolazi do povremenih nestašica hrane,

and occasionally there just isn't enough food

i vrlo često nema dovoljno hrane

to keep everyone alive.

da održi sve u životu.

Whatever food is available has to be reserved

Sva hrana koja je na raspolaganju mora biti sačuvana

for able-bodied adults and for children.

za sposobne odrasle osobe i djecu.

To us Americans, it sounds horrible

Za nas Amerikance, zvuči užasno

to think of abandoning or killing

da pomislimo o napuštanju ili ubijanju

your own sick wife or husband

naše vlastite bolesne žene ili muža

or elderly mother or father,

ili starije majke ili oca,

but what could those traditional societies

ali šta bi ova tradicionalna društva mogla da

do differently?

urade drugačije?

They face a cruel situation of no choice.

Oni se nalaze u surovim uslovima gdje nemaju izbora.

Their old people had to do it to their own parents,

Njihovi stariji ljudi su to morali uraditi svojim roditeljima

and the old people know

i stariji ljudi znaju

what now is going to happen to them.

šta će se sada dogoditi njima.

At the opposite extreme

Potpuno suprotan ekstrem

in treatment of the elderly, the happy extreme,

u ophođenju prema starijim osobama, sretni ekstrem,

are the New Guinea farming societies

predstavljaju društva farmera u Novoj Gvineji

where I've been doing my fieldwork for the past 50 years,

gdje sam radio terenski posao proteklih 50 godina,

and most other sedentary traditional societies

kao i većina drugih starosjedilačkih tradicionalnih društava

around the world.

širom svijeta.

In those societies, older people are cared for.

U tim društima, o starijim ljudima se vodi briga.

They are fed. They remain valuable.

Nahranjeni su. Zadržavaju vrijednost.

And they continue to live in the same hut

I nastavljaju da žive u istim kolibama

or else in a nearby hut near their children,

ili u kolibama blizu onih njihove djece,

relatives and lifelong friends.

rođaka i doživotnih prijatelja.

There are two main sets of reasons for this variation

Postoje dvije glavne skupine razloga za ove razlike

among societies in their treatment

među društvima u njihovom odnosu

of old people.

prema starijim osobama.

The variation depends especially

Razlika ovisi naročito

on the usefulness of old people

o korisnosti starijih ljudi

and on the society's values.

i o vrijednostima unutar tog društva.

First, as regards usefulness,

Prvo, kada govorimo o korisnosti,

older people continue to perform useful services.

stariji ljudi nastavljaju da izvršavaju korisne dužnosti.

One use of older people in traditional societies

Jedna od upotreba starijih ljudi u tradicionalnih društvima

is that they often are still effective

jeste ta da su oni često još uvijek efikasni

at producing food.

u proizvodnji hrane.

Another traditional usefulness of older people

Još jedna tradicionalna korist kod starijih ljudi

is that they are capable of babysitting

je ta da su u stanju čuvati djecu,

their grandchildren,

svoje unuke,

thereby freeing up their own adult children,

čime oslobađaju svoju odraslu djecu,

the parents of those grandchildren,

roditelje tih unuka,

to go hunting and gathering food for the grandchildren.

kako bi išli u lov i sakupljanje hrane za unuke.

Still another traditional value of older people

Još jedna tradicionalna vrijednost starijih ljudi

is in making tools, weapons, baskets,

jeste u pravljenju alata, oružja, košara,

pots and textiles.

posuda i tkanina.

In fact, they're usually the people who are best at it.

Zapravo, oni su uglavnom ljudi koji su u tome najbolji.

Older people usually are the leaders

Stariji ljudi su obično lideri

of traditional societies,

u tradicionalnim društvina

and the people most knowledgeable about politics,

i ljudi koji imaju najviše znanja o politici,

medicine, religion, songs and dances.

medicini, religiji, pjesmama i plesovima.

Finally, older people in traditional societies

Na kraju, stariji ljudi u tradicionalnim društvima

have a huge significance that would never occur

imaju ogroman značaj koji nikad ne bi bio prisutan

to us in our modern, literate societies,

u našim modernim, pismenim društvima,

where our sources of information are books

gdje su naši izvori informacija knjige

and the Internet.

i internet.

In contrast, in traditional societies without writing,

Sa druge strane, kod tradicionalnih društava koja ne poznaju pisanje,

older people are the repositories of information.

stariji ljudi su skladišta informacija.

It's their knowledge that spells the difference

U njihovom znanju leži razlika

between survival and death for their whole society

između života i smrti za cijelo njihovo društvo

in a time of crisis caused by rare events

u vremenima kriza prouzrokovanih rijetkim događajima

for which only the oldest people alive

za koja su jedino najstariji živi ljudi

have had experience.

imali određena iskustva.

Those, then, are the ways in which older people

To su, onda, načini na koje su stariji ljudi

are useful in traditional societies.

korisni u tradicionalnim društvima.

Their usefulness varies and contributes

Njihova korisnost varira i doprinosi

to variation in the society's treatment

razlikama u odnosu društva

of the elderly.

prema starijim osobama.

The other set of reasons for variation

Drugu skupinu razloga za varijacije

in the treatment of the elderly is

u ophođenju prema odraslima je

the society's cultural values.

u kulturnim vrijednostima društva.

For example, there's particular emphasis

Naprimjer, poseban naglasak se stavlja

on respect for the elderly in East Asia,

na poštovanje prema starijima u istočnoj Aziji

associated with Confucius' doctrine

vezano za Konfučijevu doktrinu

of filial piety, which means obedience,

dječije pobožnosti, što znači poslušnost,

respect and support for elderly parents.

poštovanje i podršku za starije roditelje.

Cultural values that emphasize respect for older people

Kulturne vrijednosti koje naglašavaju poštovanje prema starijim ljudima

contrast with the low status of the elderly

u suprotnosti su sa niskim statusom starijih osoba

in the U.S.

u SAD-u.

Older Americans are at a big disadvantage

Stariji Amerikanci su izloženi hendikepu

in job applications.

prilikom aplikacija za posao.

They're at a big disadvantage in hospitals.

Izloženi su velikom hendikepu u bolnicama.

Our hospitals have an explicit policy

Naše bolnice imaju eksplicitnu politiku

called age-based allocation of healthcare resources.

koju zovu raspodjelom zdravstvenih resursa na osnovu dobi.

That sinister expression means that

Ova zlokoban izraz znači da

if hospital resources are limited,

ako su resursi neke bolnice ograničeni,

for example if only one donor heart

naprimjer, ako je samo jedno srce

becomes available for transplant,

spremno za transplantaciju,

or if a surgeon has time to operate

ili ako hirurg ima vremena da operiše

on only a certain number of patients,

samo određeni broj pacijenata,

American hospitals have an explicit policy

američke bolnice imaju izričitu politiku

of giving preference to younger patients

kojom se daje prednost mlađim pacijentima

over older patients

nad starijim pacijentima

on the grounds that younger patients are considered

iz razloga što se mlađi pacijenti smatraju

more valuable to society

vrijednijim za društvo

because they have more years of life ahead of them,

jer imaju mnogo više godina života pred njima,

even though the younger patients have fewer years

iako mlađi pacijenti imaju manje godina

of valuable life experience behind them.

izuzetno vrijednog iskustva iza njih.

There are several reasons for this low status

Postoji nekoliko razloga za ovako nizak status

of the elderly in the U.S.

starijih osoba u SAD-u.

One is our Protestant work ethic

Jedan od njih je naša protestantska radna etika

which places high value on work,

koja veliki značaj pridaje radu

so older people who are no longer working

tako da stariji ljudi koji više ne rade

aren't respected.

nisu poštovani.

Another reason is our American emphasis

Drugi razlog je naše američko isticanje

on the virtues of self-reliance and independence,

vrlina poput samooslanjanja i neovisnosti

so we instinctively look down on older people

tako da instinktivno potcjenjujemo starije ljude

who are no longer self-reliant and independent.

koji više nemaju vrline samooslanjanja i neovisnosti.

Still a third reason is our American cult of youth,

Također, treći razlog je naš američki kult mladosti

which shows up even in our advertisements.

koji se pojavljuje čak i u našim reklamama.

Ads for Coca-Cola and beer always depict

Reklame za Coca-Colu i pivo uvijek prikazuju

smiling young people,

nasmijane mlade ljude

even though old as well as young people

iako i stariji poput mlađih ljudi

buy and drink Coca-Cola and beer.

kupuju i piju Coca-Colu i pivo.

Just think, what's the last time you saw

Jednostavno razmislite, kada ste zadnji put vidjeli

a Coke or beer ad depicting smiling people

reklamu za Colu ili pivo koja prikazuje nasmijane ljude

85 years old? Never.

od 85 godina? Nikad.

Instead, the only American ads

Umjesto toga, jedine američke reklame

featuring white-haired old people

koje koriste sijede stare ljude

are ads for retirement homes and pension planning.

su reklame za staračke domove i planiranje penzija.

Well, what has changed in the status

Dakle, šta je to promijenilo status

of the elderly today

starijih ljudi danas

compared to their status in traditional societies?

u odnosu na njihov status u tradicionalnim društvima?

There have been a few changes for the better

Dogodilo se nekoliko promjena nabolje

and more changes for the worse.

i mnogo više promjena nagore.

Big changes for the better

Velike promjene nabolje

include the fact that today we enjoy

uključuju činjenice da danas uživamo u

much longer lives,

mnogo dužim životima,

much better health in our old age,

mnogo boljem zdravlju u našim starijim godinama

and much better recreational opportunities.

i mnogo boljim rekreacionim mogućnostima.

Another change for the better is that we now have

Još jedna promjena nabolje jeste to da sada imamo

specialized retirement facilities

specijalizirane ustanove za penzionere

and programs to take care of old people.

i programe njege za starije ljude.

Changes for the worse begin with the cruel reality

Promjene nagore počinju sa okrutnom stvarnošću

that we now have

da sada imamo

more old people and fewer young people

više starijih ljudi i manje mlađih ljudi

than at any time in the past.

nego ikada u prošlosti.

That means that all those old people

To znači da svi ti stariji ljudi čine

are more of a burden on the few young people,

veće opterećenje za manji broj mlađih ljudi

and that each old person has less individual value.

i da svaka starija osoba ima manji individualni značaj.

Another big change for the worse in the status of the elderly

Još jedna velika promjena nagore u stanju starijih

is the breaking of social ties with age,

je razbijanje socialnih veza sa godinama starosti

because older people, their children,

jer stariji ljudi, njihova djeca

and their friends,

i njihovi prijatelji

all move and scatter independently of each other

se svi sele i rasipaju neovisni jedni od drugih

many times during their lives.

mnogo puta u toku njihovih života.

We Americans move on the average

Mi Amerikanci se selimo u prosjeku

every five years.

svakih pet godina.

Hence our older people are likely

Stoga naši stariji ljudi imaju veću šansu

to end up living distant from their children

da završe živeći daleko od njihove djece

and the friends of their youth.

i prijatelja iz njihove mladosti.

Yet another change for the worse in the status of the elderly

Još jedna promjena nagore u statusu starijih

is formal retirement from the workforce,

je formalno umirovljenje koje

carrying with it a loss of work friendships

uz sebe nosi i gubitak prijatelja sa posla

and a loss of the self-esteem associated with work.

i gubitak samopouzdanja vezanog uz posao.

Perhaps the biggest change for the worse

Vjerovatno najveća promjena nagore

is that our elderly are objectively

jeste ta da su naši stariji ljudi objektivno

less useful than in traditional societies.

manje korisni nego u tradicionalnim društvima.

Widespread literacy means that they are no longer

Rasprostranjena pismenost znači da oni više

useful as repositories of knowledge.

nisu korisni kao čuvari znanja.

When we want some information,

Kada želimo doći do neke informacije,

we look it up in a book or we Google it

potražimo je u knjizi ili je guglamo

instead of finding some old person to ask.

umjesto da za to potražimo i pitamo neke starije osobe.

The slow pace of technological change

Spore tehnološke promjene

in traditional societies

u tradicionalnim društvima

means that what someone learns there as a child

znače da ono što neko nauči kao dijete

is still useful when that person is old,

ostaje korisno i kada ta osoba ostari,

but the rapid pace of technological change today

ali izuzetno brzi razvoj tehnologije danas

means that what we learn as children

znači da ono što naučimo kao djeca

is no longer useful 60 years later.

više nije korisno nakon 60 godina.

And conversely, we older people are not fluent

I obrnuto, mi stariji nismo vješti

in the technologies essential for surviving

u tehnologijama neophodnim za preživljavanje

in modern society.

u modernom društvu.

For example, as a 15-year-old,

Naprimjer, kao 15-togodišnjak,

I was considered outstandingly good at multiplying numbers

bio sam smatran izuzetno dobrim u množenju brojeva

because I had memorized the multiplication tables

jer sam napamet naučio tablice množenja

and I know how to use logarithms

i znao sam kako da koristim logaritme

and I'm quick at manipulating a slide rule.

i bio sam brz u korištenju računaljke.

Today, though, those skills are utterly useless

Danas, međutim, te vještine su u potpunosti beskorisne

because any idiot

jer bilo koji idiot

can now multiply eight-digit numbers

može pomnožiti osmocifrene brojeve

accurately and instantly with a pocket calculator.

precizno i u trenutku koristeći digitron.

Conversely, I at age 75

S druge strane, ja koji imam 75 godina

am incompetent at skills

sam nesposoban u vještinama

essential for everyday life.

neophodnim za svakodnevni život.

My family's first TV set in 1948

Prvi televizor koja je moja porodica imala 1948.

had only three knobs that I quickly mastered:

imao je samo tri prekidača koja sam brzo savladao:

an on-off switch, a volume knob,

prekidač za paljenje i gašenje, prekidač za kontrolu zvuka

and a channel selector knob.

i prekidač za odabir kanala.

Today, just to watch a program

Danas, samo kako bih gledao program

on the TV set in my own house,

na televizoru u vlastitoj kući,

I have to operate a 41-button TV remote

moram da koristim daljinski upravljač sa 41-om tipkom

that utterly defeats me.

koji u potpunosti porazi.

I have to telephone my 25-year-old sons

Morao sam telefonirati mojim 25-ogodišnjim sinovima

and ask them to talk me through it

i zamoliti ih da mi pomažu

while I try to push those wretched 41 buttons.

dok pokušavam da pritisnem 41 bijednu tipku.

What can we do to improve the lives of the elderly

Šta možemo učiniti da poboljšamo živote starijih ljudi

in the U.S., and to make better use of their value?

u SAD-u i da bolje iskoristimo njihovu vrijednost?

That's a huge problem.

To je veliki problem.

In my remaining four minutes today,

U moje preostale četiri minute danas,

I can offer just a few suggestions.

mogu ponuditi samo nekoliko prijedloga.

One value of older people is that they are

Jedna od vrijednosti starijih ljudi jeste da su

increasingly useful as grandparents

sve više i više korisni kao djedovi i bake

for offering high-quality childcare

radi pružanja kvalitetne brige o djeci

to their grandchildren, if they choose to do it,

svojim unucima, ako odaberu da to rade,

as more young women enter the workforce

budući da sve više mladih žena ulazi u radni odnos

and as fewer young parents of either gender

i sve manje roditelja oba spola

stay home as full-time caretakers of their children.

ostaje kući kako bi brinulo o svojoj djeci.

Compared to the usual alternatives

U poređenju sa uobičajenim alternativama

of paid babysitters and day care centers,

plaćenih bejbisiterki i dnevnih centara za djecu,

grandparents offer superior, motivated,

djedovi i bake nude nadmoćniju, motiviraniju

experienced child care.

i iskusniju brigu o djeci.

They've already gained experience from raising their own children.

Oni su već stekli dovoljno iskustva odgajajući vlastitu djecu.

They usually love their grandchildren,

Oni obično vole svoje unuke

and are eager to spend time with them.

i željni su provesti vrijeme sa nijma.

Unlike other caregivers,

Za razliku od drugih njegovatelja,

grandparents don't quit their job

djedovi i bake ne napuštaju svoj posao

because they found another job with higher pay

jer su pronašli drugi posao sa većom platom

looking after another baby.

za brigu o drugoj bebi.

A second value of older people is paradoxically

Druga vrijednost starijih ljudi je paradoksalno

related to their loss of value

vezana za njihov gubitak vrijednosti

as a result of changing world conditions and technology.

kao ishoda promjenjivih uslova i tehnologija u svijetu.

At the same time, older people have gained

U isto vrijeme, stariji ljudi su dobili

in value today precisely because

na vrijednosti danas konkretno radi

of their unique experience of living conditions

njihovih jedinstvenih iskustava življenja u različitim uslovima

that have now become rare

koja su danas postala rijetka

because of rapid change, but that could come back.

zbog brzih promjena, ali bi se to moglo ponovo dogoditi.

For example, only Americans now in their 70s

Naprimjer, jedino Amerikanci koji su u njihovim 70-tim

or older today can remember

ili stariji od toga danas se mogu prisjećati

the experience of living through a great depression,

iskustva življenja tokom velike depresije,

the experience of living through a world war,

iskustva življenja tokom svjetskog rata

and agonizing whether or not

i agoniziranja da li bi

dropping atomic bombs would be more horrible

bacanje atomskih bombi bilo gore ili ne

than the likely consequences of not dropping atomic bombs.

od mogućih posljedica nebacanja istih.

Most of our current voters and politicians

Većina današnjih glasača i političara

have no personal experience of any of those things,

nemaju lična iskustva u bilo kojim od ovih stvari,

but millions of older Americans do.

ali milioni starijih Amerikanaca imaju.

Unfortunately, all of those terrible situations

Nažalost, sve ove užasne situacije

could come back.

bi se mogle ponovo desiti.

Even if they don't come back,

Čak i ako se ne dese,

we have to be able to plan for them

mi moramo unaprijed praviti planove za njih

on the basis of the experience of what they were like.

na osnovu ranijih iskustava o tome kako su one izgledale.

Older people have that experience.

Stariji ljudi imaju to iskustvo.

Younger people don't.

Mlađi ljudi nemaju.

The remaining value of older people

Preostala vrijednost starijh ljudi

that I'll mention involves recognizing that

koju ću spomenuti uključuje shvatanje da

while there are many things that older people

iako postoji mnogo stvari koje stariji ljudi

can no longer do,

više ne mogu raditi,

there are other things that they can do

postoje i druge stvari koje oni mogu raditi

better than younger people.

bolje od mlađih ljudi.

A challenge for society is to make use of those things

Izazov za društvo jeste da iskoristi te stvari

that older people are better at doing.

koje stariji ljudi rade bolje.

Some abilities, of course, decrease with age.

Neke vještine, naravno, slabe godinama.

Those include abilities at tasks

To uključuje vještine u poslovima

requiring physical strength and stamina,

koji zahtijevaju fizičku snagu i kondiciju,

ambition, and the power of novel reasoning

ambicije i moć rasuđivanja

in a circumscribed situation,

u ograničenim situacijama

such as figuring out the structure of DNA,

poput otkrivanja strukture DNK

best left to scientists under the age of 30.

koju je najbolje ostaviti naučnicima u njihovim 30-tim.

Conversely, valuable attributes

Sa druge strane, vrijedne osobine

that increase with age include experience,

koje se povećavaju sa godinama uključuju iskustvo,

understanding of people and human relationships,

razumijevanje ljudi i ljudskih odnosa,

ability to help other people

spremnost na pomoć drugim ljudima

without your own ego getting in the way,

bez ometanja od strane vlastitog ega

and interdisciplinary thinking about large databases,

i interdisciplinarno promišljanje o velikim bazama podataka,

such as economics and comparative history,

poput ekonomije i komparativne historije,

best left to scholars over the age of 60.

koju je najbolje ostaviti učenjacima koji imaju preko 60 godina.

Hence older people are much better than younger people

Prema tome, stariji ljudi su mnogo bolji od mlađih

at supervising, administering, advising,

u nadgledanju, upravljanju, savjetovanju,

strategizing, teaching, synthesizing,

strategisanju, podučavanju, sinteziranju

and devising long-term plans.

i razvijanju dugoročnih planova.

I've seen this value of older people

Uočio sam ovu vrijednost starijih ljudi

with so many of my friends in their 60s,

kod mnogo mojih prijatelja u njihovim 60-tim,

70s, 80s and 90s,

70-tim, 80-tim i 90-tim,

who are still active as investment managers,

koji su idalje aktivni kao menadžeri investicija,

farmers, lawyers and doctors.

farmeri, advokati i doktori.

In short, many traditional societies

Ukratko, mnoga tradicionalna društva

make better use of their elderly

bolje koriste svoje starije

and give their elderly more satisfying lives

i pružaju svojim starijim mnogo bolje živote

than we do in modern, big societies.

nego što to mi radimo u modernim, velikim društvima.

Paradoxically nowadays,

Paradoksalno, u današnjem vremenu,

when we have more elderly people than ever before,

kada imamo mnogo više starijih ljudi nego ikada prije,

living healthier lives and with better medical care

koji žive zdravijim životima i sa boljom zdravstvenom njegom

than ever before,

nego ikada ranije,

old age is in some respects more miserable

starija dob je u nekim oblicima mnogo jadnija

than ever before.

nego ikada ranije.

The lives of the elderly are widely recognized

Životi starijih ljudi su nadaleko poznati

as constituting a disaster area

kao činioci katastrofalnog područja

of modern American society.

modernog američkog društva.

We can surely do better by learning

Zasigurno bismo mogli bolje postupiti učeći

from the lives of the elderly

iz života starijih ljudi

in traditional societies.

u tradicionalnim društvima.

But what's true of the lives of the elderly

Ono što je tačno kada je riječ o životima starijih ljudi

in traditional societies

u tradicionalnim društvima

is true of many other features

tačno je i za mnoge ostale odlike

of traditional societies as well.

tradicionalnih društava.

Of course, I'm not advocating that we all give up

Naravno, nisam pobornik toga da svi odustanemo

agriculture and metal tools

od argokulture i željeznog alata

and return to a hunter-gatherer lifestyle.

i vratimo se lovačko-sakupljačkom načinu života.

There are many obvious respects

Postoji mnogo očiglednih aspekata

in which our lives today are far happier

u kojima su današnji životu mnogo sretniji

than those in small, traditional societies.

od onih u malim, tradicionalnim društvima.

To mention just a few examples,

Da spomenem samo nekoliko primjera,

our lives are longer, materially much richer,

naši životi su duži, materijalno bogatiji

and less plagued by violence

i manje ugroženi nasiljem

than are the lives of people in traditional societies.

nego životi ljudi u tradicionalnim društvima.

But there are also things to be admired

Međutim, postoje i stvari koje se trebaju cijeniti

about people in traditional societies,

kod ljudi u tradicionalnim društvima

and perhaps to be learned from them.

i koje bi vjerovatno trebalo naučiti od njih.

Their lives are usually socially much richer

Njihovi životi su uglavnom socijalno mnogo bogatiji

than our lives,

od naših života,

although materially poorer.

iako su materijalno siromašniji.

Their children are more self-confident,

Njihova djeca imaju više samopouzdanja,

more independent, and more socially skilled

više neovisnosti i više socijalnih vještina

than are our children.

nego naša djeca.

They think more realistically about dangers than we do.

Oni mnogo realnije razmišljaju o opasnostima nego što to mi radimo.

They almost never die of diabetes, heart disease,

Oni gotovo da nikada ne umiru od dijabetesa, srčanih bolesti,

stroke, and the other noncommunicable diseases

infarkta i drugih bolesti koje nisu zarazne

that will be the causes of death of almost

a koje će biti uzrokom smrti gotovo

all of us in this room today.

svih nas u ovoj sobi danas.

Features of the modern lifestyle predispose us to those diseases,

Odlikama modernog načina života, predodređeni smo za te bolesti,

and features of the traditional lifestyle

a odlike tradicionalnog načina života

protect us against them.

nas od njih štite.

Those are just some examples of what we can learn

To su samo neki od primjera šta možemo da naučimo

from traditional societies.

od tradicionalnih društava.

I hope that you will find it as fascinating

Nadam se da će vam biti fascinantno

to read about traditional societies

čitati o tradicionalnim društvima

as I found it to live in those societies.

kao što je meni bilo živjeti u njima.

Thank you.

Hvala vam.

(Applause)

(Aplauz)