The revolutionary power of diverse thought | Elif Shafak

Prevoditelj: Gabrijela Butigan Recezent: Sanda L

"Can you taste words?"

"Imaju li riječi okus?"

It was a question that caught me by surprise.

To pitanje me iznenadilo ovo ljeto.

This summer, I was giving a talk at a literary festival,

Održala sam predavanje na književnom festivalu,

and afterwards, as I was signing books,

nakon kojega mi je, dok sam potpisivala knjige,

a teenage girl came with her friend,

pristupila tinejdžerica sa svojom prijateljicom

and this is what she asked me.

i postavila mi to pitanje.

I told her that some people experience an overlap in their senses

Rekla sam joj da se kod nekih ljudi osjetila isprepliću

so that they could hear colors

na način da mogu čuti boje

or see sounds,

ili vidjeti zvukove

and many writers were fascinated by this subject, myself included.

te da taj fenomen fascinira mnoge autore, uključujući i mene.

But she cut me off, a bit impatiently, and said, "Yeah, I know all of that.

No, pomalo nestrpljivo me prekinula i rekla: "Da, znam sve to.

It's called synesthesia. We learned it at school.

Zove se sinestezija. Učili smo to u školi.

But my mom is reading your book,

Ali, moja mama čita vašu knjigu

and she says there's lots of food and ingredients

i kaže da u njoj ima puno hrane i sastojaka

and a long dinner scene in it.

i scena duge večere.

She gets hungry at every page.

Ogladni na svakoj stranici.

So I was thinking,

Pa sam se zamislila,

how come you don't get hungry when you write?

kako to da vi ne ogladnite dok pišete?

And I thought maybe, maybe you could taste words.

I pomislila sam da možda znate kakav okus imaju riječi.

Does it make sense?"

Ima li to smisla?"

And, actually, it did make sense,

I, zapravo, imalo je smisla

because ever since my childhood,

jer još od djetinjstva

each letter in the alphabet has a different color,

za mene svako slovo abecede ima drugu boju,

and colors bring me flavors.

a boje mi prizivaju okuse.

So for instance, the color purple is quite pungent, almost perfumed,

Na primjer, ljubičasta je opora, skoro aromatična

and any words that I associate with purple

te sve riječi koje vežem uz ljubičastu

taste the same way,

imaju isti okus,

such as "sunset" -- a very spicy word.

poput "zalazak Sunca" - vrlo pikantna riječ.

But I was worried that if I tell all of this to the teenager,

No, bilo me strah da ako sve to kažem tinejdžerici,

it might sound either too abstract

moglo bi zvučati previše apstraktno

or perhaps too weird,

ili možda prečudno,

and there wasn't enough time anyhow,

a ionako nije bilo dovoljno vremena

because people were waiting in the queue,

jer su ljudi čekali u redu

so it suddenly felt like what I was trying to convey

pa sam se odjednom osjećala kao da je ono što pokušavam prenijeti

was more complicated and detailed

presloženo obzirom na to

than what the circumstances allowed me to say.

koliko mi okolnosti dopuštaju da izgovorim.

And I did what I usually do in similar situations:

Tako sam učinila ono što inače radim u sličnim situacijama:

I stammered, I shut down, and I stopped talking.

zamucala sam, zablokirala i zašutjela.

I stopped talking because the truth was complicated,

Zašutjela sam jer je istina bila komplicirana,

even though I knew, deep within,

iako sam znala, negdje duboko,

that one should never, ever remain silent for fear of complexity.

da nikad ne treba šutjeti zbog straha od kompleksnosti.

So I want to start my talk today

Stoga danas želim započeti svoj govor

with the answer that I was not able to give on that day.

odgovorom kojeg toga dana nisam uspjela dati.

Yes, I can taste words --

Da, mogu okusiti riječi -

sometimes, that is, not always,

doduše, ponekad, ne stalno

and happy words have a different flavor than sad words.

i sretne riječi imaju drugačiji okus nego tužne.

I like to explore: What does the word "creativity" taste like,

Volim istraživati: kakvog je okusa riječ "kreativnost"

or "equality,"

ili "jednakost",

"love," "revolution?"

"ljubav", "revolucija"?

And what about "motherland?"

I što s "domovinom"?

These days, it's particularly this last word that troubles me.

Ta riječ me ovih dana posebno muči.

It leaves a sweet taste on my tongue,

Na mom jeziku ostavlja sladak okus,

like cinnamon, a bit of rose water

poput cimeta, ružine vodice

and golden apples.

i zlatnih jabuka.

But underneath, there's a sharp tang,

No, ispod je neugodan,

like nettles and dandelion.

kao koprive i maslačak.

The taste of my motherland, Turkey,

Okus moje domovine, Turske,

is a mixture of sweet and bitter.

mješavina je slatkog i gorkog.

And the reason why I'm telling you this

Razlog iz kojega vam ovo govorim

is because I think there's more and more people

jest to što mislim da sve više i više ljudi

all around the world today

posvuda u današnjem svijetu

who have similarly mixed emotions

ima slično podvojene osjećaje

about the lands they come from.

prema zemljama iz kojih dolaze.

We love our native countries, yeah?

Volimo svoje domovine, zar ne?

How can we not?

Kako ih ne bismo voljeli?

We feel attached to the people, the culture, the land, the food.

Povezani smo s ljudima, kulturom, zemljom, hranom.

And yet at the same time,

Ipak,

we feel increasingly frustrated by its politics and politicians,

istovremeno osjećamo rastuću frustraciju zbog njihovih politika i političara,

sometimes to the point of despair or hurt or anger.

ponekad toliko da smo dovedeni do očaja, boli ili ljutnje.

I want to talk about emotions

Želim govoriti o emocijama

and the need to boost our emotional intelligence.

i potrebi za podizanjem naše emocionalne inteligencije.

I think it's a pity

Smatram da je šteta

that mainstream political theory pays very little attention to emotions.

što uobičajena politička teorija ne pridaje puno pažnje emocijama.

Oftentimes, analysts and experts are so busy with data and metrics

Analitičari i stručnjaci često su toliko zaokupljeni statistikama

that they seem to forget those things in life

da zaboravljaju one stvari u životu

that are difficult to measure

koje je teško mjeriti

and perhaps impossible to cluster under statistical models.

i možda nemoguće skupiti u statističke modele.

But I think this is a mistake, for two main reasons.

Smatram to pogrešnim iz dva glavna razloga.

Firstly, because we are emotional beings.

Prvo, jer smo emocionalna bića.

As human beings, I think we all are like that.

Kao ljudskim bićima, mislim da nam je to svima zajedničko.

But secondly, and this is new,

Drugo i novo,

we have entered a new stage in world history

ušli smo u novo poglavlje svjetske povijesti

in which collective sentiments guide and misguide politics

u kojem je politika vođena kolektivnim dojmovima i zabludama

more than ever before.

u većoj mjeri nego ikada ranije.

And through social media and social networking,

Kroz društvene mreže i društveno umrežavanje

these sentiments are further amplified,

ti dojmovi se intenziviraju,

polarized, and they travel around the world quite fast.

polariziraju i šire velikom brzinom.

Ours is the age of anxiety, anger,

Naše doba, doba je anksioznosti, ljutnje,

distrust, resentment

nepovjerenja, ozlojeđenosti

and, I think, lots of fear.

te, smatram, velikog straha.

But here's the thing:

No, evo u čemu je stvar.

even though there's plenty of research about economic factors,

Iako postoji puno istraživanja na temu ekonomskih faktora,

there's relatively few studies about emotional factors.

relativno je malen broj onih na temu emocionalnih faktora.

Why is it that we underestimate feelings and perceptions?

Zašto podcjenjujemo osjećaje i percepcije?

I think it's going to be one of our biggest intellectual challenges,

Mislim da će to biti jedan od naših najvećih intelektualnih izazova

because our political systems are replete with emotions.

jer su naši politički sustavi prepuni emocija.

In country after country,

U nizu zemalja

we have seen illiberal politicians exploiting these emotions.

svjedočili smo netrpeljivim političarima koji iskorištavaju te emocije.

And yet within the academia and among the intelligentsia,

Usprkos tome, u akademskim krugovima i među inteligencijom,

we are yet to take emotions seriously.

još ne shvaćamo emocije ozbiljno.

I think we should.

Mislim da bismo trebali.

And just like we should focus on economic inequality worldwide,

Kao što se trebamo posvetiti ekonomskoj nejednakosti na globalnoj razini,

we need to pay more attention to emotional and cognitive gaps worldwide

trebamo se više posvetiti i emocionalnom te kognitivnom raskoraku u svijetu,

and how to bridge these gaps,

kako premostiti taj jaz,

because they do matter.

jer on čini razliku.

Years ago, when I was still living in Istanbul,

Prije nekoliko godina, dok sam još živjela u Istanbulu,

an American scholar working on women writers in the Middle East

sa mnom je došla razgovarati američka znanstvenica koja se bavi

came to see me.

autoricama Srednjeg istoka.

And at some point in our exchange, she said,

I u jednom trenutku našeg razgovora rekla je:

"I understand why you're a feminist,

"Razumijem zašto ste feministica,

because, you know, you live in Turkey."

jer, znate, živite u Turskoj."

And I said to her,

A ja sam joj odgovorila:

"I don't understand why you're not a feminist,

"Ja ne razumijem zašto vi niste feministica

because, you know, you live in America."

jer, znate, živite u Americi".

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

(Applause)

(Pljesak)

And she laughed.

I ona se nasmijala.

She took it as a joke,

Shvatila je to kao šalu

and the moment passed.

i trenutak je prošao.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

But the way she had divided the world into two imaginary camps,

Ali, način na koji je podijelila svijet na dva zamišljena tabora,

into two opposite camps --

dva suprotstavljena tabora --

it bothered me and it stayed with me.

zasmetao mi je i ostao mi je u sjećanju.

According to this imaginary map,

Prema toj zamišljenoj karti,

some parts of the world were liquid countries.

neki dijelovi svijeta su "fluidne" zemlje.

They were like choppy waters not yet settled.

Kao uzburkane vode koje se još nisu smirile.

Some other parts of the world, namely the West,

Neki drugi dijelovi svijeta, to jest, Zapad,

were solid, safe and stable.

su čvrsti, sigurni i stabilni.

So it was the liquid lands that needed feminism

Prema tome, "fluidne" zemlje su one koje trebaju feminizam,

and activism and human rights,

aktivizam i ljudska prava,

and those of us who were unfortunate enough

a oni među nama koji su dovoljno nesretni

to come from such places

da budu s tih područja,

had to keep struggling for these most essential values.

moraju se konstantno boriti za te osnovne vrijednosti.

But there was hope.

No, ima nade.

Since history moved forward,

Povijesnim napretkom,

even the most unsteady lands would someday catch up.

čak će i najuzburkanije zemlje jednom sustići Zapad.

And meanwhile, the citizens of solid lands

A u međuvremenu, građani stabilnih zemalja

could take comfort in the progress of history

mogu pronaći utjehu u povijesnom napretku

and in the triumph of the liberal order.

i trijumfu liberalnog poretka.

They could support the struggles of other people elsewhere,

Mogu pružati potporu tuđim nastojanjima,

but they themselves did not have to struggle

ali oni sami se više ne moraju boriti

for the basics of democracy anymore,

za temelje demokracije

because they were beyond that stage.

jer su prošli tu fazu.

I think in the year 2016,

Mislim da u je 2016. godini

this hierarchical geography was shattered to pieces.

razbijena ova hijerarhijska geografija.

Our world no longer follows this dualistic pattern

U umovima znanstvenika, naš svijet više nije preslika

in the scholar's mind, if it ever did.

tog dualističkog obrasca, ako je ikada i bila.

Now we know that history does not necessarily move forward.

Sada znamo da protok vremena ne znači nužno napredak.

Sometimes it draws circles,

Nekad se ono kreće u krug

even slides backwards,

pa čak i klizi unazad

and that generations can make the same mistakes

te da generacijama možemo činiti iste greške

that their great-grandfathers had made.

koje su činili naši pradjedovi.

And now we know that there's no such thing

I sada znamo da ne postoji nešto kao

as solid countries versus liquid countries.

čvrste zemlje protiv "fluidnih" zemalja.

In fact, we are all living in liquid times,

Dapače, svi živimo u "fluidnim" vremenima,

just like the late Zygmunt Bauman told us.

baš kao što je rekao pokojni Zygmunt Bauman.

And Bauman had another definition for our age.

Bauman je za naše doba imao još jednu definiciju.

He used to say we are all going to be walking on moving sands.

Govorio je da ćemo živjeti u hirovitim vremenima.

And if that's the case, I think,

I ako je to slučaj,

it should concern us women more than men,

žene bi trebale obratiti posebnu pozornost

because when societies slide backwards into authoritarianism,

jer, kad društva klize natrag u autoritarizam,

nationalism or religious fanaticism,

nacionalizam ili vjerski fanatizam,

women have much more to lose.

žene mogu više toga izgubiti.

That is why this needs to be a vital moment,

Stoga je ovaj trenutak ključan,

not only for global activism,

ne samo za globalni aktivizam,

but in my opinion, for global sisterhood as well.

nego, smatram, i za globalno sestrinstvo.

(Applause)

(Pljesak)

But I want to make a little confession before I go any further.

No, želim nešto priznati prije nego nastavim.

Until recently, whenever I took part in an international conference or festival,

Donedavno, kad bih sudjelovala na međunarodnim konferencijama i festivalima,

I would be usually one of the more depressed speakers.

bila bih jedna od najdepresivnijih izlagača.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

Having seen how our dreams of democracy and how our dreams of coexistence

Vidjevši kako su naši snovi o demokraciji i suživotu

were crushed in Turkey,

u Turskoj skršeni,

both gradually but also with a bewildering speed,

postupno, ali zapanjujućom brzinom,

over the years I've felt quite demoralized.

tijekom godina, osjećala sam se sve više demoralizirano.

And at these festivals there would be some other gloomy writers,

Na tim festivalima bilo je i drugih sumornih autora

and they would come from places such as Egypt, Nigeria, Pakistan,

iz država poput Egipta, Nigerije, Pakistana,

Bangladesh, Philippines, China, Venezuela, Russia.

Bangladeša, Filipina, Kine, Venezuele, Rusije.

And we would smile at each other in sympathy,

Sućutno smo se smiješili jedni drugima,

this camaraderie of the doomed.

mi, iz družine prokletih.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

And you could call us WADWIC:

Mogli smo se zvati MKZDA:

Worried and Depressed Writers International Club.

Međunarodni klub zabrinutih i depresivnih autora.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

But then things began to change,

No, stvari su se počele mijenjati

and suddenly our club became more popular,

i naš klub je odjednom postao popularniji,

and we started to have new members.

dobili smo i nove članove.

I remember --

Sjećam se --

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

I remember Greek writers and poets joined first, came on board.

Sjećam se grčkih pisaca i pjesnika koji su se prvi pridružili.

And then writers from Hungary and Poland,

Zatim mađarskih i poljskih autora,

and then, interestingly, writers from Austria, the Netherlands, France,

zatim, zanimljivo, autora iz Austrije, Nizozemske, Francuske,

and then writers from the UK, where I live and where I call my home,

zatim autora iz UK, gdje živim i mjesto koje zovem domom,

and then writers from the USA.

te autora iz SAD-a.

Suddenly, there were more of us

Odjednom nas je puno više

feeling worried about the fate of our nations

bilo zabrinuto za sudbine naših nacija

and the future of the world.

i budućnost svijeta.

And maybe there were more of us now

I možda se više nas, u tom trenutku,

feeling like strangers in our own motherlands.

osjećalo kao stranci u vlastitim zemljama.

And then this bizarre thing happened.

A onda se dogodilo nešto bizarno.

Those of us who used to be very depressed for a long time,

Oni među nama, koji su dugo bili jako depresivni,

we started to feel less depressed,

postali su manje depresivni,

whereas the newcomers, they were so not used to feeling this way

dok su novopridošlice bili još depresivniji

that they were now even more depressed.

jer nisu bili navikli ovako se osjećati.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

So you could see writers from Bangladesh or Turkey or Egypt

Sada možete vidjeti autore iz Bangladeša, Turske ili Egipta

trying to console their colleagues

kako pokušavaju utješiti kolege

from Brexit Britain or from post-election USA.

iz Brexit Britanije ili postizbornog SAD-a.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

But joking aside,

No, šalu na stranu,

I think our world is full of unprecedented challenges,

mislim da je naš svijet pun dosad neviđenih izazova,

and this comes with an emotional backlash,

a to je popraćeno zazorom od emocija

because in the face of high-speed change,

jer, suočeni s naglim promjenama,

many people wish to slow down,

mnogi ljudi žele usporiti

and when there's too much unfamiliarity,

i kad su okruženi nepoznatim,

people long for the familiar.

ljudi žude za poznatim.

And when things get too confusing,

Kad svijet postane prezbunjujuć,

many people crave simplicity.

mnogi ljudi žude za jednostavnošću.

This is a very dangerous crossroads,

To je veoma opasno razmeđe

because it's exactly where the demagogue enters into the picture.

jer točno tu demagog ulazi u priču.

The demagogue understands how collective sentiments work

Demagog razumije kako funkcioniraju kolektivni dojmovi

and how he -- it's usually a he -- can benefit from them.

i kako on -- obično je on -- može od njih profitirati.

He tells us that we all belong in our tribes,

On nam govori kako svi pripadamo svojim plemenima,

and he tells us that we will be safer if we are surrounded by sameness.

i kako smo sigurniji ako smo okruženi jednolikošću.

Demagogues come in all sizes and in all shapes.

Demagozi dolaze u svim veličinama i oblicima.

This could be the eccentric leader of a marginal political party

To može biti ekscentrični vođa marginalne političke stranke

somewhere in Europe,

negdje u Europi,

or an Islamist extremist imam preaching dogma and hatred,

ili islamski ekstremistički imam koji propovijeda dogmu i mržnju,

or it could be a white supremacist Nazi-admiring orator somewhere else.

ili to može biti zagovornik superiornosti bijele rase negdje drugdje.

All these figures, at first glance -- they seem disconnected.

Sve ove ličnosti, na prvi pogled, ne čine se povezanima.

But I think they feed each other,

Ali smatram da hrane jedna drugu,

and they need each other.

da trebaju jedna drugu.

And all around the world,

I bilo gdje u svijetu,

when we look at how demagogues talk and how they inspire movements,

kad pogledamo demagogijsku retoriku i kako nadahnjuju pokrete,

I think they have one unmistakable quality in common:

smatram da imaju jedno jasno zajedničko obilježje:

they strongly, strongly dislike plurality.

Snažno, snažno mrze pluralizam.

They cannot deal with multiplicity.

Ne mogu se nositi s raznolikošću.

Adorno used to say,

Adorno je govorio:

"Intolerance of ambiguity is the sign of an authoritarian personality."

"Nesnošljivost prema neopredjeljenosti znak je autoritarne osobnosti".

But I ask myself:

No, pitam se:

What if that same sign,

što ako je taj isti znak,

that same intolerance of ambiguity --

ta ista nesnošljivost prema različitosti,

what if it's the mark of our times, of the age we're living in?

odlika našeg vremena, vremena u kojem živimo?

Because wherever I look, I see nuances withering away.

Jer gdje god pogledam, vidim kako nijanse blijede.

On TV shows, we have one anti-something speaker

Na TV emisijama imamo protivnike nečega,

situated against a pro-something speaker.

nasuprot zagovornicima nečega.

Yeah? It's good ratings.

To znači dobru gledanost.

It's even better if they shout at each other.

Još je bolje ako viču jedni na druge.

Even in academia, where our intellect is supposed to be nourished,

Čak i unutar akademije, gdje bismo trebali njegovati intelekt,

you see one atheist scholar competing with a firmly theist scholar,

viđamo znanstvenike ateiste suprotstavljene teističkim znanstvenicima,

but it's not a real intellectual exchange,

no, ne u pravoj intelektualnoj razmjeni,

because it's a clash between two certainties.

već u sudaru dviju izvjesnosti.

I think binary oppositions are everywhere.

Mislim da su binarne opozicije posvuda.

So slowly and systematically,

Polako i sustavno

we are being denied the right to be complex.

uskraćuje nam se pravo na kompleksnost.

Istanbul, Berlin, Nice, Paris, Brussels,

Istanbul, Berlin, Nica, Pariz, Bruxelles,

Dhaka, Baghdad, Barcelona:

Dhaka, Baghdad, Barcelona:

we have seen one horrible terror attack after another.

viđamo strašne terorističke napade jednog za drugim.

And when you express your sorrow, and when you react against the cruelty,

I kad izrazite tugu, kad reagirate protiv okrutnosti,

you get all kinds of reactions,

dobijete svakakve reakcije,

messages on social media.

poruke na društvenim mrežama.

But one of them is quite disturbing,

No, jedna je posebno uznemirujuća

only because it's so widespread.

zato što je jako raširena.

They say, "Why do you feel sorry for them?

Kaže: "Zašto vam ih je žao?

Why do you feel sorry for them?

Zašto vam je žao njih?

Why don't you feel sorry for civilians in Yemen

Zašto vam nije žao civila u Jemenu

or civilians in Syria?"

ili civila u Siriji?"

And I think the people who write such messages

Smatram da ljudi koji pišu takve poruke

do not understand

ne razumiju

that we can feel sorry for and stand in solidarity with

da nam može biti žao i da možemo suosjećati

victims of terrorism and violence in the Middle East, in Europe,

sa žrtvama terorizma i nasilja na Srednjem istoku, u Europi,

in Asia, in America, wherever, everywhere,

u Aziji, u Americi, gdjegod, svugdje,

equally and simultaneously.

jednako i istovremeno.

They don't seem to understand that we don't have to pick one pain

Čini se da ne razumiju da ne moramo favorizirati jednu bol

and one place over all others.

i jedno mjesto.

But I think this is what tribalism does to us.

No, smatram da nam tribalizam upravo to čini.

It shrinks our minds, for sure,

Ograničava nam um, zasigurno,

but it also shrinks our hearts,

ali nam također smanjuje i srca

to such an extent that we become numb to the suffering of other people.

do te mjere da otupimo na tuđu patnju.

And the sad truth is, we weren't always like this.

I tužna istina je da nismo oduvijek ovakvi.

I had a children's book out in Turkey,

Objavila sam knjigu za djecu u Turskoj

and when the book was published, I did lots of events.

i tim povodom sam sudjelovala na mnogo događanja.

I went to many primary schools,

Išla sam u osnovne škole,

which gave me a chance to observe younger kids in Turkey.

što mi je dalo priliku da promatram mlađu djecu u Turskoj.

And it was always amazing to see how much empathy, imagination

I svaki put me oduševilo vidjeti koliko empatije, mašte

and chutzpah they have.

i samopouzdanja imaju.

These children are much more inclined to become global citizens

Djeca u toj dobi puno su sklonija postati kozmopoliti

than nationalists at that age.

nego nacionalisti.

And it's wonderful to see, when you ask them,

I prekrasno ih je čuti kad ih pitate,

so many of them want to be poets and writers,

mnogi od njih žele postati pjesnici i pisci,

and girls are just as confident as boys,

a djevojčice su jednako samopouzdane kao i dječaci,

if not even more.

ako ne i više.

But then I would go to high schools,

Ali, onda bih otišla u srednje škole

and everything has changed.

i sve bi bilo drukčije.

Now nobody wants to be a writer anymore,

Nitko više ne želi biti pisac,

now nobody wants to be a novelist anymore,

nitko više ne želi biti novelist,

and girls have become timid,

a djevojke su postale plašljive,

they are cautious, guarded,

oprezne su, štite se,

reluctant to speak up in the public space,

oklijevaju govoriti u javnosti

because we have taught them --

jer smo ih naučili --

the family, the school, the society --

obitelji, škole, društvo --

we have taught them to erase their individuality.

naučili smo ih da zatome sve što ih čini posebnima.

I think East and West,

Mislim da i Istok i Zapad

we are losing multiplicity,

gubi raznolikost,

both within our societies and within ourselves.

kako u našim društvima, tako i u nama samima.

And coming from Turkey, I do know that the loss of diversity

I, kako dolazim iz Turske, znam da je gubitak raznolikosti

is a major, major loss.

ogroman, ogroman gubitak.

Today, my motherland became the world's biggest jailer

Danas je moja domovina vodeća zemlja po broju

for journalists,

zatvorenih novinara,

surpassing even China's sad record.

rušeći čak i taj tužan rekord Kine.

And I also believe that what happened over there in Turkey

Također, vjerujem da se ono, što se dogodilo u Turskoj,

can happen anywhere.

može dogoditi bilo gdje.

It can even happen here.

Čak i ovdje.

So just like solid countries was an illusion,

Stoga, baš kao što su čvrste zemlje iluzija,

singular identities is also an illusion,

jedinstvenost identiteta također je iluzija,

because we all have a multiplicity of voices inside.

jer svi u sebi imamo mnoštvo glasova.

The Iranian, the Persian poet, Hafiz,

Iranski, perzijski pjesnik Hafiz

used to say, "You carry in your soul every ingredient necessary

govorio je: "U svojoj duši nosiš svaki potreban sastojak

to turn your existence into joy.

da svoje postojanje pretvoriš u radost.

All you have to do is to mix those ingredients."

Sve što trebaš učiniti je pomiješati te sastojke."

And I think mix we can.

I mislim da ih možemo pomiješati.

I am an Istanbulite,

Ja sam građanka Istanbula,

but I'm also attached to the Balkans,

no, također sam povezana s Balkanom,

the Aegean, the Mediterranean,

Egejskim morem, Mediteranom,

the Middle East, the Levant.

Srednjim istokom, Levantom.

I am a European by birth, by choice,

Europljanka sam rođenjem, izborom,

the values that I uphold.

vrijednostima do kojih držim.

I have become a Londoner over the years.

Tijekom godina sam postala i građankom Londona.

I would like to think of myself as a global soul, as a world citizen,

Volim se smatrati globalnom dušom, kozmopolitom,

a nomad and an itinerant storyteller.

nomadom i putujućim pripovjedačem.

I have multiple attachments, just like all of us do.

Vezana sam uz više mjesta, baš kao i svi mi.

And multiple attachments mean multiple stories.

A više mjesta znači i više priča.

As writers, we always chase stories, of course,

Mi pisci uvijek tražimo priče, naravno,

but I think we are also interested in silences,

ali mislim da smo zainteresirani i za šutnju,

the things we cannot talk about,

stvari o kojima ne možemo govoriti,

political taboos, cultural taboos.

političke tabue, kulturne tabue.

We're also interested in our own silences.

Također, zanimaju nas i vlastite šutnje.

I have always been very vocal about and written extensively

Uvijek sam bila glasna i opširno pisala

about minority rights, women's rights,

o pravima manjina, pravima žena

LGBT rights.

i pravima LGBT osoba.

But as I was thinking about this TED Talk,

No, razmišljajući o ovom TED govoru,

I realized one thing:

shvatila sam sljedeće:

I have never had the courage to say in a public space

nikad nisam imala hrabrosti u javnosti reći

that I was bisexual myself,

da sam i sama biseksualna

because I so feared the slander

jer sam se bojala ogovaranja,

and the stigma and the ridicule

stigme, ismijavanja

and the hatred that was sure to follow.

i mržnje koja slijedi.

But of course, one should never, ever, remain silent

No, naravno, nikad, nikad ne treba šutjeti

for fear of complexity.

zbog straha od kompleksnosti.

(Applause)

(Pljesak)

And although I am no stranger to anxieties,

I iako mi strahovi nisu strani,

and although I am talking here about the power of emotions --

iako govorim o moći emocija --

I do know the power of emotions --

a poznajem moć emocija --

I have discovered over time

tijekom vremena sam otkrila

that emotions are not limitless.

da emocije nisu beskrajne.

You know? They have a limit.

One imaju granice.

There comes a moment --

Dođete do trenutka

it's like a tipping point or a threshold --

koji je kao granica ili prag,

when you get tired of feeling afraid,

kada vam dojadi živjeti u strahu,

when you get tired of feeling anxious.

kada vam dojadi anksioznost.

And I think not only individuals,

I mislim da taj prag

but perhaps nations, too, have their own tipping points.

nemaju samo pojedinci, već i nacije.

So even stronger than my emotions

Još snažnija od mojih emocija

is my awareness

je moja svjesnost

that not only gender, not only identity,

da nisu samo rod i identitet fluidni,

but life itself is fluid.

već i sam život.

They want to divide us into tribes,

Žele nas podijeliti na plemena,

but we are connected across borders.

no, povezani smo preko granica.

They preach certainty,

Propovijedaju sigurnost,

but we know that life has plenty of magic

ali znamo da je život prepun čarolije

and plenty of ambiguity.

i višeznačnosti.

And they like to incite dualities,

Vole poticati dualizam,

but we are far more nuanced than that.

ali mi imamo puno više nijansa.

So what can we do?

Što možemo napraviti?

I think we need to go back to the basics,

Mislim da se moramo vratiti osnovama,

back to the colors of the alphabet.

sve do boja abecede.

The Lebanese poet Khalil Gibran used to say,

Libanonski pjesnik Kahlil Gibran govorio je:

"I learned silence from the talkative

"Šutnji sam se naučio od razgovorljivih,

and tolerance from the intolerant

toleranciji od netolerantnih,

and kindness from the unkind."

a ljubaznosti od neljubaznih."

I think it's a great motto for our times.

Mislim da je to odličan moto za naša vremena.

So from populist demagogues, we will learn

Stoga, od populističkih demagoga možemo naučiti

the indispensability of democracy.

da je demokracija neophodna.

And from isolationists, we will learn the need for global solidarity.

Od izolacionista možemo spoznati potrebu za globalnom solidarnošću.

And from tribalists, we will learn the beauty of cosmopolitanism

A tribalisti nas uče ljepotama kozmopolitizma

and the beauty of diversity.

i ljepotama raznolikosti.

As I finish, I want to leave you with one word, or one taste.

Za kraj, želim vas ostaviti s jednom riječju, jednim okusom.

The word "yurt" in Turkish means "motherland."

Riječ "yurt" na turskom znači "djedovina".

It means "homeland."

Znači "domovina".

But interestingly, the word also means

No, zanimljivo, ta riječ također znači

"a tent used by nomadic tribes."

"šator kojeg koriste nomadska plemena".

And I like that combination, because it makes me think

Sviđa mi se ta kombinacija, jer me potiče na razmišljanje,

homelands do not need to be rooted in one place.

domovine ne moraju biti samo na jednom mjestu.

They can be portable.

One mogu biti prenosive.

We can take them with us everywhere.

Možemo ih svuda nositi sa sobom.

And I think for writers, for storytellers,

I smatram da za pisce i pripovjedače,

at the end of the day,

naposljetku,

there is one main homeland,

postoji jedna glavna domovina,

and it's called "Storyland."

a to je svijet priče.

And the taste of that word

A okus te riječi

is the taste of freedom.

je okus slobode.

Thank you.

Hvala.

(Applause)

(Pljesak)