What Ping-Pong Taught Me About Life | Pico Iyer | TED

Prevoditelj: Martina Peraic Recezent: Sanda L

Every other night in Japan,

Svake druge večeri u Japanu,

I step out of my apartment,

izađem iz svog stana,

I climb up a hill for 15 minutes,

penjem se uzbrdo 15 minuta,

and then I head into my local health club,

zatim se zaputim u svoj mjesni sportski klub,

where three ping-pong tables are set up in a studio.

gdje su postavljena tri stola za ping pong u studiju.

And space is limited,

Prostor je skučen

so at every table,

pa za svakim stolom

one pair of players practices forehands,

jedan par igrača vježba forhende,

another practices backhands,

drugi par vježba bekhende,

and every now and then, the balls collide in midair

a svako malo, loptice se sudare u zraku

and everybody says, "Wow!"

i svi kažu "O!"

Then, choosing lots, we select partners and play doubles.

Zatim, slučajnim odabirom, izaberemo partnere i igramo u parovima.

But I honestly couldn't tell you who's won,

Ali doista vam ne bih mogao reći tko je pobijedio,

because we change partners every five minutes.

jer mijenjamo partnere svakih 5 minuta.

And everybody is trying really hard

A svi se jako trude

to win points,

da osvoje bodove,

but nobody is keeping track of who is winning games.

ali nitko ne prati stanje tko pobjeđuje.

And after an hour or so of furious exertion,

Nakon nekih sat vremena žestokog napora,

I can honestly tell you

mogu vam iskreno reći

that not knowing who has won

da se neznanje tko je pobijedio

feels like the ultimate victory.

čini kao konačna pobjeda.

In Japan, it's been said,

U Japanu, kažu,

they've created a competitive spirit without competition.

stvorili su natjecateljski duh bez natjecanja.

Now, all of you know that geopolitics is best followed by watching ping-pong.

Svima vam je poznato da je geopolitiku najbolje pratiti gledanjem ping-ponga.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

The two strongest powers in the world were fiercest enemies

Dvije najjače svjetske sile bile su najljući protivnici,

until, in 1972, an American ping-pong team

sve dok 1972. godine američkoj momčadi ping-ponga

was allowed to visit Communist China.

nije bilo dozvoljeno posjetiti komunističku Kinu.

And as soon as the former adversaries

Čim su se nekadašnji suparnici

were gathered around some small green tables,

skupili oko nekakvih malenih zelenih stolova,

each of them could claim a victory,

svatko od njih mogao je proglasiti pobjedu

and the whole world could breathe more easily.

i cijeli svijet je mogao odahnuti.

China's leader, Mao Zedong,

Kineski vođa Mao Ce Tung

wrote a whole manual on ping-pong,

napisao je cijeli priručnik za ping-pong

and he called the sport "a spiritual nuclear weapon."

i nazvao je taj sport "duhovnim nuklearnim oružjem".

And it's been said that the only honorary lifelong member

I priča se da je jedini počasni doživotni član

of the US Table Tennis Association

američkog udruženja stolnog tenisa

is the then-President Richard Nixon,

tadašnji predsjednik Richard Nixon,

who helped to engineer this win-win situation

koji je pomogao iskreirati ovu "win-win" situaciju

through ping-pong diplomacy.

putem ping-pong diplomacije.

But long before that,

Ali puno prije toga,

really, the history of the modern world

stvarno, povijest modernog svijeta

was best told through the bouncing white ball.

najbolje je ispričana pomoću skakutajuće bijele loptice.

"Ping-pong" sounds like a cousin of "sing-song,"

"Ping-pong" zvuči kao srodnik "sing-song" (pjevušiti),

like something Eastern,

kao nešto istočno,

but actually, it's believed that it was invented by high-class Brits

ali zapravo, vjeruje se da su ga izumili Britanci viših klasa

during Victorian times,

u viktorijanskom dobu,

who started hitting wine corks over walls of books after dinner.

koji se se počeli gađati vinskim čepovima preko zidova knjiga nakon večere.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

No exaggeration.

Ne pretjerujem.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

And by the end of World War I,

Do kraja Prvog svjetskog rata,

the sport was dominated by players from the former Austro-Hungarian Empire:

ovim sportom vladali su igrači iz bivšeg Austrougarskog carstva:

eight out of nine early world championships

osam od devet prvih svjetskih prvenstava

were claimed by Hungary.

osvojili su Mađari.

And Eastern Europeans grew so adept

Istočni Europljani postali su tako vješti

at hitting back everything that was hit at them

u odbijanju svega što je bilo bačeno na njih,

that they almost brought the whole sport to a standstill.

da su gotovo zaustavili razvoj cjelokupnog sporta.

In one championship match in Prague in 1936,

U jednoj utakmici prvenstva u Pragu 1936. godine,

the first point is said to have lasted two hours and 12 minutes.

priča se da je prvi poen trajao dva sata i 12 minuta.

The first point!

Prvi poen!

Longer than a "Mad Max" movie.

Duži od "Pobješnjelog Maxa".

And according to one of the players, the umpire had to retire with a sore neck

A prema jednom igraču, sudac se morao povući zbog bolnog vrata

before the point was concluded.

prije nego je poen zaključen.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

That player started hitting the ball back with his left hand

Taj igrač počeo je odbijati lopticu lijevom rukom

and dictating chess moves between shots.

i diktirati šahovske poteze između udaraca.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

Many in the audience started, of course, filing out,

Mnogi gledatelji, naravno, počeli su odustajati,

as that single point lasted maybe 12,000 strokes.

jer samo taj poen trajao je možda i 12 tisuća udaraca.

And an emergency meeting of the International Table Tennis Association

Hitan sastanak Međunarodnog udruženja za stolni tenis

had to be held then and there,

morao se održati upravo tada i ondje

and soon the rules were changed

te su uskoro pravila promijenjena,

so that no game could last longer than 20 minutes.

tako da nijedna utakmica ne može trajati duže od 20 minuta.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

Sixteen years later, Japan entered the picture,

Šesnaest godina poslije, Japan dolazi na scenu,

when a little-known watchmaker called Hiroji Satoh

kada se nepoznati urar Hiroji Satoh

showed up at the world championships in Bombay in 1952.

pojavio na svjetskom prvenstvu u Bombaju 1952. godine.

And Satoh was not very big, he wasn't highly rated,

Satoh nije bio krupan, nije bio visoko rangiran,

he was wearing spectacles,

nosio je naočale,

but he was armed with a paddle that was not pimpled,

ali bio je naoružan reketom koji nije imao ispupčenja,

as other paddles were,

kao svi drugi reketi,

but covered by a thick spongy rubber foam.

nego prekriven gustom spužvastom gumenom pjenom.

And thanks to this silencing secret weapon,

Zahvaljujući tom prigušujućem tajnom oružju,

the little-known Satoh won a gold medal.

nepoznati Satoh osvojio je zlatnu medalju.

One million people came out into the streets of Tokyo

Milijun ljudi izašlo je na ulice Tokija

to greet him upon his return,

kako bi ga pozdravili pri povratku,

and really, Japan's postwar resurgence was set into motion.

i zapravo, japanski oporavak nakon rata je počeo.

What I learned, though, at my regular games in Japan,

Ono što sam naučio kroz svoje redovne igre u Japanu,

is more what could be called the inner sport of global domination,

više bi se moglo nazvati unutarnjim sportom svjetske prevlasti,

sometimes known as life.

također poznatim i kao život.

We never play singles in our club,

U klubu nikad ne igramo jedan-na-jedan,

only doubles,

samo u parovima,

and because, as I say, we change partners every five minutes,

i zato što mijenjamo partnere svakih 5 minuta,

if you do happen to lose, you're very likely to win

ako slučajno izgubite, vrlo je vjerojatno da ćete pobijediti

six minutes later.

šest minuta kasnije.

We also play best-of-two sets,

Također igramo setove najboljih od dvojice

so often, there's no loser at all.

pa često uopće nema gubitnika.

Ping-pong diplomacy.

Ping-pong diplomacija.

And I always remember that as a boy growing up in England,

Uvijek se sjetim, kada sam bio dječak odrastajući u Engleskoj,

I was taught that the point of a game was to win.

učili su me da je svrha igre pobijediti.

But in Japan, I'm encouraged to believe that, really, the point of a game

Ali u Japanu, ohrabruje me se da vjerujem da je zapravo svrha igre

is to make as many people as possible around you feel that they are winners.

da se što više ljudi oko vas osjećaju kao pobjednici.

So you're not careening up and down as an individual might,

Pa se ne razbacujete gore-dolje kao što bi pojedinac činio,

but you're part of a regular, steady chorus.

nego ste dio uravnoteženog, stabilnog zbora.

The most skillful players in our club

Najvještiji igrači u našem klubu

deploy their skills to turn a 9-1 lead for their team

upogone svoje vještine kako bi vodstvo od 9:1 svog tima

into a 9-9 game in which everybody is intensely involved.

pretvorili u rezultat 9:9 pri kojemu će svi biti žestoko uključeni u igru.

And my friend who hits these high, looping lobs

A moj prijatelj koji udara te visoke, nadlijetajuće lopte

that smaller players flail at and miss --

koje manji igrači promašuju --

well, he wins a lot of points, but I think he's thought of as a loser.

pa, on osvaja puno poena, ali smatra ga se gubitnikom.

In Japan, a game of ping-pong is really like an act of love.

U Japanu, igra ping-ponga je poput čina ljubavi.

You're learning how to play with somebody,

Učite kako igrati s nekom osobom,

rather than against her.

umjesto protiv nje.

And I'll confess,

I priznat ću,

at first, this seemed to me to take all the fun out of the sport.

isprva mi je izgledalo kao da je sva zabava ukradena sportu.

I couldn't exult after a tremendous upset victory against our strongest players,

Nisam mogao slaviti nakon iznimno naporne pobjede nad najjačim igračima,

because six minutes later, with a new partner,

jer šest minuta kasnije, s novim partnerom,

I was falling behind again.

ponovo sam nazadovao.

On the other hand, I never felt disconsolate.

S druge strane, nikada se nisam osjećao neutješno.

And when I flew away from Japan and started playing singles again

Kada sam otišao iz Japana i opet počeo igrati jedan-na-jedan

with my English archrival,

s mojim najvećim protivnikom u Engleskoj,

I noticed that after every defeat, I was really brokenhearted.

primijetio sam da sam nakon svakog poraza istinski bio slomljenog srca.

But after every victory, I couldn't sleep either,

Ali nakon svake pobjede nisam mogao ni spavati

because I knew there was only one way to go,

jer sam znao da odatle postoji samo jedan put,

and that was down.

a taj je prema dolje.

Now, if I were trying to do business in Japan,

Ako bih pokušao obavljati posao u Japanu,

this would lead to endless frustration.

to bi vodilo do beskrajne frustracije.

In Japan, unlike elsewhere,

U Japanu, kao nigdje drugdje,

if the score is still level after four hours,

ako je rezultat izjednačen nakon 4 sata,

a baseball game ends in a tie,

utakmica bejzbola završava izjednačeno,

and because the league standings are based on winning percentage,

a budući da je statistika lige zasnovana na postotku pobjeda,

a team with quite a few ties can finish ahead

momčad s dosta izjednačenja može završiti na višoj poziciji

of a team with more victories.

od momčadi sa više pobjeda.

One of the first times an American was ever brought over to Japan

Kada je prvi put Amerikanac doveden u Japan

to lead a professional Japanese baseball team,

kako bi vodio profesionalnu japansku momčad bejzbola,

Bobby Valentine, in 1995,

bio je to Bobby Valentine 1995. godine,

he took this really mediocre squad,

preuzeo je jednu sasvim prosječnu ekipu,

he lead them to a stunning second-place finish,

doveo ih je do zapanjujućeg kraja sezone na drugom mjestu,

and he was instantly fired.

i istog trena je dobio otkaz.

Why?

Zašto?

"Well," said the team spokesman,

"Pa", rekao je glasnogovornik momčadi,

"because of his emphasis on winning."

"zbog prenaglašene važnosti pobjeđivanja."

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

Official Japan can feel quite a lot like that point

Službeni Japan može se činiti poprilično kao onaj poen

that was said to last two hours and 12 minutes,

za koji kažu da je trajao 2 sata i 12 minuta,

and playing not to lose

a igranje da se ne bi izgubilo

can take all the imagination, the daring, the excitement, out of things.

može izvući svu maštu, hrabrost i uzbuđenje iz toga.

At the same time, playing ping-pong in Japan

Istovremeno, igranje ping-ponga u Japanu

reminds me why choirs regularly enjoy more fun

podsjeća me zašto se zborovi u pravilu više zabavljaju

than soloists.

od samostalnih izvođača.

In a choir, your only job is to play your small part perfectly,

U zboru, vaš jedini zadatak jest da savršeno odigrate svoju malenu ulogu,

to hit your notes with feeling,

da pogodite svoje note osjećajući ih,

and by so doing, to help to create a beautiful harmony

te da čineći to pripomognete stvaranju prekrasne harmonije

that's much greater than the sum of its parts.

koja je mnogo veća od zbroja svojih dijelova.

Yes, every choir does need a conductor,

Da, svakom zboru potreban je dirigent,

but I think a choir releases you from a child's simple sense of either-ors.

ali mislim da vas zbor oslobađa dječjeg jednostavnog smisla za "ili-ili".

You come to see that the opposite of winning isn't losing --

Odjednom shvatite da suprotno od pobjede nije gubljenje --

it's failing to see the larger picture.

nego propuštanje uviđanja šire slike.

As my life goes on,

Kako mi život teče,

I'm really startled to see that no event

zapanjuje me uvidjeti da nijedan događaj

can properly be assessed for years after it has unfolded.

ne može biti ispravno vrednovan godinama nakon što se odvio.

I once lost everything I owned in the world,

Jednom sam izgubio sve što sam posjedovao na ovom svijetu,

every last thing, in a wildfire.

sve do zadnje sitnice, u požaru.

But in time, I came to see that it was that seeming loss

Ali s vremenom sam shvatio da mi je taj prividan gubitak

that allowed me to live on the earth more gently,

omogućio da živim nježnije na ovom svijetu,

to write without notes,

da pišem bez zabilješki,

and actually, to move to Japan

i zapravo, da se preselim u Japan

and the inner health club known as the ping-pong table.

i u tamošnji sportski klub poznat kao stol za ping-pong.

Conversely, I once stumbled into the perfect job,

Na istom tragu, jednom sam nabasao na savršen posao,

and I came to see that seeming happiness

a uvidio sam da prividna sreća

can stand in the way of true joy

može biti zapreka istinskoj sreći,

even more than misery does.

čak više od očaja.

Playing doubles in Japan really relieves me of all my anxiety,

Igranje u parovima u Japanu me doista oslobađa sve moguće tjeskobe,

and at the end of an evening,

a na kraju večeri,

I notice everybody is filing out in a more or less equal state of delight.

zamjećujem kako svi napuštaju klub u podjednakom stanju oduševljenja.

I'm reminded every night

Svaku večer se podsjećam

that not getting ahead isn't the same thing as falling behind

da ne napredovati ne znači isto što i nazadovati,

any more than not being lively is the same thing as being dead.

u istom smislu kao što ne biti živahan nije isto što i biti mrtav.

And I've come to understand why it is

Napokon sam shvatio zbog čega

that Chinese universities are said to offer degrees in ping-pong,

kineska sveučilišta nude diplome iz ping-ponga

and why researchers have found that ping-pong

i zbog čega su istraživači zaključili da ping-pong

can actually help a little with mild mental disorders

može pripomoći kod blagih mentalnih poremećaja,

and even autism.

čak i kod autizma.

But as I watch the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo,

Ali dok budem pratio Olimpijadu 2020. godine u Tokiju,

I'm going to be keenly aware

bit ću vrlo svjestan

that it won't be possible to tell who's won or who's lost

kako neće biti moguće ocijeniti tko je pobijedio ili izgubio

for a very long time.

vrlo dugo.

You remember that point I mentioned

Sjećate se kada sam spomenuo taj poen

that was said to last for two hours and 12 minutes?

koji je navodno trajao 2 sata i 12 minuta?

Well, one of the players from that game ended up, six years later,

Jedan od igrača iz te utakmice šest godina kasnije završio je

in the concentration camps of Auschwitz and Dachau.

u koncentracijskim logorima Auschwitzu i Dachauu.

But he walked out alive.

Ali izvukao se živ.

Why?

Zašto?

Simply because a guard in the gas chamber

Jednostavno zato što ga je čuvar u plinskoj komori

recognized him from his ping-pong playing days.

prepoznao iz njegovih dana igranja ping-ponga.

Had he been the winner of that epic match?

Je li on pobijedio u toj epskoj utakmici?

It hardly mattered.

To uopće nije bitno.

As you recall, many people had filed out before even the first point was concluded.

Sjetite se, puno ljudi je napustilo igru prije nego je taj prvi poen zaključen.

The only thing that saved him

Jedina stvar koja ga je spasila

was the fact that he took part.

bila je činjenica da je sudjelovao.

The best way to win any game,

Najbolji način za pobijediti u bilo kojoj igri,

Japan tells me every other night,

Japan mi to govori svake druge večeri,

is never, never to think about the score.

jest nikada, nikada ne misliti na rezultat.

Thank you.

Hvala.

(Applause)

(Pljesak)