Billy Graham: Technology, faith and human shortcomings

Traducător: Maria Tancu Corector: Augustin Colesnic

As a clergyman,

Ca și faţă bisericească,

you can imagine how

vă puteți imagina cum

out of place I feel.

ma simt de ne la locul meu.

I feel like a fish out of water,

Mă simt ca un peste pe uscat,

or maybe an owl out of the air.

sau ca o bufniţă luată din aer.

(Laughter)

(râsete)

I was preaching in San Jose some time ago,

Predicam în San Jose acum ceva vreme,

and my friend Mark Kvamme,

și prietenul meu Mark Kvamme,

who helped introduce me

care m-a prezentat prima dată

to this conference,

la aceasta conferință,

brought several CEOs

a adus mai mulți directori executivi

and leaders

și lideri

of some of the companies here in the Silicon Valley

ale unor companii aici în Silicon Valley

to have breakfast with me, or I with them.

sa ia micul dejun cu mine, sau eu cu ei.

And I was so stimulated.

Si am fost atât de stimulat.

And had such -- it was an

Si am avut o-- a fost o

eye-opening experience

experienta revelatoare

to hear them talk about

sa ii aud vorbind despre

the world that is yet to come

lumea care urmează sa vina

through technology

prin intermediul technologiei

and science.

si științei.

I know that we're near the end of this conference,

Știu ca suntem aproape de finalul acestei conferințe,

and some of you may be wondering

si ca unii dintre dumneavoastră probabil ca va întrebați

why they have a speaker

de ce au ales un vorbitor

from the field of religion.

din domeniul religiei.

Richard can answer that,

Richard va poate răspunde la aceasta întrebare,

because he made that decision.

pentru ca el a luat aceasta decizie.

But some years ago I was on an elevator in Philadelphia,

Acum câțiva ani eram într-un lift în Philadelphia,

coming down.

coborând.

I was to address a conference

Aveam de facut o prezentare la o conferință

at a hotel.

într-un hotel.

And on that elevator a man said,

Si în acel lift un domn mi-a spus,

"I hear Billy Graham is staying in this hotel."

" am auzit ca Billy Graham sta în acest hotel".

And another man looked in my direction and said,

Si un alt domn s-a uitat in direcția mea si a spus,

"Yes, there he is. He's on this elevator with us."

"Da, uite-l. E in acest lift cu noi."

And this man looked me up and down

Si acest om m-a privit de sus pana jos

for about 10 seconds,

pentru vreo 10 secunde,

and he said, "My, what an anticlimax!"

si a spus, "vai, ce anti climax!"

(Laughter)

(râsete)

I hope

Sper--

that you won't feel that these few moments with me

ca nu veți simți ca aceste puține momente alături de mine

is not a -- is an anticlimax,

nu este un-- este un anti climax

after all these tremendous

dupa toata aceasta uriasa

talks that you've heard,

monumentale pe care le-am ascultat,

and addresses, which I intend to listen to every one of them.

și adresări, pe care am de gând sa le ascult pe toate.

But I was

Dar eram

on an airplane in the east some years ago,

într-un avion în Est acum câțiva ani,

and the man sitting across the aisle from me

iar domnul care era așezat de partea cealaltă a culoarului fata de mine

was the mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina.

era primarul din Charlotte, Carolina de Nord.

His name was John Belk. Some of you will probably know him.

Numele sau era John Belk. Unii dintre dumneavoastră probabil îl cunosc.

And there was a drunk man on there,

Si era acolo un om beat,

and he got up out of his seat two or three times,

si s-a ridicat de câteva ori din scaun,

and he was making everybody upset

si supăra pe toata lumea

by what he was trying to do.

prin ceea ce încerca sa facă,

And he was slapping the stewardess

si o plesnea pe stewardesa

and pinching her as she went by,

si o ciupea cand trecea pe langa el,

and everybody was upset with him.

si toata lumea era suparata pe el.

And finally, John Belk said,

Si intr-un final,John Belk a spus:

"Do you know who's sitting here?"

"Stii cine sta in acest scaun?"

And the man said, "No, who?"

Si omul a raspuns, "Nu, cine?"

He said, "It's Billy Graham,

si el a spus,"este Billy Graham,

the preacher."

predicatorul".

He said, "You don't say!"

Acesta a raspuns: : "Nu mai spune!"

And he turned to me, and he said, "Put her there!"

Si s-a intors catre mine si a spus," Pune-o acolo!"

He said, "Your sermons have certainly helped me."

A spus: " Predicile dumneavoastră m-au ajutat cu siguranță."

(Laughter)

(râsete)

And I suppose that that's true

Si presupun ca este adevărat

with thousands of people.

pentru mii de oameni.

(Laughter)

(râsete)

I know that as you have been peering into the future,

Știu ca în timp ce v-ați închipuit viitorul,

and as we've heard some of it here tonight,

si în timp ce am auzit o parte din el în seara aceasta,

I would like to live in that age

mi-ar plăcea sa trăiesc în acea vreme

and see what is going to be.

si sa vad ce va fi.

But I won't,

Dar nu o voi face,

because I'm 80 years old. This is my eightieth year,

pentru ca am 80 de ani, acesta este al 80ilea an,

and I know that my time is brief.

si știu ca timpul meu este scurt.

I have phlebitis at the moment, in both legs,

Am in acest moment flebita la ambele picioare,

and that's the reason that I had to have a little help in getting up here,

si acesta este motivul pentru care am avut nevoie de puțin ajutor ca sa vin aici sus,

because I have Parkinson's disease

pentru ca am boala Parkinson

in addition to that,

in completarea acesteia,

and some other problems that I won't talk about.

si alte cateva probleme de care nu voi discuta.

(Laughter)

(râsete)

But this is not the first time

Dar aceasta nu este prima data

that we've had a technological revolution.

când am avut o revoluție a tehnicii.

We've had others.

Am avut si altele.

And there's one that I want to talk about.

Si este una de care as vrea sa va povestesc.

In one generation,

Într-o generație,

the nation of the people of Israel

natiunea oamenilor din Israel

had a tremendous and dramatic change

au trecut prin schimbări uriașe și dramatice

that made them a great power in the Near East.

care i-au facut o mare putere in Estul Apropiat.

A man by the name of David

Un barbat pe nume David

came to the throne,

a venit la tron,

and King David became one of the great leaders

si Regele David a devenit unul dintre marii lideri

of his generation.

ai generației sale.

He was a man of tremendous leadership.

Acesta a fost un lider incredibil.

He had the favor of God with him.

Era in favorurile lui Dumnezeu.

He was a brilliant poet,

Era un poet stralucitor,

philosopher, writer, soldier --

filozof, scriitor, soldat,

with strategies in battle and conflict

cu strategii în luptă și conflict

that people study even today.

pe care oamenii incă le studiază şi astăzi.

But about two centuries before David,

Dar aproximativ două secole înaintea lui David,

the Hittites

Hitti

had discovered the secret

au descoperit secretul

of smelting and processing of iron,

topirii și procesării fierului,

and, slowly, that skill spread.

şi încet, această îndemânare s-a extins.

But they wouldn't allow the Israelis

Dar ei nu lăsau israelitii

to look into it, or to have any.

sa dezvolte domeniul sau sa aiba in posesie vreo bucatica.

But David changed all of that,

Dar David a schimbat aceste lucruri,

and he introduced the Iron Age

si a fost inițiatorul Epocii de Fier

to Israel.

in Israel.

And the Bible says that David laid up great stores of iron,

Si biblia spune ca David a pus pietre mari de fier,

and which archaeologists have found,

pe care arheologii le-au găsit,

that in present-day Palestine,

ca in Palestina zilelor noastre,

there are evidences of that generation.

exista dovezi ale acelei generații.

Now, instead of crude tools

Acum, in loc de unelte rudimentare

made of sticks and stones,

făcute din bețe si pietre,

Israel now had iron plows,

Israel avea acum pluguri de fier

and sickles, and hoes

si coase si unelte de arat

and military weapons.

si arme militare.

And in the course of one generation,

Si in decursul unei generații,

Israel was completely changed.

Israel s-a schimbat complet.

The introduction of iron, in some ways,

Introducerea fierului, in anumite feluri,

had an impact

a avut un impact

a little bit like the microchip

asemanator cu al microcipului

has had on our generation.

asupra generației noastre.

And

Si

David found

David a aflat

that there were many problems that technology could not solve.

ca exista mai multe probleme pe care tehnologia nu le poate rezolva.

There were many problems still left.

Rămăseseră încă probleme nerezolvate.

And they're still with us, and you haven't solved them,

Si încă le avem, si voi nu le-ați rezolvat încă,

and I haven't heard anybody here speak to that.

si nu am auzit pe nimeni aici sa pomenească despre asta.

How do we solve these three problems

Cum sa rezolvam aceste probleme

that I'd like to mention?

pe care as dori sa le menționez?

The first one that David saw

Prima pe care a văzut-o David

was human evil.

e aceea a răutății umane.

Where does it come from?

De unde provine aceasta?

How do we solve it?

Cum o rezolvam?

Over again and again

Iar si iar

in the Psalms,

in Psalmi,

which Gladstone said was the greatest book in the world,

pe care Gladstone o numeste cea mai buna carte din lume,

David describes the evils of the human race.

David descrie răul umanității.

And yet he says,

si totusi afirma,

"He restores my soul."

"El imi restabileste sufletul".

Have you ever thought about what a contradiction we are?

V-ati gandit vreodata cat de contradictorii suntem?

On one hand, we can probe the deepest secrets of the universe

Pe de o parte putem sa cercetam cele mai adanci secrete ale universului

and dramatically push back the frontiers of technology,

si sa impingem dramatic frontierele tehnologiei,

as this conference vividly demonstrates.

asa cum demonstreaza aceasta conferinta.

We've seen under the sea,

Am vazut sub mare,

three miles down,

trei mile adancime,

or galaxies hundreds of billions of years

sau galaxii sute de miliarde de ani

out in the future.

in viitor.

But on the other hand,

Dar pe de alta parte,

something is wrong.

ceva nu este in regula.

Our battleships,

Navele noastre de razboi,

our soldiers,

soldatii nostrii,

are on a frontier now,

sunt la o granita acum

almost ready to go to war

aproape pregatiti sa plece la razboi

with Iraq.

cu Irac.

Now, what causes this?

Acum, care este cauza?

Why do we have these wars in every generation,

De ce avem aceste războaie in fiecare generatie,

and in every part of the world?

si in fiecare parte a lumii?

And revolutions?

Si revolutii?

We can't get along with other people,

Nu ne putem intelege cu alti oameni,

even in our own families.

chiar si in cadrul familiei noastre.

We find ourselves in the paralyzing grip

Ne gasim in stransoarea paralizanta

of self-destructive habits we can't break.

a obiceiurilor destructive de care nu ne putem scapa.

Racism and injustice and violence sweep our world,

Rasismul si injustitia si violenta se intind pe tot globul,

bringing a tragic harvest of heartache and death.

aducand cu ele recolta de suflete indurerate si moarte.

Even the most sophisticated among us

Pana si cei mai sofisticati dintre noi

seem powerless to break this cycle.

parem neputinciosi sa rupem acest ciclu.

I would like to see Oracle

As dori sa vad Oracolul

take up that,

descurcându-se cu asta.

or

Sau

some other

alt

technological geniuses work on this.

geniu al tehnologiei ca se ocupa de asta.

How do we change man,

Cum schimbam omul

so that he doesn't lie and cheat,

ca sa nu mai minta sau sa înșele,

and our newspapers are not filled with stories

si ziarele sa nu mai fie pline de povesti

of fraud in business or labor

despre frauda in afaceri, munca,

or athletics or wherever?

sau competitii sportive sau orice?

The Bible says the problem is within us,

Biblia spune ca problema este înăuntrul nostru,

within our hearts and our souls.

inauntrul inimilor si sufletelor noastre.

Our problem is that we are separated

Problema noastra este ca suntem separati

from our Creator,

de creatorul nostru,

which we call God,

caruia ii spunem Dumnezeu,

and we need to have our souls restored,

si avem nevoie sa ni se restaureze sufletele,

something only God can do.

ceva ce doar Dumnezeu poate face.

Jesus said, "For out of the heart

Isus a spus" Din inima

come evil thoughts:

provin gandurile rele:

murders, sexual immorality,

crime, imoralitatea sexuala,

theft, false testimonies,

furturile, declaratiile mincinoase,

slander."

defamarea."

The British philosopher Bertrand Russell

Filozoful Englez Bertrand Russell

was not a religious man,

nu era un om religios,

but he said, "It's in our hearts that the evil lies,

dar a spus, "Raul salasluieste in inimile noastre,

and it's from our hearts

si din acestea

that it must be plucked out."

trebuie sa fie smuls."

Albert Einstein --

Albert Einstein --

I was just talking to someone, when I was speaking at Princeton,

Tocmai stateam de vorba cu cineva -- cand tineam prelegerea la Princeton

and I met

si am intalnit

Mr. Einstein.

pe domnul Einstein.

He didn't have a doctor's degree, because he said

Nu avea un doctorat, pentru ca spunea el

nobody was qualified to give him one.

nimeni nu este calificat sa ii dea o astfel de diploma.

(Laughter)

(Rasete)

But he made this statement.

Dar el a făcut aceasta declarație.

He said, "It's easier to denature plutonium

A spus," Este mai simplu sa detonezi plutoniu

than to denature the evil spirit of man."

decat sa denaturezi spiritul rau al omului."

And many of you, I'm sure,

Si multi dintre voi, sunt sigur,

have thought about that

s-au gandit la asta

and puzzled over it.

si si-au incretit mintea cu asta.

You've seen people

Ati vazut oameni

take beneficial technological advances,

care au luat avansari tehnologice benefice,

such as the Internet we've heard about tonight,

cum este si Internetul de care am auzit in seara aceasta,

and twist them into something corrupting.

si le-au transformat in ceva corupt.

You've seen brilliant people devise computer viruses

Ati vazut oameni sclipitori care au facut virusi informationali

that bring down whole systems.

si au dat jos sisteme intregi.

The Oklahoma City bombing was simple technology,

Atentatul cu bomba din Oklahoma a fost tehnologie simpla,

horribly used.

utilizata intr-un mod oribil.

The problem is not technology.

Problema nu este tehnologia.

The problem is the person or persons using it.

Problema este persoana care o utilizeaza.

King David said

Regele David spunea

that he knew the depths of his own soul.

ca stia adancimea propriului sau suflet.

He couldn't free himself from personal problems

Nu putea sa se elibereze de problemele personale

and personal evils

si raul personal

that included murder and adultery.

care includea crima si adulter.

Yet King David sought God's forgiveness,

Totusi regele Davit a cerut iertarea lui Dumnezeu,

and said, "You can restore my soul."

si a spus:" To poti sa imi restaurezi sufletul."

You see, the Bible teaches

Vedeti voi, Biblia ne invata

that we're more than a body and a mind.

ca suntem mai mult decat un corp si o minte.

We are a soul.

Suntem un suflet.

And there's something inside of us

Si este ceva inauntrul nostru

that is beyond our understanding.

care este mai departe de puterea noastra de intelegere.

That's the part of us that yearns

Aceea este partea din noi care cerseste

for God, or something more

dupa Dumnezeu, sau ceva mai mult

than we find in technology.

decat putem gasi in tehnologie.

Your soul is that part of you that

Sufletul vostru este partea din voi care

yearns for meaning in life,

tânjește după înțelesurile vieții,

and which seeks for something beyond this life.

si care cauta ceva după aceasta viata.

It's the part of you that yearns, really, for God.

Aceasta este partea care tânjește după Dumnezeu.

I find [that] young people all over the world

Am gasit ca tinerii din toata lumea

are searching for something.

cauta ceva.

They don't know what it is. I speak at many universities,

Ei nu stiu ce este. Eu tin prelegeri la multe universitati,

and I have many questions and answer periods, and

si am multe sesiuni de intrebari si raspunsuri, si --

whether it's Cambridge, or Harvard,

indiferent ca este Cambridge sau Harvard

or Oxford --

sau Oxford --

I've spoken at all of those universities.

Am tinut prelegeri la toate aceste universitati.

I'm going to Harvard in about three or four --

Ma duc la Harvard in aproximativ trei sau patru --

no, it's about two months from now --

nu, in doua luni de acum,

to give a lecture.

sa tin o prelegere.

And I'll be asked the same questions that I was asked

Si o sa fiu intrebat aceleasi lucruri care au mai fost intrebate

the last few times I've been there.

si in ultimele dati cand am fost acolo.

And it'll be on

Si va fi despre

these questions:

aceste intrebari:

where did I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going?

De unde vin? De ce sunt aici? Unde ma indrept?

What's life all about? Why am I here?

Care este rostul vietii? De ce sunt aici?

Even if you have no religious belief,

Chiar si daca nu esti o persoana religioasa

there are times when you wonder that there's something else.

sunt multe momente cand te intrebi daca nu cumva mai exista si altceva.

Thomas Edison also said,

Thomas Edison a spus de asemenea,

"When you see everything that happens in the world of science,

" Cand vezi tot ce se intampla in lumea stiintifica,

and in the working of the universe,

si modul de functionare a l universului,

you cannot deny that there's a captain on the bridge."

nu poti sa negi ca exista un capitan pe punte."

I remember once,

Imi aduc aminte ca odata,

I sat beside Mrs. Gorbachev

am stat lângă domnul Gorbaciov,

at a White House dinner.

la un dineu la Casa Alba.

I went to Ambassador Dobrynin, whom I knew very well.

M-am dus la ambasadorul Dobrînin, pe care îl cunoșteam foarte bine,

And I'd been to Russia several times under the Communists,

si fusesem in Rusia de mai multe ori sub comunisti,

and they'd given me marvelous freedom that I didn't expect.

si îmi acordaseră un grad de libertate neașteptat.

And I knew Mr. Dobrynin very well,

Si il cunosteam pe domnul Dobrînin foarte bine,

and I said,

şi am spus,

"I'm going to sit beside Mrs. Gorbachev tonight.

I sa iau loc langa doamna Gorbaciov in seara asta.

What shall I talk to her about?"

Despre ce sa vorbesc cu dansa?"

And he surprised me with the answer.

Si m-a surprins raspunsul sau.

He said, "Talk to her about religion and philosophy.

El mi-a raspuns," Vorbeste cu dansa despre religie si filozofie.

That's what she's really interested in."

De asta e interesata cu adevarat."

I was a little bit surprised, but that evening

Am fost un pic surprins, dar in acea seara

that's what we talked about,

despre asta am stat de vorba,

and it was a stimulating conversation.

si a fost o conversatie foarte placuta,

And afterward, she said,

si la final mi-a zis,

"You know, I'm an atheist,

" Stii, sunt ateista,

but I know that there's something up there

dar stiu ca este ceva acolo sus

higher than we are."

mai sus decat suntem noi."

The second problem

A doua problema

that King David realized he could not solve

pe care regele David a constientizat ca nu poate sa o rezolve

was the problem of human suffering.

este a suferintei umane.

Writing the oldest book in the world was Job,

Job era cel care scria cea mai veche carte din lume,

and he said,

si a spus,

"Man is born unto trouble as the sparks fly upward."

" Omul este predispus la probleme asa cum scanteile zboara in sus."

Yes, to be sure, science has done much to push back

Da, puteti fi siguri, stiinta a facut multe sa impinga inapoi

certain types of human suffering.

anumite tipuri de suferinta umana.

But I'm --

Dar sunt --

in a few months, I'll be 80 years of age.

in cateva luni voi avea 80 de ani.

I admit that I'm very grateful

Admit ca sunt foarte recunoscator

for all the medical advances

pentru toate avansurile medicinei

that have kept me in relatively good health

care m-au tinut in conditii de sanatate relativ buna

all these years.

toti acesti ani.

My doctors at the Mayo Clinic urged me

Doctorii mei de la Clinica Mayo m-au rugat

not to take this trip out here to this -- to be here.

sa nu fac aceasta calatorie catre -- sa fiu aici.

I haven't given a talk in nearly four months.

Nu am tinut o prelegere in mai bine de patru luni.

And when you speak as much as I do,

Si cand vorbesti atat de mult ca mine,

three or four times a day,

de trei patru ori pe zi,

you get rusty.

ruginesti.

That's the reason I'm using this podium

Acesta este motivul pentru care folosesc acest podium,

and using these notes.

si folosesc aceste notițe.

Every time you ever hear me on the television or somewhere,

De fiecare data cand ma auziti la televizor sau undeva,

I'm ad-libbing.

improvizez.

I'm not reading. I never read an address.

Nu citesc. Nu am citit niciodata un discurs.

I never read a speech or a talk or a lecture.

Nu am citit nicodata un discurs, sau o discutie, sau un curs.

I talk ad lib.

Eu vorbesc improvizand.

But tonight, I've

Dar in seara aceasta

got some notes here so that if

am cateva notite cu mine asa incat daca

I begin to forget,

incep sa uit,

which I do sometimes,

ceea ce mi se mai intampla cateodata,

I've got something I can turn to.

pot sa ma ajut de ele.

But even here among us,

Dar chiar si aici intre noi,

most --

cei mai multi --

in the most advanced society in the world,

in cea mai avansata societate din lume,

we have poverty.

avem saracie.

We have families that self-destruct,

Avem familii care se auto- distrug,

friends that betray us.

prieteni care ne insala increderea.

Unbearable psychological pressures bear down on us.

Ne apasa presiuni psihologice de neconceput.

I've never met a person in the world

Nu am intalnit nicio o persoana in lumea asta

that didn't have a problem

care sa nu fi avut o problema

or a worry.

sau o ingrijorare.

Why do we suffer? It's an age-old question

De ce suferim? Este o intrebare veche de secole

that we haven't answered.

careia nu i-am gasit raspuns.

Yet David again and again said

Totusi Davit a spus iar si iar

that he would turn to God.

ca putea sa se intoarca spre Dumnezeu.

He said, "The Lord is my shepherd."

El spunea, " Domnul este pastorul meu."

The final problem that David knew he could not solve

Problema finala pe care David stia ca nu poate sa o rezolve

was death.

era moartea.

Many commentators have said that death

Multi comentatori au spus ca moartea

is the forbidden subject of our generation.

este un subiect tabu al generatiei noastre.

Most people live as if

Multi traiesc ca si cand

they're never going to die.

nu vor muri niciodata.

Technology projects the myth

Tehnologia proiecteaza mitul

of control over our mortality.

controlului asupra mortalitatii.

We see people on our screens.

Vedem oameni pe ecranele noastre.

Marilyn Monroe is just as beautiful on the screen

Marilyn Monroe este la fel de frumoasa pe ecran

as she was in person,

pe cat era in persoana,

and our -- many young people think she's still alive.

si --multa lume crede ca inca este in viata.

They don't know that she's dead.

Ei nu stiu ca este moarta.

Or Clark Gable, or whoever it is.

Sau Clark Gable, sau cine o fi.

The old stars, they come to life.

Vechile stele. Ei prind viata.

And they're --

Si sunt --

they're just as great on that screen as they were in person.

Sunt la fel de grozavi pe ecran pe cat erau in persoana.

But death is inevitable.

Dar moartea este inevitabila.

I spoke some time ago to

Am vorbit acum ceva vreme

a joint session of Congress, last year.

intr-o sesiune reunita a congresului, anul trecut.

And we were meeting in that room,

Si eram intr-o sala de sedinte,

the statue room.

incaperea statuilor --

About 300 of them were there.

erau aproximativ 300 acolo.

And I said, "There's one thing that we have in common in this room,

Si am zis," Avem un lucru in comun in aceasta camera,

all of us together, whether Republican or Democrat,

toti la olalta, fie Republican sau Democrat,

or whoever."

sau orice altceva."

I said, "We're all going to die.

Am spus, " Toti o sa murim."

And we have that in common with all these great men of the past

Si avem asta in comun cu toti marii oameni din trecut

that are staring down at us."

care ne privesc din ceruri.

And it's often difficult for young people

Si este adesea dificil pentru tineri

to understand that.

sa inteleaga asta.

It's difficult for them to understand that they're going to die.

Este dificil pentru ei sa inteleaga ca vor muri.

As the ancient writer of Ecclesiastes wrote,

Asa cum scria un vechi Eclesiast,

he said, there's every activity under heaven.

el a spus, exista toate activitatile sub rai.

There's a time to be born,

Exista un timp sa te nasti,

and there's a time to die.

si un timp sa mori.

I've stood at the deathbed

Am stat la capul patului de moarte

of several famous people,

al mai multor oameni faimosi

whom you would know.

pe care poate ii cunoasteti.

I've talked to them.

Am stat de vorba cu ei.

I've seen them in those agonizing moments

I-am vazut in acele momente de agonie

when they were scared to death.

cand le era teama de moarte.

And yet, a few years earlier,

Si totusi, cativa ani mai devreme,

death never crossed their mind.

moartea nici nu le trecea prin cap.

I talked to a woman this past week

Am stat de vorba cu o doamna saptamana trecuta,

whose father

al carei tata

was a famous doctor.

era un doctor faimos.

She said he never thought of God, never talked about God,

Ea a spus ca el nu s-a gandit nicodata la Dumnezeu, nu a vorbit niciodata despre Dumnezeu,

didn't believe in God. He was an atheist.

nu a crezut in Dumnezeu. El era un ateist.

But she said,

Dar a spus,

as he came to die,

cand a venit timpul sa moara,

he sat up on the side of the bed one day,

s-a ridicat intr-o zi la marginea patului,

and he asked the nurse if he could see the chaplain.

si a intrebat infirmiera daca poate sa vada un preot.

And he said, for the first time in his life

Si aceasta a fost prima data in viata sa

he'd thought about the inevitable,

cand s-a gandit la inevitabil,

and about God.

si la Dumnezeu.

Was there a God?

Exista un Dumnezeu?

A few years ago, a university student asked me,

Acum cativa ani, un student m-a intrebat

"What is the greatest surprise in your life?"

"care a fost cea mai mare surpriza a vietii tale?"

And I said, "The greatest surprise in my life

Si eu am raspuns ca cea mai mare surpriza a vietii mele

is the brevity of life.

a fost cat de scurta e viata.

It passes so fast."

Trece atat de repede.

But it does not need to have to be that way.

Dar nu trebuie sa fie neaparat asa.

Wernher von Braun,

Werner von Braun,

in the aftermath of World War II concluded, quote:

la finalul razboiului al doilea mondial a afirmat:

"science and religion are not antagonists.

" Stiinta si religia nu sint antagonice.

On the contrary, they're sisters."

Dimpotriva, sunt surori."

He put it on a personal basis.

El a spus asta intr-o nota personala.

I knew Dr. von Braun very well.

L-am cunoscut pe Dr. Von Braun foarte bine.

And he said, "Speaking for myself,

Si el a spus, " Vorbind despre sine,

I can only say that the grandeur of the cosmos

Pot sa spun doar ca grandoarea cosmosului

serves only to confirm

servește doar sa confirme

a belief in the certainty of a creator."

credința sigura despre existenta unui creator

He also said,

El a spus de asemenea,

"In our search to know God,

" In căutarea noastră de a-l cunoaște pe Dumnezeu,

I've come to believe that the life of Jesus Christ

am ajuns sa cred ca viata lui Isus Cristos

should be the focus of our efforts and inspiration.

ar trebui sa fie focus-ul eforturilor și inspirației noastre.

The reality of this life and His resurrection

Realitatea vieții sale si învierea Sa

is the hope of mankind."

reprezinta speranta omenirii."

I've done a lot of speaking in Germany

Am ținut destule prelegeri în Germania

and in France, and in different parts of the world --

și în Franța, și în părți diferite ale lumii --

105 countries it's been my privilege to speak in.

am avut privilegiul sa vorbesc în 105 tari.

And I was invited one day to visit

Si am fost invitat intr-o zi sa-l vizitez

Chancellor Adenauer,

pe cancelarul Adenauer

who was looked upon as sort of the founder of modern Germany,

care era privit ca un fondator al Germaniei moderne

since the war.

de dupa razboi.

And he once -- and he said to me,

Si el mi-a zis o data -- si el mi-a zis,

he said, "Young man." He said,

a zis," Tinere, a zis,

"Do you believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ?"

"crezi in invierea lui Isus Cristos?"

And I said, "Sir, I do."

Si eu am raspuns, " Domnule, da."

He said, "So do I."

El a zis," Si eu la fel."

He said, "When I leave office,

El a zis, " când mi se va termina mandatul,

I'm going to spend my time writing a book

o sa imi petrec timpul scriind o carte

on why Jesus Christ rose again,

despre de ce a inviat Isus Cristos,

and why it's so important to believe that."

si de ce este atat de important sa credem in asta."

In one of his plays,

In una dintre piesele sale,

Alexander Solzhenitsyn

Alexander Solzhenitsyn

depicts a man dying,

descrie un om pe moarte,

who says to those gathered around his bed,

care spune celor adunati in jurul patului sau,

"The moment when it's terrible to feel regret

" Momentul cand este groaznic sa regreti ceva

is when one is dying."

este cand esti pe moarte."

How should one live in order not to feel regret when one is dying?

Cum ar trebui oamenii sa traiasca asa incat sa nu regrete nimic cand sunt pe moarte?

Blaise Pascal

Blaise Pascal

asked exactly that question

a pus exact aceasta intrebare

in seventeenth-century France.

in Franta secolului 17.

Pascal has been called the architect

Pascal fusese numit arhitectul

of modern civilization.

civilizatiei moderne.

He was a brilliant scientist

Era un om de stiinta sclipitor

at the frontiers of mathematics,

la frontiera matematicii,

even as a teenager.

chiar din tinerete.

He is viewed by many as the founder of the probability theory,

Este privit de multi ca fondatorul teoriei probabilitatilor,

and a creator of the first model of a computer.

si creatorul primului model de computer.

And of course, you are all familiar with

Si bineinteles ca sunteti familiari cu

the computer language named for him.

limbajul de calculator care ii poarta numele.

Pascal explored in depth our human dilemmas

Pascal a explorat in adancime dilemele umane

of evil, suffering and death.

ale raului, suferintei si mortii.

He was astounded

A fost uimit

at the phenomenon we've been considering:

vazand fenomenul amintit de noi:

that people can achieve extraordinary heights

ca oamenii pot atinge culmi extraordinare

in science, the arts and human enterprise,

in stiinta, arta, intreprinderea umana,

yet they also are full of anger, hypocrisy

dar sunt in aceeasi masura plini de suparari, hipocrizie,

and have -- and self-hatreds.

si au -- si ura de sine.

Pascal saw us as a remarkable mixture

Pascal ne-a vazut ca pe o mixtura remarcabila

of genius and self-delusion.

de geniu si auto-iluzii.

On November 23,

Pe 23 noiembrie,

1654,

1654,

Pascal had a profound religious experience.

Pascal avea o experienta religioasa profunda.

He wrote in his journal these words:

El a scris in jurnalul sau urmatoarele cuvinte:

"I submit myself,

" Ma las,

absolutely,

complet,

to Jesus Christ, my redeemer."

lui Isus Cristos, salvatorul meu."

A French historian said,

Un istoric francez a zis,

two centuries later,

doua secole mai tarziu,

"Seldom has so mighty an intellect

" Rareori un intelect atat de mare

submitted with such humility

s-a lasat cu atata umilinta

to the authority of Jesus Christ."

in autoritatea lui Isus Cristos."

Pascal came to believe not only the love and the grace of God

Pascal a ajuns sa creada nu doar ca dragostea si gratia lui Dumnezeu

could bring us back into harmony,

pot sa ne readuca in armonie,

but he believed

dar credea

that his own sins and failures could be forgiven,

ca propriile pacate si nereusite pot fi iertate,

and that when he died he would go to a place called heaven.

si ca atunci cand moare ar putea merge intr-un loc numit Rai.

He experienced it in a way that went beyond

El a trait asta intr-un fel care a trecut de

scientific observation and reason.

observarea stiintifica si ratiune.

It was he who penned the well-known words,

El a fost cel care a scris foarte cunoscutele cuvinte,

"The heart has its reasons,

" Inima are motivele ei

which reason knows not of."

de care ratiunea nu stie nimic."

Equally well known is Pascal's Wager.

La fel de cunoscut este pariul lui Pascal.

Essentially, he said this: "if you bet on God,

In esenta el a spus: " Daca pariezi pe Dumnezeu,

and open yourself to his love,

si te deschizi dragostei lui,

you lose nothing, even if you're wrong.

nu pierzi nimic nici daca nu ai dreptate.

But if instead you bet that there is no God,

Dar daca pariezi ca nu exista Dumnezeu,

then you can lose it all, in this life and the life to come."

atunci pierzi tot, in aceasta viata si in cea care urmeaza."

For Pascal, scientific knowledge

Pentru Pascal, cunostiintele stiintifice

paled beside the knowledge of God.

paleau in fata cunostiintelor despre Dumnezeu.

The knowledge of God was far beyond

Cunostiintele despre Dumnezeu erau mult peste

anything that ever crossed his mind.

orice i-a trecut vreodata prin minte.

He was ready to face him

El era pregatit sa ii faca fata

when he died at the age of 39.

cand a murit la 39 de ani.

King David lived to be 70,

Regele David care a trait pana la 70--

a long time in his era.

mult pentru era sa.

Yet he too had to face death,

Dar si el a trebuit sa faca fata mortii,

and he wrote these words:

si a scris urmatoarele cuvinte:

"even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

" Desi trec prin mijlocul vaii umbrelor mortii,

I will fear no evil,

nu ma voi teme de rau,

for you are with me."

pentru ca TU esti cu mine."

This was David's answer to three dilemmas

Acesta a fost raspunsul lui David pentru cele trei dileme

of evil, suffering and death.

ale raului, suferintei si mortii.

It can be yours, as well,

Poate fi si a voastra, de asemenea,

as you seek the living God

in timp ce il cautati pe Dumnezeu

and allow him to fill your life

si il lasati sa patrunda in viata voastra

and give you hope for the future.

si sa va dea speranta pentru viitor.

When I was 17 years of age,

Cand aveam 17 ani,

I was born and reared on a farm in North Carolina.

Am fost nascut si crescut in Carolina de Nord.

I milked cows every morning, and I had to milk the same cows every evening

Am muls vaci in fiecare dimineata, si a trebuit sa mulg aceleasi vaci in fiecare seara

when I came home from school.

dupa ce ma intorceam de la scoala,

And there were 20 of them that I had --

si erau 20 pe care trebuia sa le--

that I was responsible for,

de care eram responsabil,

and I worked on the farm

si lucram la ferma

and tried to keep up with my studies.

si incercam sa fac fata si studiilor mele.

I didn't make good grades in high school.

Nu am avut note bune in liceu.

I didn't make them in college, until

Nu am avut nici in facultate, pana cand

something happened in my heart.

ceva s-a intamplat in inima mea.

One day, I was faced face-to-face

Intr-o zi, am fost pus fata in fata

with Christ.

cu Cristos.

He said, "I am the way, the truth and the life."

El mi-a spus, " Eu sunt calea, adevarul si viata."

Can you imagine that? "I am the truth.

Va puteti imagina asta? " Eu sunt adevarul.

I'm the embodiment of all truth."

Eu sunt întruchiparea tuturor adevărurilor."

He was a liar.

Era un mincinos.

Or he was insane.

Sau era nebun.

Or he was what he claimed to be.

Sau era ceea ce spunea ca e.

Which was he?

Care dintre acestea era el?

I had to make that decision.

Trebuia sa iau aceasta decizie.

I couldn't prove it.

Nu putea sa dovedesc nimic.

I couldn't take it to a laboratory

Nu puteam sa ma duc la un laborator

and experiment with it.

si sa fac experimente pe aceasta tema

But by faith I said, I believe him,

Dar prin credinta am spus, ca il cred pe El,

and he came into my heart

si El a venit in inima mea

and changed my life.

si mi-a schimbat viata.

And now I'm ready,

Si acum sunt gata,

when I hear that call,

cand ii aud schemarea,

to go into the presence of God.

sa ma duc in prezenta lui Dumnezeu.

Thank you, and God bless all of you.

Va multumesc, si Dumnezeu sa va binecuvanteze pe toti.

(Applause)

(aplauze)

Thank you for the privilege. It was great.

Va multumesc pentru acest privilegiu. A fost frumos.

Richard Wurman: You did it.

Richard Wurman: Ai reusit.

Thanks.

Multumesc(neclar)

(Applause)

(Aplauze)