Jared Diamond: How societies can grow old better

Translator: Klavdija Cernilogar Reviewer: Snežana Stone

To give me an idea of how many of you here

Da bom bolje vedel,

may find what I'm about to tell you

koliko vas bo v moji zgodbi

of practical value,

videlo praktični pomen,

let me ask you please to raise your hands:

vas prosim, da odgovorite z dvigom roke:

Who here is either over 65 years old

Kdo od vas je bodisi starejši od 65 let

or hopes to live past age 65

ali si želi živeti dlje kot do 65. leta

or has parents or grandparents who did live

ali ima starše ali stare starše, ki so bili

or have lived past 65,

ali so starejši od 65 let?

raise your hands please. (Laughter)

Prosim, dvignite roko. (Smeh)

Okay. You are the people to whom my talk

Prav. Za vas bo moj govor

will be of practical value. (Laughter)

imel praktični pomen. (Smeh)

The rest of you

Za ostale med vami

won't find my talk personally relevant,

zgodba ne bo imela takega pomena,

but I think that you will still find the subject

a menim, da vas bo tema

fascinating.

vseeno navdušila.

I'm going to talk about growing older

Govoril bom o staranju

in traditional societies.

v tradicionalnih družbah.

This subject constitutes just one chapter

Tema predstavlja le eno poglavje

of my latest book, which compares

moje zadnje knjige, ki tradicionalne,

traditional, small, tribal societies

majhne plemenske družbe primerja

with our large, modern societies,

z našimi velikimi modernimi družbami,

with respect to many topics

in sicer v več pogledih,

such as bringing up children,

kot so denimo vzgoja otrok,

growing older, health, dealing with danger,

staranje, zdravje, soočanje z nevarnostjo,

settling disputes, religion

reševanje sporov, vera

and speaking more than one language.

in obvladanje več kot enega jezika.

Those tribal societies, which constituted

Plemenske družbe, ki so bile večino zgodovine

all human societies for most of human history,

edina oblika življenja človeške družbe,

are far more diverse than are our modern,

so veliko bolj raznolike kot naše moderne,

recent, big societies.

mlade, velike družbe.

All big societies that have governments,

Vse velike družbe, ki jih upravljajo vlade

and where most people are strangers to each other,

in kjer so si ljudje med seboj večinoma tujci,

are inevitably similar to each other

so si podobne,

and different from tribal societies.

a so drugačne od plemenskih družb.

Tribes constitute thousands of natural experiments

Plemena predstavljajo na tisoče naravnih poskusov,

in how to run a human society.

kako upravljati človeško družbo.

They constitute experiments from which we ourselves

So poskusi, iz katerih

may be able to learn.

se lahko tudi mi učimo.

Tribal societies shouldn't be scorned

Plemenskih družb ne velja zaničevati

as primitive and miserable,

kot primitivne in uboge,

but also they shouldn't be romanticized

a tudi olepševati jih ni treba,

as happy and peaceful.

kot da so srečne in miroljubne.

When we learn of tribal practices,

Ko spoznavamo plemenske navade,

some of them will horrify us,

se bomo ob določenih zgrozili,

but there are other tribal practices which,

obstajajo pa tudi take,

when we hear about them,

ki jih bomo, ko jih spoznamo,

we may admire and envy

občudovali in jim zavidali

and wonder whether we could adopt those practices

ter se vprašali, ali jih ne bi mogli

ourselves.

tudi mi osvojiti.

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

Večina starih ljudi v ZDA

separately from their children

živi ločeno od svojih otrok

and from most of their friends

in od večine svojih prijateljev

of their earlier years,

iz preteklih let.

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

Pogosto živijo v ločenih domovih za ostarele,

whereas in traditional societies,

medtem ko v tradicionalnih družbah

older people instead live out their lives

stari ljudje preživijo življenje

among their children, their other relatives,

med svojimi otroki, drugimi sorodniki

and their lifelong friends.

in prijatelji.

Nevertheless, the treatment of the elderly

Vendar pa se obnašanje do starejših

varies enormously among traditional societies,

v tradicionalnih družbah zelo razlikuje –

from much worse to much better

od veliko slabšega do veliko boljšega –

than in our modern societies.

od obnašanja v modernih družbah.

At the worst extreme, many traditional societies

V najslabšem primeru se mnoge tradicionalne družbe

get rid of their elderly

svojih starejših znebijo

in one of four increasingly direct ways:

na enega od štirih načinov, kjer je vsak bolj neposreden od prejšnjega:

by neglecting their elderly

starejše zapostavljajo,

and not feeding or cleaning them until they die,

jih ne hranijo ali umivajo, dokler ne umrejo,

or by abandoning them when the group moves,

jih ne vzamejo s seboj, ko se skupina preseli,

or by encouraging older people to commit suicide,

jih spodbujajo k samomoru,

or by killing older people.

ali jih ubijejo.

In which tribal societies do children

V katerih plemenskih družbah

abandon or kill their parents?

otroci zapustijo ali ubijejo svoje starše?

It happens mainly under two conditions.

Večinoma se zgodi v dveh primerih.

One is in nomadic, hunter-gather societies

Eno so nomadske, lovsko-nabiralniške družbe,

that often shift camp

ki se pogosto selijo

and that are physically incapable

in fizično ne morejo

of transporting old people who can't walk

nositi starih, ki ne morejo hoditi,

when the able-bodied younger people already

saj morajo zdravi mlajši ljudje

have to carry their young children

nositi svoje majhne otroke

and all their physical possessions.

in vso svojo lastnino.

The other condition is in societies

Drugi primer so družbe,

living in marginal or fluctuating environments,

ki živijo v marginalnih ali spremenljivih okoljih,

such as the Arctic or deserts,

kot so Arktika ali puščave,

where there are periodic food shortages,

kjer prihaja do občasnega pomanjkanja hrane

and occasionally there just isn't enough food

in od časa do časa preprosto ni dovolj hrane,

to keep everyone alive.

da bi vsi preživeli.

Whatever food is available has to be reserved

Hrana, ki je na voljo, mora biti namenjena

for able-bodied adults and for children.

zdravim odraslim in otrokom.

To us Americans, it sounds horrible

Nam, Američanom, se zdi grozno

to think of abandoning or killing

pomisliti na to, da bi zapustili ali ubili

your own sick wife or husband

lastno bolno ženo ali moža

or elderly mother or father,

ali ostarelo mater ali očeta,

but what could those traditional societies

toda kako bi te tradicionalne družbe

do differently?

lahko delovale drugače?

They face a cruel situation of no choice.

Pred seboj imajo kruto resničnost in nobene izbire.

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

Njihovi stari ljudje so morali enako storiti svojim staršem

and the old people know

in stari ljudje vedo,

what now is going to happen to them.

kaj se bo zgodilo z njimi.

At the opposite extreme

Druga skrajnost

in treatment of the elderly, the happy extreme,

pri ravnanju s starejšimi, srečna skrajnost,

are the New Guinea farming societies

je v navadi med kmetijskimi družbami na Novi Gvineji,

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

kjer delam na terenu zadnjih 50 let,

and most other sedentary traditional societies

ter v večini drugih stalno naseljenih družb

around the world.

po vsem svetu.

In those societies, older people are cared for.

Te družbe skrbijo za stare ljudi.

They are fed. They remain valuable.

Hranijo jih. Priznavajo jim pomen.

And they continue to live in the same hut

In ti ljudje še vedno živijo v isti kolibi

or else in a nearby hut near their children,

s svojimi otroki, ali nekje blizu njih,

relatives and lifelong friends.

blizu sorodnikov in prijateljev.

There are two main sets of reasons for this variation

Dve skupini razlogov obstajata za razliko

among societies in their treatment

v tem, kako družbe ravnajo

of old people.

s starimi ljudmi.

The variation depends especially

Razlika je odvisna predvsem

on the usefulness of old people

od tega, kako koristni so stari ljudje

and on the society's values.

in kakšne so družbene vrednote.

First, as regards usefulness,

V smislu koristnosti

older people continue to perform useful services.

stari ljudje še naprej opravljajo uporabna dela.

One use of older people in traditional societies

Eden od prispevkov starih ljudi v tradicionalnih družbah

is that they often are still effective

je v tem, da pogosto še vedno

at producing food.

lahko pripravljajo hrano.

Another traditional usefulness of older people

Druga tradicionalna korist starih ljudi je,

is that they are capable of babysitting

da lahko varujejo

their grandchildren,

svoje vnuke,

thereby freeing up their own adult children,

s čimer pustijo čas svojim otrokom,

the parents of those grandchildren,

staršem teh vnukov,

to go hunting and gathering food for the grandchildren.

da gredo lovit in nabirat hrano za vnuke.

Still another traditional value of older people

Še ena tradicionalna uporabnost starih ljudi

is in making tools, weapons, baskets,

je v izdelavi orodij, orožij, košar,

pots and textiles.

loncev in tekstila.

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

Pravzaprav so ponavadi najbolj vešči takih del.

Older people usually are the leaders

Starejši so ponavadi voditelji

of traditional societies,

tradicionalnih družb

and the people most knowledgeable about politics,

in se najbolj spoznajo na politiko,

medicine, religion, songs and dances.

medicino, vero, pesmi in ples.

Finally, older people in traditional societies

Konec koncev je pomen starih ljudi

have a huge significance that would never occur

v tradicionalnih družbah tudi v nečem,

to us in our modern, literate societies,

kar v modernih pismenih družbah ni potrebno,

where our sources of information are books

saj so naši viri informacij knjige

and the Internet.

in internet.

In contrast, in traditional societies without writing,

V tradicionalnih družbah brez pisnih virov

older people are the repositories of information.

starejši ljudje hranijo informacije.

It's their knowledge that spells the difference

Njihovo znanje pomeni razliko

between survival and death for their whole society

med preživetjem in smrtjo celotne družbe,

in a time of crisis caused by rare events

kadar pride do krize zaradi redkih dogodkov,

for which only the oldest people alive

v katerih imajo izkušnje

have had experience.

samo najstarejši ljudje.

Those, then, are the ways in which older people

Na take načine so torej starejši

are useful in traditional societies.

uporabni v tradicionalnih družbah.

Their usefulness varies and contributes

Njihova koristnost se razlikuje in pripomore

to variation in the society's treatment

k raznolikosti v tem, kako družba

of the elderly.

obravnava starejše.

The other set of reasons for variation

Druga skupina razlogov za razlike

in the treatment of the elderly is

pri obnašanju do starejših

the society's cultural values.

leži v kulturnih vrednotah družbe.

For example, there's particular emphasis

Na primer, v Vzhodni Aziji velik pomen dajejo

on respect for the elderly in East Asia,

spoštovanju starejših,

associated with Confucius' doctrine

kar je povezano s Konfucijevo doktrino

of filial piety, which means obedience,

o predanosti otrok, kar pomeni uboganje,

respect and support for elderly parents.

spoštovanje in podpiranje starejših ljudi.

Cultural values that emphasize respect for older people

Kulturne vrednote, ki izpostavljajo spoštovanje starejših,

contrast with the low status of the elderly

so v nasprotju z nizkim položajem starejših

in the U.S.

v ZDA.

Older Americans are at a big disadvantage

Starejši Američani so v slabšem položaju

in job applications.

pri potegovanju za službe.

They're at a big disadvantage in hospitals.

V slabšem položaju so v bolnišnicah.

Our hospitals have an explicit policy

Naše bolnišnice izrecno sledijo

called age-based allocation of healthcare resources.

principu dodeljevanja zdravstvenih sredstev glede na starost.

That sinister expression means that

Ta temačni pristop pomeni,

if hospital resources are limited,

da če so bolnišnični viri omejeni,

for example if only one donor heart

denimo če je na voljo za presaditev

becomes available for transplant,

le srce enega darovalca,

or if a surgeon has time to operate

ali če ima kirurg čas operirati

on only a certain number of patients,

samo določeno število bolnikov,

American hospitals have an explicit policy

ameriške bolnišnice sledijo izrecni politiki

of giving preference to younger patients

dajanja prednosti mladim bolnikom

over older patients

in ne starejšim,

on the grounds that younger patients are considered

saj naj bi bili mlajši bolniki

more valuable to society

za družbo vredni več,

because they have more years of life ahead of them,

ker imajo pred seboj daljše življenje,

even though the younger patients have fewer years

čeprav imajo mlajši za seboj

of valuable life experience behind them.

manj let koristnih izkušenj.

There are several reasons for this low status

Za tako nizek položaj starejših v ZDA

of the elderly in the U.S.

obstaja več razlogov.

One is our Protestant work ethic

Eden je v naši protestantski delovni etiki,

which places high value on work,

ki daje veliko vrednost delu,

so older people who are no longer working

zato starejši, ki ne delajo več,

aren't respected.

niso spoštovani.

Another reason is our American emphasis

Še en razlog leži v ameriškem poudarku

on the virtues of self-reliance and independence,

na vrednotah samozadostnosti in samostojnosti,

so we instinctively look down on older people

zato nagonsko manj cenimo starejše,

who are no longer self-reliant and independent.

ki niso več samozadostni in samostojni.

Still a third reason is our American cult of youth,

Tretji razlog je ameriški kult mladosti,

which shows up even in our advertisements.

ki se kaže celo v oglaševanju.

Ads for Coca-Cola and beer always depict

Oglasi za kokakolo in pivo vedno prikazujejo

smiling young people,

smehljajoče se mlade ljudi,

even though old as well as young people

čeprav tako stari kot mladi

buy and drink Coca-Cola and beer.

kupujejo in pijejo kokakolo in pivo.

Just think, what's the last time you saw

Pomislite, kdaj ste nazadnje videli

a Coke or beer ad depicting smiling people

oglas za kolo ali pivo, s katerega se smehljajo

85 years old? Never.

85-letniki? Nikoli.

Instead, the only American ads

Namesto tega so edini ameriški oglasi,

featuring white-haired old people

v katerih nastopajo belolasi stari ljudje,

are ads for retirement homes and pension planning.

tisti za domove za ostarele in za načrtovanje pokojnine.

Well, what has changed in the status

Kaj je danes drugače

of the elderly today

pri statusu starejših

compared to their status in traditional societies?

v primerjavi s tistim v tradicionalnih družbah?

There have been a few changes for the better

Nekaj stvari se je izboljšalo,

and more changes for the worse.

nekaj pa poslabšalo.

Big changes for the better

Velike spremembe na boljše so,

include the fact that today we enjoy

da danes

much longer lives,

živimo veliko dlje,

much better health in our old age,

v starosti smo bolj zdravi

and much better recreational opportunities.

in imamo boljše možnosti za rekreacijo.

Another change for the better is that we now have

Še ena izboljšava je, da imamo

specialized retirement facilities

specializirane storitve in programe

and programs to take care of old people.

za skrb za starejše.

Changes for the worse begin with the cruel reality

Na slabše pa gre zaradi krute realnosti,

that we now have

da imamo dandanes

more old people and fewer young people

več starih in manj mladih ljudi

than at any time in the past.

kot kadarkoli prej.

That means that all those old people

To pomeni, da so vsi ti stari ljudje

are more of a burden on the few young people,

večje breme za manj mladih ljudi

and that each old person has less individual value.

in vsak star posameznik ima manjšo individualno vrednost.

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

Sprememba na slabše pri statusu starejših

is the breaking of social ties with age,

je tudi v prekinitvi socialnih vezi, ki jih prinese starost,

because older people, their children,

saj se starejši, njihovi otroci

and their friends,

in prijatelji

all move and scatter independently of each other

selijo in razpršijo neodvisno od drugih,

many times during their lives.

in to večkrat tekom življenja.

We Americans move on the average

Američani se povprečno preselimo

every five years.

vsakih pet let.

Hence our older people are likely

Zato naši starejši ljudje pogosto

to end up living distant from their children

pristanejo nekje daleč od otrok

and the friends of their youth.

ter od prijateljev iz mladosti.

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

Poslabšanje statusa starejših

is formal retirement from the workforce,

je povezano tudi z upokojitvijo,

carrying with it a loss of work friendships

ki prinese izgubo prijateljstev z dela

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

ter izgubo samozavesti, povezane z delom.

Perhaps the biggest change for the worse

Največje poslabšanje je morda v tem,

is that our elderly are objectively

da so starejši objektivno gledano

less useful than in traditional societies.

manj uporabni kot v tradicionalnih družbah.

Widespread literacy means that they are no longer

Razširjena pismenost pomeni,

useful as repositories of knowledge.

da niso več potrebni kot hranilci znanja.

When we want some information,

Kadar potrebujemo informacije,

we look it up in a book or we Google it

jih poiščemo v knjigi ali z googlom,

instead of finding some old person to ask.

namesto da bi šli vprašat starega človeka.

The slow pace of technological change

Počasen razvoj tehnologije

in traditional societies

v tradicionalnih družbah

means that what someone learns there as a child

pomeni, da kar se otrok nauči,

is still useful when that person is old,

bo še vedno uporabno, ko ostari.

but the rapid pace of technological change today

Današnji hiter tehnološki razvoj

means that what we learn as children

pa pomeni, da kar se naučimo kot otroci,

is no longer useful 60 years later.

60 let kasneje ni več uporabno.

And conversely, we older people are not fluent

In obratno, starejši nismo na tekočem

in the technologies essential for surviving

s tehnologijami, potrebnimi za preživetje

in modern society.

v moderni družbi.

For example, as a 15-year-old,

Kot petnajstletnik, na primer,

I was considered outstandingly good at multiplying numbers

sem bil izjemno dober pri poštevanki,

because I had memorized the multiplication tables

ker sem se je naučil na pamet,

and I know how to use logarithms

in znal sem uporabljati logaritme

and I'm quick at manipulating a slide rule.

ter bil hiter pri uporabi ravnila.

Today, though, those skills are utterly useless

Danes so te veščine povsem neuporabne,

because any idiot

saj lahko vsak bebec

can now multiply eight-digit numbers

natančno zmnoži šestmestna števila

accurately and instantly with a pocket calculator.

v trenutku, s pomočjo žepnega kalkulatorja.

Conversely, I at age 75

Po drugi strani sem pri 75. letih

am incompetent at skills

nesposoben pri veščinah,

essential for everyday life.

nujnih v vsakdanjem življenju.

My family's first TV set in 1948

Prvi družinski televizor leta 1948

had only three knobs that I quickly mastered:

je imel samo tri gumbe, ki sem jih hitro obvladal:

an on-off switch, a volume knob,

gumb za prižiganje/ugašanje, gumb za glasnost

and a channel selector knob.

in gumb za izbiro kanala.

Today, just to watch a program

Danes za ogled programa

on the TV set in my own house,

na televiziji v svojem domu

I have to operate a 41-button TV remote

potrebujem daljinec z 41 gumbi,

that utterly defeats me.

kar me čisto uniči.

I have to telephone my 25-year-old sons

Poklicati moram 25-letne sinove

and ask them to talk me through it

in jih prositi, naj me vodijo,

while I try to push those wretched 41 buttons.

ko skušam obvladati teh presnetih 41 gumbov.

What can we do to improve the lives of the elderly

Kako lahko izboljšamo življenja starejših

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

v ZDA in bolje izkoristimo njihovo vrednost?

That's a huge problem.

To je ogromen problem.

In my remaining four minutes today,

V preostalih štirih minutah, ki so mi na voljo,

I can offer just a few suggestions.

lahko ponudim le nekaj predlogov.

One value of older people is that they are

Starejši so pomembni zato,

increasingly useful as grandparents

ker so vse bolj koristni kot stari starši,

for offering high-quality childcare

ki lahko nudijo kakovostno varstvo

to their grandchildren, if they choose to do it,

svojim vnukom, če to želijo,

as more young women enter the workforce

saj je vedno več mladih žensk zaposlenih

and as fewer young parents of either gender

in ker vse manj mladih staršev obeh spolov

stay home as full-time caretakers of their children.

ostane doma, da bi skrbeli za otroke.

Compared to the usual alternatives

V primerjavi z običajnimi alternativami,

of paid babysitters and day care centers,

kot so plačane varuške in vrtci,

grandparents offer superior, motivated,

stari starši nudijo odlično, motivirano

experienced child care.

in izkušeno varstvo.

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

Izkušnje imajo že od vzgoje lastnih otrok.

They usually love their grandchildren,

Ponavadi imajo radi svoje vnuke

and are eager to spend time with them.

in si želijo biti z njimi.

Unlike other caregivers,

V nasprotju z drugimi varuhi

grandparents don't quit their job

stari starši ne pustijo službe,

because they found another job with higher pay

ker bi našli boljšo z višjo plačo

looking after another baby.

za varovanje nekega drugega otroka.

A second value of older people is paradoxically

Poleg tega so starejši ljudje, paradoksalno,

related to their loss of value

pomembni zato, ker so izgubili pomen

as a result of changing world conditions and technology.

zaradi spremenljivega sveta in tehnologije.

At the same time, older people have gained

Starejši dobivajo pomen

in value today precisely because

prav zato,

of their unique experience of living conditions

ker imajo edinstvene izkušnje življenja v pogojih,

that have now become rare

ki so zaradi hitrih sprememb postali redkost,

because of rapid change, but that could come back.

ki pa bi se lahko vrnili.

For example, only Americans now in their 70s

Denimo, samo Američani, stari 70 ali več let,

or older today can remember

se še spomnijo,

the experience of living through a great depression,

kako je bilo živeti v času velike depresije,

the experience of living through a world war,

v času svetovne vojne,

and agonizing whether or not

in v času, ko se je svet spraševal, ali bi bilo huje

dropping atomic bombs would be more horrible

vreči atomsko bombo

than the likely consequences of not dropping atomic bombs.

ali se spopasti z verjetnimi posledicami neuporabe atomske bombe.

Most of our current voters and politicians

Večina trenutnih volivcev in politikov

have no personal experience of any of those things,

nima s tem nobenih osebnih izkušenj,

but millions of older Americans do.

milijoni starejših Američanov pa jih imajo.

Unfortunately, all of those terrible situations

Na žalost bi se lahko vse te grozne okoliščine

could come back.

ponovile.

Even if they don't come back,

In tudi če se ne,

we have to be able to plan for them

moramo načrtovati odziv nanje

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

na podlagi izkušenj z njimi.

Older people have that experience.

Starejši ljudje imajo take izkušnje.

Younger people don't.

Mladi jih nimajo.

The remaining value of older people

Zadnja vrednost starejših,

that I'll mention involves recognizing that

ki jo bom omenil, je priznavanje,

while there are many things that older people

da tudi če starejši ne morejo več

can no longer do,

početi mnogih stvari,

there are other things that they can do

nekatere lahko počnejo

better than younger people.

bolje kot mlajši.

A challenge for society is to make use of those things

Družba je pred izzivom, kako uporabiti to,

that older people are better at doing.

v čemer so starejši boljši.

Some abilities, of course, decrease with age.

Nekatere sposobnosti se s starostjo zmanjšajo.

Those include abilities at tasks

To so sposobnosti za naloge,

requiring physical strength and stamina,

ki zahtevajo fizično moč in vztrajnost,

ambition, and the power of novel reasoning

ambicije ter moč inovativnega razmišljanja

in a circumscribed situation,

v posebnih situacijah,

such as figuring out the structure of DNA,

kot so razumevanje strukture DNK,

best left to scientists under the age of 30.

kar je bolje prepustiti znanstvenikom pod 30 let.

Conversely, valuable attributes

Z druge strani pa med pomembne lastnosti,

that increase with age include experience,

ki s starostjo rastejo, spadajo izkušnje,

understanding of people and human relationships,

razumevanje ljudi in osebnih odnosov,

ability to help other people

sposobnost pomagati drugim,

without your own ego getting in the way,

ne da bi vas oviral lasten ego,

and interdisciplinary thinking about large databases,

ter interdisciplinarno razmišljanje o velikih bazah podatkov,

such as economics and comparative history,

kot so ekonomija in primerjalna zgodovina,

best left to scholars over the age of 60.

kar najbolje obvladajo akademiki nad 60 let.

Hence older people are much better than younger people

Zato so starejši veliko boljši od mlajših

at supervising, administering, advising,

pri nadziranju, upravljanju, svetovanju,

strategizing, teaching, synthesizing,

razvijanju strategij, poučevanju, podajanju zaključkov

and devising long-term plans.

ter razvijanju dolgoročnih načrtov.

I've seen this value of older people

Ta pomen starejših sem videl

with so many of my friends in their 60s,

pri tako veliko prijateljih v starosti 60 let,

70s, 80s and 90s,

ali pri 70- , 80- , 90-letnikih,

who are still active as investment managers,

ki so še vedno dejavni kot investicijski menedžerji,

farmers, lawyers and doctors.

kmetje, pravniki ali zdravniki.

In short, many traditional societies

Skratka, številne tradicionalne družbe

make better use of their elderly

bolje uporabljajo svoje stare ljudi

and give their elderly more satisfying lives

in jim nudijo bolj zadovoljno življenje,

than we do in modern, big societies.

kot to počnemo v modernih velikih družbah.

Paradoxically nowadays,

Dandanes, paradoksalno,

when we have more elderly people than ever before,

imamo več starejših kot kdajkoli prej,

living healthier lives and with better medical care

so bolj zdravi in imajo boljšo medicinsko nego

than ever before,

kot kdajkoli prej,

old age is in some respects more miserable

a starost je v nekaterih pogledih bolj žalostna

than ever before.

kot kdajkoli prej.

The lives of the elderly are widely recognized

Življenja starejših so označena kot

as constituting a disaster area

katastrofalno področje

of modern American society.

moderne ameriške družbe.

We can surely do better by learning

To bi lahko izboljšali z učenjem

from the lives of the elderly

od življenj starejših

in traditional societies.

v tradicionalnih družbah.

But what's true of the lives of the elderly

Kar drži za življenja starejših

in traditional societies

v tradicionalnih družbah,

is true of many other features

drži tudi za druge lastnosti

of traditional societies as well.

tradicionalnih družb.

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

Seveda ne pravim, da se moramo zdaj

agriculture and metal tools

odreči kmetijstvu in kovinskim orodjem

and return to a hunter-gatherer lifestyle.

ter se vrniti k lovsko-nabiralniškemu načinu življenja.

There are many obvious respects

V veliko očitnih primerih

in which our lives today are far happier

so naša življenja danes mnogo srečnejša

than those in small, traditional societies.

od tistih v majhnih tradicionalnih družbah.

To mention just a few examples,

Če omenim le nekaj primerov,

our lives are longer, materially much richer,

živimo dlje, materialno bogatejši smo

and less plagued by violence

in manj nas ogroža nasilje,

than are the lives of people in traditional societies.

kot je to veljalo za ljudi v tradicionalnih družbah.

But there are also things to be admired

Nekatere stvari v tradicionalnih družbah

about people in traditional societies,

pa velja tudi občudovati

and perhaps to be learned from them.

in se morda od njih kaj naučiti.

Their lives are usually socially much richer

Njihova življenja so ponavadi z družbenega vidika

than our lives,

mnogo bogatejša od naših,

although materially poorer.

čeprav so materialno revnejši.

Their children are more self-confident,

Njihovi otroci so bolj samozavestni,

more independent, and more socially skilled

bolj samostojni in imajo več socialnih veščin

than are our children.

kot naši otroci.

They think more realistically about dangers than we do.

O nevarnostih razmišljajo bolj realistično kot mi.

They almost never die of diabetes, heart disease,

Skoraj noben ne umre zaradi diabetesa, srčnih bolezni,

stroke, and the other noncommunicable diseases

kapi in drugih neprenosljivih bolezni,

that will be the causes of death of almost

ki bodo vzroki za smrt

all of us in this room today.

skoraj vseh nas v tej sobi.

Features of the modern lifestyle predispose us to those diseases,

Moderni način življenja nas vodi v te bolezni,

and features of the traditional lifestyle

medtem ko nas tradicionalni način

protect us against them.

pred njimi ščiti.

Those are just some examples of what we can learn

To je le nekaj primerov, kako se lahko učimo

from traditional societies.

od tradicionalnih družb.

I hope that you will find it as fascinating

Upam, da boste o tradicionalnih družbah

to read about traditional societies

brali s takim zanimanjem,

as I found it to live in those societies.

kot sem jaz živel med njimi.

Thank you.

Hvala.

(Applause)

(Aplavz)