How books can open your mind | Lisa Bu

Transcriber: Joseph Geni Reviewer: Morton Bast

Translator: Mohamed Aanoy Reviewer: Jamal Omar

So I was trained to become a gymnast

Waxa la ii taba-barey in aan noqdo tababare jimicsi

for two years in Hunan, China in the 1970s.

mudo labo sano ah gudaha Hunan, china 1970kii.

When I was in the first grade, the government

markaan fasalka koowaad ahaa, dowdala ayaa

wanted to transfer me to a school for athletes,

waxey rabtey in ay igu wareejiso dugsi loogu talagalay ciyaaraha fudud,

all expenses paid.

oo dhamaan qarashaatka lagaa bixinaayo.

But my tiger mother said, "No."

laakin hooyadeydii geesiyada aheeed ayaa dhahdey,"maya."

My parents wanted me to become

waalidiinteyda waxey rabeen in aan noqdo

an engineer like them.

injineer ayaga oo kala ah.

After surviving the Cultural Revolution,

kadib markii laga soo badbaadey kacaanka dhaqameed,

they firmly believed there's only one sure way to happiness:

waxey si adag u aaminsanaayeen in keliya ay jirto hal wado si loo helo farxad:

a safe and well-paid job.

amaan iyo shaqo lacag fiican leh.

It is not important if I like the job or not.

muhiim ma ahan hadii aan jeclahay shaqada ama hadaan jecleenba

But my dream was to become a Chinese opera singer.

laakiin aniga riyadeyda waxey aheed in aan noqdo heesaay chineese ah.

That is me playing my imaginary piano.

taasi waa aniga oo ciyaaraya piano khiyaali ah.

An opera singer must start training young

heesayad fanka waa in ay tababar bilowdaa aydoo yer

to learn acrobatics,

si ay u barato jimnaastik,

so I tried everything I could to go to opera school.

sidaa darteed waxaan isku dayay waxkasta si aan u aado dugsiga fanka.

I even wrote to the school principal

Waxaan xitaa u qoray in maamulaha dugsiga

and the host of a radio show.

iyo kuwa martida u ah barnaamijyada raadiyaha.

But no adults liked the idea.

laakiin dadka waaweyn ma ka helin fikrada.

No adults believed I was serious.

dadka waaweyn ma aaminsaneen in ay dhab iga tahay.

Only my friends supported me, but they were kids,

Saaxiibaday oo keliya ayaa igu taageeray, laakiin iyagu waxay ahaayeen carruur,

just as powerless as I was.

sida aniga camal awood la'aan aan u ahay.

So at age 15, I knew I was too old to be trained.

markaan soo gaarey da'da 15jir. waxaan ogaadey in aan weynaadey oo la i tababari karo.

My dream would never come true.

riyadeydu marna ma rumoowi doonto.

I was afraid that for the rest of my life

waxaan ka baqaayey in inta ka dhiman nolosheyda

some second-class happiness

in farxad labaad un

would be the best I could hope for.

ay noqon doonto waxa ugu fiican aan rajeynaayo.

But that's so unfair.

laakiin taasi cadaalad ma ahin.

So I was determined to find another calling.

sidaas darteed waxaan goostey in aan raadiyo wado kele.

Nobody around to teach me? Fine.

ma jiro qof ii dhow oo wax i baraayo? hagaag,

I turned to books.

waxaan u jeestey buugaagta.

I satisfied my hunger for parental advice

waxaan raali ka ahaa baahida aan u qabo talooyinka waalidka

from this book by a family of writers and musicians.["Correspondence in the Family of Fou Lei"]

laga bilaabo buugaan oo qoys qorayaal iyo muusikisyahano ah.["Correspondence in the Family of Fou Lei"]

I found my role model of an independent woman

waxaan heley in ay ku dayasho mudan tahay haweeneyda madax banaan

when Confucian tradition requires obedience.["Jane Eyre"]

marka caadooyinka jahwareersan ay u baahan yihiin dulqaad.["jane eyre"]

And I learned to be efficient from this book.["Cheaper by the Dozen"]

iyo sida qof firfircoon loo noqdo waxaan kasoo bartey buugan.["Cheaper by the Dozen"]

And I was inspired to study abroad after reading these.

waxaan jecleestey in aan dibada wax kusoo bartey markaan intaan akhriyey.

["Complete Works of Sanmao" (aka Echo Chan)] ["Lessons From History" by Nan Huaijin]

"Complete Works of Sanmao" (aka Echo Chan)] ["Lessons From History" by Nan Huaijin] (buugaag magac'yadooda)

I came to the U.S. in 1995,

waxaan imaadey America. 1995kii,

so which books did I read here first?

marka buugagate akhris ku bilaabaa marka hore?

Books banned in China, of course.

buugaagta china laga maamnuucay, dabcan.

"The Good Earth" is about Chinese peasant life.

buuga "the good earth" oo ku saabsan nolosha beeraleyda china.

That's just not convenient for propaganda. Got it.

Taasi waa uun maku haboona dacaayad. ma fahantey.

The Bible is interesting, but strange.

Kitaabka Qudduuska waa mid xiisa leh, laakiin wa cajiib.

(Laughter)

(Qosol)

That's a topic for a different day.

Taasi waa mawduuc maalin oo kala duwan.

But the fifth commandment gave me an epiphany:

Laakiin amarkii shanaad waxa uu i siiyey garsho:

"You shall honor your father and mother."

"waa in aad hooyadaa iyo aabahaa aad ixtiraamtaa."

"Honor," I said. "That's so different,

"ixtiraam," aan dhahay. "taasi aad ayey u kala duwan tahy,

and better, than obey."

iyo kasii fiican,in aad adeecdid."

So it becomes my tool to climb out

marka waxey noqoneysaa wadadii aan uga bixi lahaa

of this Confucian guilt trap

dabintaan hadgudubka ah oo jahwareerka leh

and to restart my relationship with my parents.

iyo in aan dib u bilaabo xariirkeyga aan la leeyahay waalidiinteyda.

Encountering a new culture also started my habit

la kulmidda dhaqan cusub ayan sidoo kele waxaan bilaabey caadadeyda

of comparative reading.

is barbadhiga akhriska.

It offers many insights.

Waxay bixisaa aragtiyo badan.

For example, I found this map out of place at first

tusaale ahaan, waxaan markii hore aan meel ka heley khariidhadaan

because this is what Chinese students grew up with.

waayo tani waa waxa ay ardeyda chineeseka kusoo koraan.

It had never occurred to me,

waligeed iguma soo dhicin,

China doesn't have to be at the center of the world.

china ma ahan in ay noqoto xarunta aduunka.

A map actually carries somebody's view.

dhab ahaantii khariidada waxey xambarsan tahay arigtida qof.

Comparative reading actually is nothing new.

isbarbardhiga akhriska ah ma ahan wax cusub.

It's a standard practice in the academic world.

Waa dhaqanka caadiga ah ee tacliinta dunida.

There are even research fields

Waxaa jira xitaa goobo cilmi-baarista

such as comparative religion and comparative literature.

sida isbarbardhiga diimaha iyo isbarbardhiga suugaanta

Compare and contrast gives scholars

isbarbardhiga waxey culimada siisaa

a more complete understanding of a topic.

faham dheeraad ah oo dhamaystiran oo ku saabsan mawduuc.

So I thought, well, if comparative reading

marka waan fakirey,fiican,hadii isbarbardhiga akhriska

works for research, why not do it in daily life too?

u shaqeeya cilmi-baarista, maxey ugu shaqeeyn la'adahay nolol maalmeedka caadiga ah?

So I started reading books in pairs.

markaan waxaan bilaabey in aan buugaagta u akhriyo labo_labo.

So they can be about people --

waxey ku saansan karaan dad----

["Benjamin Franklin" by Walter Isaacson]["John Adams" by David McCullough] --

["Benjamin Franklin" oo qoreyWalter Isaacson]["John Adams" oo qorey David McCullough] -- (magac buugaag)

who are involved in the same event,

oo ku lug leh dhacdooyin usku mid ah,

or friends with shared experiences.

ama asxaab aragti wadaaga,

["Personal History" by Katharine Graham]["The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life," by Alice Schroeder]

["Personal History" oo qorey Katharine Graham]["The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life," oo qorey Alice Schroeder]

I also compare the same stories in different genres -- (Laughter)

waxaan kaloo isbarbar dhig ku sameeyey isla sheekooyinka oo kala duwan (qosol)

[Holy Bible: King James Version]["Lamb" by Chrisopher Moore] --

[Holy Bible: King James Version]["Lamb" oo qorey Chrisopher Moore] --

or similar stories from different cultures,

ama sheekooyin isla mid ah oo kasoo kala jeeda dhaqamo kala duwan,

as Joseph Campbell did in his wonderful book.["The Power of Myth" by Joseph Campbell]

sida Joseph Campbell ku yeley bugiisa cajiibka ah["The Power of Myth" oo qorey Joseph Campbell]

For example, both the Christ and the Buddha

Tusaale ahaan, Masiix iyo Buddha labadooda

went through three temptations.

waxey mareen sadax halbeeg.

For the Christ, the temptations

masxiixa, halbeegyada

are economic, political and spiritual.

wa dhaqaalaha,siyaasada iyo ruuxiga.

For the Buddha, they are all psychological:

buddha, kulligood wa wada cilmi nafsi:

lust, fear and social duty -- interesting.

damac, cabsi iyo waajibaadka bulshada - xiiso leh.

So if you know a foreign language, it's also fun

marka hadii aad taqaano luuqad ajnabi ah, waxa kaloo xiiso leh

to read your favorite books in two languages.

in aad buugaagta aad jeceshahay labo luuqadood.

["The Way of Chuang Tzu" Thomas Merton]["Tao: The Watercourse Way" Alan Watts]

["The Way of Chuang Tzu" Thomas Merton]["Tao: The Watercourse Way" Alan Watts] (buugaag)

Instead of lost in translation, I found there is much to gain.

intaan tarjumaad ku lumi lahaa,waxaan ogaadey in ay jiraan wax badan oo faa'ido ah

For example, it's through translation that I realized

tusaale ahaan, waxaan tarjumaada ka ogaadey in--

"happiness" in Chinese literally means "fast joy." Huh!

"farxada" chineese'ku u yaqaaniin "farxad dhaqsi ah,"huh!

"Bride" in Chinese literally means "new mother." Uh-oh.

"aroosad" ee Chinese macno ahaan waxaa loola jeedaa "hooyada cusub."uh-oh.

(Laughter)

(qosol)

Books have given me a magic portal to connect with people

buugaagtu waxey i siiyeen wado sixran si aan ugula xariiro dadka

of the past and the present.

ee la soo dhaafey ama kuwa la joogaba.

I know I shall never feel lonely or powerless again.

Waan ogahay in aan marnaba mar dareemi doonaan cidlo ama awood darro.

Having a dream shattered really is nothing

in aad qabto riyo burburtey dhab ahaantii wa wax aan jirin

compared to what many others have suffered.

marka la barbar dhigo waxa dadka kele ka cowdaan.

I have come to believe that coming true

waan in aan rumeystaa in xaqiijinta

is not the only purpose of a dream.

in aysan aheen u jeedada keliya ee riyada

Its most important purpose is to get us in touch

ujeeadada ugu weyn waa in aan anagu isku xariirinaa

with where dreams come from,

meesha riyada ay ka tiaado,

where passion comes from, where happiness comes from.

halka dareenka xooga leh uu ka yimaado,halka farxadu ay ka timaado.

Even a shattered dream can do that for you.

xitaa riyo daal leh waad sameyn kartaa marka loo fiiriyo adiga.

So because of books, I'm here today,

marka buugaagtaas daraadood, oo aan maanta halkaan u joogo,

happy, living again with a purpose and a clarity,

faraxsan,mar labaadna la nool hadaf iyo cadeymo.

most of the time.

wakhtiga intiisa badan.

So may books be always with you.

marka buugaagta had iyo jeer ha idin la jiraan.

Thank you.

waad mahadsantihiin.

(Applause)

(sacbis)

Thank you. (Applause)

waad mahadsantihiin.(sacbis)

Thank you. (Applause)

waad mahadsantihiin.(sacbis)