Jamil Zaki: How to escape the cynicism trap | TED

Prevodilac: Milenka Okuka Lektor: Ivana Korom

This is it.

To je to.

Here we all are, together at last,

Svi smo tu, konačno zajedno,

to talk about optimism.

kako bismo govorili o optimizmu.

If this isn't nice, I don't know what is.

Ako to nije lepo, ne znam šta jeste.

Here's the problem: it's 2021.

Evo u čemu je problem: godina je 2021.

We are living through a global plague,

Proživljavamo globalnu pošast,

one that revealed our worst instincts at the worst times.

koja je razotkrila naše najgore instinkte u najgorim trenucima.

We are so divided that public health has become a power struggle.

Toliko smo podeljeni da je javno zdravlje postalo borba za moć.

We pioneered a vaccine, a moon-landing level innovation,

Razvili smo vakcinu, izum u rangu putovanja na mesec,

and then kept it among wealthy countries while poor ones suffered.

a potom smo je zadržali u bogatim zemljama dok su siromašne ispaštale.

Against this backdrop, isn't talking about optimism,

S ovim u pozadini, zar nije razgovor o optimizmu

like discussing pagers or horse-drawn carriages?

poput raspravljanja o pejdžerima i konjskim kolima?

Isn't optimism obsolete, backwards and naive,

Zar nije optimizam prevaziđen, nazadan i naivan,

given all we've been through?

s obzirom na sve kroz šta smo prošli?

Shouldn't it be replaced

Zar ga ne treba zameniti

with a more up-to-date cognitive technology?

relevantnijom kognitivnom tehnologijom?

Well, lots of people have replaced it with cynicism:

Pa, mnogi ljudi su ga zamenili sa cinizmom:

the notion that humanity is greedy, selfish and dishonest.

pretpostavkom da je ljudski rod pohlepan, sebičan i nepošten.

In 1972, 45 percent of Americans thought that most people can be trusted.

Godine 1972, 45 procenata Amerikanaca je smatralo da većini ljudi može da veruje.

By 2018, that had dropped to about 30 percent.

Do 2018, došlo je do pada na oko 30 procenata.

We are living through a cynicism epidemic.

Proživljavamo epidemiju cinizma.

I should know --

Ja to znam -

last year, it infected me, and I'm supposed to be immune.

prošle godine sam se i sam zarazio, a trebalo bi da sam imun.

I'm a psychologist and neuroscientist,

Ja sam psiholog i neuronaučnik,

and my whole career, I've studied the sunny side of human nature.

i tokom čitave moje karijere izučavao sam svetlu stranu ljudske prirode.

My lab and I have found that giving away money

Moja laboratorija i ja smo otkrili da doniranje novca

activates similar parts of your brain as eating chocolate,

aktivira slične delove vašeg mozga kao i jedenje čokolade,

and that helping other people through their stress calms our own.

i da nas pomaganje drugim ljudima koji su pod stresom smiruje.

Our punch line is clear:

Naša poenta je jasna:

there is good in us, and it does good for us.

postoji dobro u nama i čini nam dobro.

Now, people love hearing this,

Ljudi vole ovo da čuju,

but in 2020, I started to hate saying it.

ali 2020. sam počeo da mrzim da to izgovaram.

I was building hope in others while losing my own.

Gradio sam nadu kod drugih, gubeći sopstvenu.

I was evangelizing for human kindness all day

Bio sam tokom dana jevanđelista ljudske dobrote,

and then doomscrolling at night.

a potom bih se ubedačio skrolajući uveče.

I was peddling something that I would never want to buy anymore.

Prodavao sam nešto što više nikad ne bih poželeo da kupim.

I felt like a fraud,

Osećao sam se poput prevaranta

or, at best, maybe a fax-machine salesman.

ili, u najboljem, možda prodavca faks mašina.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

But here's the thing.

Međutim, evo o čemu se radi.

You might think that cynicism is a system upgrade

Možda smatrate da je cinizam unapređenje sistema

that allows us to see who we really are.

koje nam omogućuje da vidimo ko smo zaista.

It's not.

Nije.

It traps us in a version of the world we don't want to live in,

Zarobljava nas u verziji sveta u kojoj ne želimo da živimo

and one we don't have to.

i u kojoj ne moramo da živimo.

One of my favorite studies of all time occurred in southeastern Brazil.

Jedno od mojih omiljenih istraživnja svih vremena se desilo u jugoistočnom Brazilu.

Two fishing villages there are separated by just 30 miles.

Tamo imamo dva ribarska sela udaljena svega 50 kilometara.

One sits by the ocean,

Jedno se nalazi pored okeana

where fishing requires large boats and heavy equipment.

gde ribarenje zahteva velike brodove i tešku opremu.

To make a living there, fishermen must work together.

Kako bi zaradili za život, ribari moraju da rade zajedno.

The other sits by a lake,

Drugo se nalazi pored jezera

where fishermen strike out alone on small boats

gde ribari isplovljavaju sami u malim barkama

and compete with one another.

i nadmeću se jedni s drugima.

Years ago,

Pre više godina,

researchers tested how people in each of these villages

istraživači su testirali kako ljudi u oba ova sela

responded to a set of social experiments.

reaguju na niz društvenih eksperimenata.

Ocean fishermen trusted strangers and cooperated with their neighbors.

Ribari na okeanu su verovali strancima i sarađivali su sa komšijama.

Lake fishermen competed and mistrusted instead.

Ribari na jezeru su se nadmetali i bili nepoverljivi.

But here's the crazy part.

Međutim, evo šta je najluđe.

These folks didn't start out any different from each other,

Ovi ljudi u početku nisu bili nimalo različiti,

but the longer fishermen worked on the lake,

ali što su duže ribari radili na jezeru

the more they competed.

to su se više nadmetali.

The longer they worked on the ocean, the less they did.

Što su duže radili na okeanu, manje su se nadmetali.

Some families, schools and companies are like ocean villages.

Neke porodice, škole i firme su poput sela uz okean.

People trust, because they know others will earn it.

Ljudi imaju poverenje jer znaju da će ga drugi ljudi zaslužiti.

Some are like lake towns --

Neki su poput gradova na jezeru -

people look out for themselves, because no one else will.

ljudi paze na sebe jer niko drugi neće.

Our social worlds shape us, like clay,

Naši društveni svetovi nas oblikuju, poput gline,

into hopeful or cynical versions of ourselves.

u optimistične ili cinične verzije nas samih.

And right now,

A upravo sad,

many of us are living in a lake town of historic proportion.

mnogi od nas žive u gradu na jezeru istorijskih razmera.

Inequality has soared, injustice is all around,

Nejednakost je skočila, nepravda je svuda oko nas,

self-interest might as well be pumped into the water supply.

lični interes kao da upumpavaju u vodovod.

These forces raise cynicism,

Ove sile jačaju cinizam,

and so do times of disaster.

kao i razdoblje katastrofe.

After the last 18 months,

Nakon proteklih 18 meseci,

there's a real chance we could tip into a sort of cynical permafrost.

postoje realne šanse da bismo mogli prerasti u nekakav cinični permafrost.

Now,

Sad,

I'm going to guess there may be some proud cynics in the audience today,

pretpostaviću da imamo neke ponosne cinike danas u publici

and you might be thinking, "Good.

i možda mislite: „To je dobro.

More people should turn to the dark side.

Više ljudi treba da pređe na mračnu stranu.

Optimism might feel nice --

Optimizam je možda lep osećaj -

so would calling tiramisu a health food,

kao i nazivanje tiramisua zdravom hranom,

but we don't get to go around believing whatever we like."

ali ne možemo da idemo okolo i verujemo u sve što nam se sviđa.”

George Bernard Shaw tells us

Džorž Bernard Šo nam kaže

that the power of accurate observation is commonly called "cynicism"

da se moć precizne opservacije obično naziva „cinizmom”

by those who haven't got it.

od strane onih koji je ne poseduju.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

107 years later,

107 godina kasnije,

the cartoon philosopher Lisa Simpson

crtana filozofkinja Lisa Simpson

taught us that as intelligence goes up, happiness goes down.

nas je podučila da kako inteligencija raste, sreća opada.

Maybe hope does, too.

Možda se to dešava i s nadom.

Maybe cynicism is the price of being right.

Možda je cinizam cena za to što smo u pravu.

Most people think so.

Mnogi ljudi tako misle.

70 percent think cynics are smarter than noncynics;

70 procenata smatra da su cinici pametniji od necinika.

85 percent think they would make better lie detectors.

85 procenata smatra da bi bili bolji u detekciji laži.

Most people are wrong.

Većina ljudi greši.

It turns out that cynics tend to perform less well than noncynics

Ispostavlja se da cinici imaju gore rezultate od necinika

on cognitive tests.

na kognitivnim testovima.

They earn less money,

Zarađuju manje novca

and they lose more often in negotiations.

i češće gube u pregovorima.

They're not even good at spotting bad guys.

Nisu čak ni dobri u prepoznavanju negativaca.

In one study,

U jednom istraživanju,

researchers conducted mock job interviews,

istraživači su sprovodili lažne intervjue,

asking half the candidates to lie and half to tell the truth.

tražeći od polovine kandidata da lažu, a od polovine da govore istinu.

Cynics and noncynics watched videos of these interviews

Cinici i necinici su posmatrali snimke ovih intervjua

and guessed who was lying.

i pogađali su ko laže.

And cynics did way worse.

I cinici su prošli mnogo gore.

More generally, they assume liars are everywhere

Uopšteno, oni pretpostavljaju da su lažovi svuda

so can't pick real ones out of a crowd.

i stoga ne mogu da izdvoje iz gomile one prave.

So cynicism might not be as smart as you think it is,

Dakle, cinizam možda i nije toliko pametan kao što mislite da jeste,

but it's still powerful,

ali je i dalje moćan

because our stories about each other become self-fulfilling.

jer naše priče o nema se obistinjuju.

Cynics are more likely to refuse intimacy and cooperation.

Cinici su skloniji odbijanju prisnosti i saradnje.

They hurt others to avoid being hurt.

Povređuju druge kako bi izbegli da ih povrede.

They tend to spy on their colleagues and suspect their friends,

Špijuniraju svoje kolege i sumnjaju u prijatelje

and other people, unsurprisingly, react badly --

i drugi ljudi, neiznenađujuće, reaguju loše -

sometimes, acting selfishly in response.

ponekad ispoljavaju sebičnost.

In other words, by mistreating others,

To jest, ophodeći se loše prema drugima,

cynics create the exact conditions they fear.

cinici stvaraju upravo one uslove kojih se plaše.

They tell a story full of villains and end up living in it.

Pričaju priče ispunjene zlikovcima u kojima na kraju sami žive.

I call this the cynicism trap,

Nazivam to zamkom cinizma,

and my lab explores ways that people fall into it.

a moja laboratorija istražuje načine na koje ljudi u nju upadaju.

In one study, we asked people how happiness works.

U jednom istraživanju, upitali smo ljude kako sreća funkcioniše.

Some thought that it's a zero-sum game,

Neki su smatrali da se radi o nultoj sumi,

meaning that as one person's happiness goes up,

u značenju da ako sreća jedne osobe raste,

another person's must go down.

sreća druge osobe mora da opada.

Now they're wrong.

Sad, nisu u pravu.

It turns out that when we act generously towards others,

Ispostavlja se da kada smo darežljivi prema drugima,

that tends to increase our happiness.

to nam uvećava sreću.

But cynics acted on their illusion.

Međutim, cinici su ostvarivali svoju iluziju.

When given chances to help strangers, they were less likely to do so.

Kada im je pružena prilika da pomognu strancima, bili su manje skloni tome.

They ended up less happy as well.

Na kraju su takođe bili manje srećni.

By hoarding well-being,

Gomilajući dobrobit,

they lost out on one of its key ingredients --

promakao im je jedan od njenih ključnih sastojaka -

other people.

drugi ljudi.

In other work,

U drugom istraživanju,

we asked Republicans and Democrats

upitali smo republikance i demokrate

what it would mean to empathize with the other side.

šta bi značilo saosećati sa drugom stranom.

Some people saw politics as a war,

Neki ljudi su na politiku gledali kao na rat

and thought empathy would be as useful as bringing cotton candy to a gunfight.

i smatrali su da je empatija korisna

koliko i donošenje šećerne vune u oružani sukob.

These folks didn't want to cooperate with the other side,

Ovi ljudi nisu želeli da sarađuju sa drugom stranom

or even to know them at all.

ili čak uopšte da ih upoznaju.

In one study,

U jednom istraživanju,

we measured college students' cynicism about empathy

merili smo cinizam studenata po pitanju empatije

and asked about the friends they made on campus.

i pitali o prijateljima koje su stekli na kampusu.

Here, each dot is a person,

Ovde tačkice predstavljaju osobe,

coded blue to red based on ideology,

u simboličnim ideološkim bojama,

and each line is a friendship.

a linije predstavljaju prijateljstva.

Now, this was a pretty liberal campus,

Radi se o prilično liberalnom kampusu,

but nonetheless, noncynics managed to find ideologically diverse friends.

pa ipak, necinici su uspeli da steknu ideološki raznolike prijatelje.

Cynics stuck to their own kind.

Cinici su se držali sebi sličnih.

Now that's, of course, their right.

Naravno, to je njihovo pravo.

But most of us wish our country was less divided,

Većina nas bi želela da nam je država manje podeljena,

and empathy is critical to moving us towards that goal.

a empatija je ključna u našem pomeranju ka tom cilju.

By giving up on it, cynics lose that chance.

Odustajući od nje, cinici gube tu šansu.

Our studies and many others

Naša istraživanja i mnoga druga

give us a clear picture of the cynicism trap.

daju nam jasnu sliku zamke cinizma.

When we decide everyone's out for themselves,

Kada odlučimo da je svako za sebe,

we stop seeing their kindness.

prestajemo da primećujemo njihovu dobrotu.

When we think the world is zero-sum,

Kada mislimo da se svet svodi na nultu sumu,

everyone becomes a potential enemy.

svako postaje potencijalni neprijatelj.

These views spread across us, too.

Ovi pogledi se šire među nama, takođe.

Parents pass on their suspicions to their kids.

Roditelji prenose svoje sumnje na decu.

Politicians act in bad faith

Političari obmanjuju

and damage voters' faith in each other.

i podrivaju poverenje među glasačima.

Media companies trade in judgment and outrage.

Medijske kompanije trguju osudama i revoltom.

Our cynicism is their product,

Naš cinizam je njihova roba,

and it is a growth industry.

i radi se o industriji u usponu.

So no, cynicism doesn't help us see reality more clearly,

Dakle, ne, cinizam nam ne pomaže da jasnije vidimo stvarnost,

but it does change reality,

ali zato menja stvarnost,

poisoning our relationships, our lives and our culture.

trujući naše odnose, naše živote i našu kulturu.

It is not a system upgrade,

Ne radi se o unapređenju sistema,

it's mental malware.

već o mentalnom malveru.

But we don't have to accept it.

Međutim, ne moramo to da prihvatimo.

We can take control of our stories.

Možemo povratiti kontrolu nad našim pričama.

To escape the cynicism trap, we have to.

Kako bismo izbegli zamku cinizma, moramo.

My lab tries to help.

Moja laboratorija pokušava da pomogne.

In one study,

U jednom istraživanju,

we taught people that happiness is not a zero-sum game,

podučili smo ljude da se sreća ne svodi na nultu sumu

and that helping others helps us, too.

i da pomažući drugima, pomažemo i sebi.

These folks, compared to those in a cynical condition,

Ovi ljudi su, u poređenju sa onima u stanju cinizma,

donated more to charity afterwards,

kasnije poklanjali više u dobrotvorne svrhe

and they ended up happier as well.

i na kraju su bili srećniji takođe.

In other work, we changed how people thought about empathy in politics.

U drugom radu, izmenili smo to kako ljudi razmišljaju o empatiji u politici.

Some people were randomly chosen to read a cynical essay.

Neki ljudi su nasumično odabrani da čitaju cinični esej.

It began, and I'm paraphrasing,

Počinjao je, i parafraziram:

"You might think empathy is a weakness

„Možda smatrate empatiju slabošću

that will make you lose every argument,

zbog koje ćete izgubiti svaku raspravu,

and you'd be right."

i bili biste u pravu.”

Afterwards, we asked these folks to write a note about gun control

Kasnije smo zatražili ovim ljudima da napišu poruku o kontroli oružja

to someone they disagreed with,

nekome s kim se ne slažu,

and they sniped at each other.

i oni su osuli međusobnu paljbu.

Here’s a voice actor reading what one Democrat wrote to a Republican.

Sada će glasovni glumac da pročita šta je jedan demokrata napisao republikancu.

Recording: “It’s hard not to state this bluntly.

Snimak: „Teško je ne biti potpuno iskren.

You should be in favor of stricter gun laws

Trebalo bi da budeš za strože zakone o oružju

because you should care about the lives of other people

jer bi trebalo da te je briga za živote drugih ljudi

more than your outdated feelings of machismo."

više nego za zastarela mačo osećanja.”

Jamil Zaki: And here’s a Republican writing to a Democrat.

Džamil Zaki: A evo šta republikanac piše demokrati.

Recording: "People need to know

Snimak: „Ljudi treba da znaju

they're able to have the freedom to bear arms

da su u mogućnosti da imaju slobodu da nose oružje kako bi se zaštitili.

in order to protect themselves.

You democrats don't get to take that away from us."

Vi demokrate nemate pravo da nam to oduzmete.”

JZ: Basically, we recreated Twitter, by accident.

DžZ: U suštini smo slučajno izumeli Tviter.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

Other people read a different essay.

Drugi ljudi su pročitali različit esej.

It began,

Počinjao je:

"You might think empathy is a weakness that will make you lose every argument,

„Možda smatrate da je empatija slabost zbog koje ćete izgubiti svaku raspravu,

and you'd be wrong."

i pogrešili biste.”

... and went on to describe empathy as a strength in politics.

A zatim je empatija opisana kao prednost u politici.

Again, we asked these folks to write to an opponent about gun control,

Ponovo smo zatražili od ovih ljudi da pišu suparniku o kontroli oružja,

but this time, things changed.

ali ovaj put, sve se izmenilo.

Here’s a Democrat.

Sledi demokrata.

Recording: "There are some common-sense regulations

Snimak: „Imamo neke zdravorazumske propise

that we should implement to keep people safe.

koje bi trebalo primenjivati radi bezbednosti ljudi.

We all want what is best for the country,

Svi želimo najbolje za ovu državu

and there are things we can meet in the middle on

i postoje stvari gde možemo naći zajednički jezik

to tackle the issue of gun violence."

kako bismo se bavili pitanjem oružanog nasilja.”

JZ: And a Republican.

DžZ: I republikanac.

Recording: "Horrible crimes can be committed using guns ...

Snimak: „Užasni zločini mogu da se počine upotrebom oružja...

everything from school shootings

sve od pucnjave u školama

to murders because of racism and white supremacy.

do ubistava zbog rasizma i belog supremacizma.

It's very understandable that you think it makes sense

Razumljivo je što smatraš da ima smisla

to make gun laws more strict.

da bi zakoni o oružju trebalo da budu stroži.

We're all reasonable people,

Svi smo razumni ljudi

and we just want what's best for our loved ones."

i samo želimo najbolje našim voljenima.”

JZ: To us, this was wild.

DžZ: Nama je ovo bilo neverovatno.

Remember,

Zapamtite,

just like ocean and lake fishermen,

baš kao okeanski i jezerski ribari,

these people did not start out any different,

ovi ljudi su u početku bili isti,

but just reading one essay turned some of them into new optimists

ali čitanje jednog eseja je neke od njih preobratilo u nove optimiste,

and others into new cynics.

a neke u nove cinike.

This shaped how they acted, and their effect on other people.

Ovo je oblikovalo njihovo ponašanje i uticaj na druge ljude.

We sent all of these notes

Poslali smo sve ove poruke

to people who really disagreed with the writer about gun control,

ljudima koji se izrazito nisu slagali sa piscem o kontroli oružja

and found that notes written by new optimists

i saznali smo da su poruke koje su napisali novi optimisti

were more persuasive than those written by new cynics,

bile uverljivije od onih koje su napisali novi cinici,

more likely to make other people change their mind.

imale su veću šansu da promene mišljenja drugih ljudi.

In other words,

Drugim rečima,

we taught these people that empathy was useful,

podučili smo ove ljude da je empatija korisna,

they used it, and it became useful.

oni su je koristili, i postala je korisna.

This is what I want you to remember and what I want you to know:

Evo šta želim da zapamtite i šta želim da znate:

that if cynical stories can become self-fulfilling,

ako cinične priče mogu da se obistine,

our work shows that hopeful ones can as well.

naš rad pokazuje da mogu i optimistične.

Now, cynicism is not the only root of our problems,

Sad, cinizam nije jedina srž naših problema,

and optimism alone will not fix them.

i optimizam sam ih neće popraviti.

But it's hard to change a broken system

Ali teško je izmeniti pokvaren sistem,

if you think it's a mirror reflecting our broken nature.

ako smatrate de je on ogledalo koje odražava našu pokvarenu prirodu.

If people are selfish to our core,

Ako su ljudi do srži sebični,

then toxic laws and practices are here to stay.

onda ćemo i dalje imati štetne zakone i prakse.

But we can all choose to tell a different story.

Ali svi možemo odabrati da pričamo drugačiju priču.

We can be skeptical --

Možemo da budemo skeptični -

demanding evidence before we believe in people --

da zahtevamo dokaz pre nego što poverujemo ljudima -

but hopeful, knowing they can change for the better.

ali puni nade, znajući da mogu da se promene nabolje.

We can notice their kindness even when the media doesn’t

Možemo da primećujemo njihovu dobrotu čak i kad mediji to ne rade

and envision systems built on that kindness.

i da zamišljamo sisteme izgrađene na dobroti.

We can find other people in our neighborhoods,

Možemo pronaći druge ljude iz našeg komšiluka,

unions and faith communities who want the same thing.

sindikalne i verske zajednice koje žele isto što i mi.

We can use our collective optimism

Možemo da koristimo naš kolektivni optimizam

to build pockets of solidarity and mutual aid,

da izgradimo ogranke solidarnosti i međusobne pomoći,

miniature ocean villages that can grow over time.

minijaturna sela uz okean koja mogu vremenom da rastu.

Now, this is the part of the talk

Sad, ovo je deo govora

where I'm supposed to tell you how I cured my own cynicism.

gde bi trebalo da vam kažem kako sam izlečio sopstveni cinizam.

But the truth is, I still struggle.

Istina je, pak, da se i dalje borim.

Depending on the day or the hour,

U zavisnosti od dana ili sata,

I promise, I can be as cynical as anyone here.

kunem se da mogu da budem ciničan kao i bilo ko ovde.

But I see cynicism for what it is --

Ali ja vidim cinizam onim što jeste -

a psychological quicksand

psihološki živi pesak

that will pull me in deeper, the more I move through it.

koji me povlači sve dublje što se više pomeram.

So I fight to believe in people,

Stoga se borim da verujem u ljude,

not because it feels good,

ne zato što je lep osećaj,

but because stories matter,

već zato što su priče važne,

and we're telling ours all the time, together.

a mi naše pričamo sve vreme zajedno.

We all get stuck in quicksand --

Svi se zaglavimo u živom pesku -

sometimes, that's OK.

ponekad je to uredu.

But the next time you manage to pull yourself out,

Međutim, sledeći put kada uspete da se izvučete

and find some faith in humanity,

i pronađete veru u čovečanstvo,

try to remember to reach back and grab someone else who's stuck,

setite se da posegnete nazad i zgrabite nekog drugog ko se zaglavio,

until more of us can make it to solid ground.

dok sve više nas ne izađe na čvrsto tlo.

Because optimism is not a relic of the past.

Jer optimizam nije relikt prošlosti.

It's one key to building a better future by letting us see it more clearly.

To je ključ koji nam omogućuje da jasno vidimo i izgradimo bolju budućnost.

Thank you.

Hvala.

(Applause)

(Aplauz)