The revolutionary power of diverse thought | Elif Shafak

Prevodilac: Milenka Okuka Lektor: Mile Živković

"Can you taste words?"

"Možete li da okusite reči?"

It was a question that caught me by surprise.

To pitanje me je zateklo nespremnu.

This summer, I was giving a talk at a literary festival,

Letos sam držala govor na festivalu književnosti,

and afterwards, as I was signing books,

i kasnije, dok sam potpisivala knjige,

a teenage girl came with her friend,

tinejdžerka mi je prišla sa prijateljicom,

and this is what she asked me.

a postavila mi je ovo pitanje.

I told her that some people experience an overlap in their senses

Rekla sam joj da neki ljudi doživljavaju preklapanje svojih čula

so that they could hear colors

kako bi mogli da čuju boje

or see sounds,

ili da vide zvukove,

and many writers were fascinated by this subject, myself included.

i mnogi pisci su fascinirani ovom tematikom, uključujući i mene.

But she cut me off, a bit impatiently, and said, "Yeah, I know all of that.

No, ona me je presekla, malo nestrpljivo, i rekla: "Da, znam sve to.

It's called synesthesia. We learned it at school.

Naziva se sinestezija. To smo učili u školi.

But my mom is reading your book,

Međutim, moja majka čita vašu knjigu

and she says there's lots of food and ingredients

i kaže kako u njoj ima mnogo hrane i sastojaka

and a long dinner scene in it.

i da je u njoj opširna scena večere.

She gets hungry at every page.

Ona ogladni na svakoj stranici.

So I was thinking,

Pa sam razmišljala,

how come you don't get hungry when you write?

kako to da vi ne ogladnite dok pišete?

And I thought maybe, maybe you could taste words.

I pomislila sam da možda, možda vi možete da okusite reči.

Does it make sense?"

Ima li to smisla?"

And, actually, it did make sense,

I, zapravo, imalo je smisla

because ever since my childhood,

jer još od detinjstva

each letter in the alphabet has a different color,

za mene svako slovo abecede ima različitu boju,

and colors bring me flavors.

a boje mi bude ukuse.

So for instance, the color purple is quite pungent, almost perfumed,

Na primer, ljubičasta boja je prilično opora, skoro naparfemisana,

and any words that I associate with purple

i svaka reč koju povezujem s ljubičastom

taste the same way,

ima isti ukus,

such as "sunset" -- a very spicy word.

poput "zalaska sunca" - veoma pikantna sintagma.

But I was worried that if I tell all of this to the teenager,

No brinula sam da ako sve ovo kažem tinejdžerki,

it might sound either too abstract

zvučaće suviše apstraktno

or perhaps too weird,

ili možda suviše čudno,

and there wasn't enough time anyhow,

a i onako nije bilo dovoljno vremena

because people were waiting in the queue,

jer su ljudi čekali u redu,

so it suddenly felt like what I was trying to convey

pa sam iznenada osetila kako je ono što pokušavam da sročim

was more complicated and detailed

komplikovanije i detaljnije

than what the circumstances allowed me to say.

nego što mi okolnosti omogućavaju da kažem.

And I did what I usually do in similar situations:

Uradila sam nešto što obično radim u sličnim situacijama:

I stammered, I shut down, and I stopped talking.

zamucala sam, zatvorila se i prestala da govorim.

I stopped talking because the truth was complicated,

Prestala sam da govorim jer je istina bila komplikovana,

even though I knew, deep within,

iako sam znala, duboko u sebi,

that one should never, ever remain silent for fear of complexity.

da niko ne treba da ćuti, ikad, zbog straha od složenosti.

So I want to start my talk today

Te danas želim da započnem moj govor

with the answer that I was not able to give on that day.

odgovorom koji tog dana nisam mogla da dam.

Yes, I can taste words --

Da, mogu da okusim reči -

sometimes, that is, not always,

to jest ponekad, ne uvek,

and happy words have a different flavor than sad words.

a vesele reči imaju drugačiji ukus od tužnih.

I like to explore: What does the word "creativity" taste like,

Volim da istražujem: kakav ukus ima reč "kreativnost"

or "equality,"

ili "jednakost",

"love," "revolution?"

"ljubav", "revolucija"?

And what about "motherland?"

A šta je sa "domovinom"?

These days, it's particularly this last word that troubles me.

Ovih dana me ova reč naročito muči.

It leaves a sweet taste on my tongue,

Ostavlja sladak ukus na mom jeziku,

like cinnamon, a bit of rose water

poput cimeta, malo ružine vodice

and golden apples.

i zlatnih delišes jabuka.

But underneath, there's a sharp tang,

Međutim, ispod počiva oštar ukus,

like nettles and dandelion.

poput koprive i maslačka.

The taste of my motherland, Turkey,

Ukus moje domovine, Turske,

is a mixture of sweet and bitter.

je mešavina slatkog i gorkog.

And the reason why I'm telling you this

A razlog zašto vam ovo govorim

is because I think there's more and more people

je jer smatram da sve više i više ljudi

all around the world today

širom današnjeg sveta

who have similarly mixed emotions

ima slična pomešana osećanja

about the lands they come from.

o zemljama iz kojih potiču.

We love our native countries, yeah?

Volimo naše rodne zemlje, da?

How can we not?

Kako da ih ne volimo?

We feel attached to the people, the culture, the land, the food.

Osećamo povezanost s ljudima, kulturom, zemljom, hranom.

And yet at the same time,

A ipak, istovremeno,

we feel increasingly frustrated by its politics and politicians,

sve više smo frustrirani politikom naše zemlje i političarima,

sometimes to the point of despair or hurt or anger.

ponekad do tačke očaja ili bola ili besa.

I want to talk about emotions

Želim da govorim o osećanjima

and the need to boost our emotional intelligence.

i potrebi da pojačamo našu emotivnu inteligenciju.

I think it's a pity

Smatram da je šteta

that mainstream political theory pays very little attention to emotions.

da mejnstrim politička teorija obraća malo pažnje na osećanja.

Oftentimes, analysts and experts are so busy with data and metrics

Često, analitičari i stručnjaci su suviše zauzeti podacima i metrikom

that they seem to forget those things in life

da se čini kako zaboravljaju one stvari u životu

that are difficult to measure

koje je teško meriti

and perhaps impossible to cluster under statistical models.

i možda nemoguće grupisati unutar statističkih modela.

But I think this is a mistake, for two main reasons.

Ali ja to smatram greškom iz dva glavna razloga.

Firstly, because we are emotional beings.

Prvo jer smo osećajna bića.

As human beings, I think we all are like that.

Kao ljudska bića, mislim da smo svi takvi.

But secondly, and this is new,

Ali, pod dva, a ovo je novina,

we have entered a new stage in world history

ušli smo u novu fazu svetske istorije

in which collective sentiments guide and misguide politics

u kojoj kolektivna osećanja vode i obmanjuju politiku

more than ever before.

više nego ikad pre.

And through social media and social networking,

A putem društvenih medija i društvene umreženosti,

these sentiments are further amplified,

ova osećanja su dodatno naglašena,

polarized, and they travel around the world quite fast.

polarizovana i putuju svetom prilično brzo.

Ours is the age of anxiety, anger,

Naše doba je doba anksioznosti, besa,

distrust, resentment

nepoverenja, prezira

and, I think, lots of fear.

i, mislim, obilja straha.

But here's the thing:

Ali, evo o čemu se radi:

even though there's plenty of research about economic factors,

iako imamo obilje istraživanja o ekonomskim faktorima,

there's relatively few studies about emotional factors.

ima relativno malo istraživanja o emocionalnim faktorima.

Why is it that we underestimate feelings and perceptions?

Zašto potcenjujemo osećanja i opažanja?

I think it's going to be one of our biggest intellectual challenges,

Mislim da će to da bude jedan od naših najvećih intelektualnih izazova

because our political systems are replete with emotions.

jer su naši politički sistemi nabijeni emocijama.

In country after country,

U državi za državom,

we have seen illiberal politicians exploiting these emotions.

viđali smo netrpeljive političare kako eksploatišu te emocije.

And yet within the academia and among the intelligentsia,

Pa, ipak, među akademicima i među inteligencijom,

we are yet to take emotions seriously.

tek treba da emocije shvatimo ozbiljno.

I think we should.

Mislim da bi trebalo.

And just like we should focus on economic inequality worldwide,

I baš kao što bi trebalo da se fokusiramo na ekonomsku nejednakost širom sveta,

we need to pay more attention to emotional and cognitive gaps worldwide

moramo više pažnje da obraćamo na emotivne i kognitivne jazove širom sveta

and how to bridge these gaps,

i na to kako da premostimo te jazove

because they do matter.

jer su oni važni.

Years ago, when I was still living in Istanbul,

Godinama unazad, dok sam još živela u Istanbulu,

an American scholar working on women writers in the Middle East

američka akademkinja koja je izučavala ženske pisce na Bliskom istoku

came to see me.

je došla da me vidi.

And at some point in our exchange, she said,

A u jednom trenutku našeg razgovora, rekla je:

"I understand why you're a feminist,

"Razumem zašto si feministkinja

because, you know, you live in Turkey."

jer, znaš, živiš u Turskoj."

And I said to her,

A ja sam joj rekla:

"I don't understand why you're not a feminist,

"Ne razumem zašto ti nisi feministkinja

because, you know, you live in America."

jer, znaš, živiš u Americi."

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

(Applause)

(Aplauz)

And she laughed.

A ona se nasmejala.

She took it as a joke,

Shvatila je to kao šalu

and the moment passed.

i trenutak je prošao.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

But the way she had divided the world into two imaginary camps,

Ali način na koji je podelila svet u dva zamišljena tabora,

into two opposite camps --

u dva suprotstavljena tabora -

it bothered me and it stayed with me.

smetalo mi je i zapamtila sam to.

According to this imaginary map,

Prema ovoj zamišljenoj mapi,

some parts of the world were liquid countries.

neki delovi sveta su tečne države.

They were like choppy waters not yet settled.

One su poput talasastih voda koje se još nisu smirile.

Some other parts of the world, namely the West,

Neki drugi delovi sveta, pre svega Zapad,

were solid, safe and stable.

čvrsti su, bezbedni i stabilni.

So it was the liquid lands that needed feminism

Pa je tečnim zemljama potreban feminizam

and activism and human rights,

i aktivizam i ljudska prava,

and those of us who were unfortunate enough

a mi koji nismo imali dovoljno sreće

to come from such places

da poteknemo sa sličnih mesta

had to keep struggling for these most essential values.

moramo da nastavimo da se borimo za te suštinske vrednosti.

But there was hope.

Ali tu je bila nada.

Since history moved forward,

Kako istorija ide dalje,

even the most unsteady lands would someday catch up.

čak će i najnestalnije zemlje jednog dana da ih sustignu.

And meanwhile, the citizens of solid lands

A u međuvremenu, građani čvrstih zemalja

could take comfort in the progress of history

mogu da nađu utehu u istorijskom napretku

and in the triumph of the liberal order.

i u trijumfu liberalnog poretka.

They could support the struggles of other people elsewhere,

Mogu da podržavaju borbe drugih ljudi drugde,

but they themselves did not have to struggle

ali oni sami ne moraju više da se bore

for the basics of democracy anymore,

za osnove demokratije

because they were beyond that stage.

jer su prevazišli tu fazu.

I think in the year 2016,

Mislim da je u 2016. godini

this hierarchical geography was shattered to pieces.

ovo hijerarhijsko geografsko ustrojstvo razbijeno na delove.

Our world no longer follows this dualistic pattern

Naš svet više ne prati ovaj dualistički obrazac

in the scholar's mind, if it ever did.

u umovima akademika, ako ikad i jeste.

Now we know that history does not necessarily move forward.

Sad znamo da istorija nužno ne ide napred.

Sometimes it draws circles,

Ponekad pravi krugove,

even slides backwards,

čak i klizi unazad,

and that generations can make the same mistakes

a generacije mogu da ponove iste greške

that their great-grandfathers had made.

koje su njihove pradede napravile.

And now we know that there's no such thing

I sad znamo da ne postoji tako nešto

as solid countries versus liquid countries.

kao što su čvrste države nasuprot tečnim.

In fact, we are all living in liquid times,

Zapravo, svi mi živimo u tečnom vremenu,

just like the late Zygmunt Bauman told us.

baš kao što nam je pokojni Zigmunt Bauman rekao.

And Bauman had another definition for our age.

A Bauman je imao još jednu definiciju našeg vremena.

He used to say we are all going to be walking on moving sands.

Imao je običaj da kaže kako ćemo svi da hodamo po pokretnom pesku.

And if that's the case, I think,

A ako je to tačno, mislim,

it should concern us women more than men,

trebalo bi više da brine nas žene nego muškarce

because when societies slide backwards into authoritarianism,

jer kad društva skliznu nazad u autoritarizam,

nationalism or religious fanaticism,

nacionalizam ili religijski fanatizam,

women have much more to lose.

žene imaju mnogo više da izgube.

That is why this needs to be a vital moment,

Zbog toga bi ovo trebalo da je ključni momenat,

not only for global activism,

ne samo za globalni aktivizam,

but in my opinion, for global sisterhood as well.

već, prema mom mišljenju, i za globalno sestrinstvo takođe.

(Applause)

(Aplauz)

But I want to make a little confession before I go any further.

Ali želim sitnicu da vam priznam pre nego što nastavim dalje.

Until recently, whenever I took part in an international conference or festival,

Do nedavno, kad god bih uzela učešće na međunarodnoj konferenciji ili festivalu,

I would be usually one of the more depressed speakers.

obično bih bila jedan od depresivnijih govornika.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

Having seen how our dreams of democracy and how our dreams of coexistence

Svedočeći kako naši snovi o demokratiji i kako naši snovi o saživotu

were crushed in Turkey,

bivaju uništeni u Turskoj,

both gradually but also with a bewildering speed,

ujedno postepeno, ali i mahnitom brzinom,

over the years I've felt quite demoralized.

tokom godina sam se osećala prilično demoralisanom.

And at these festivals there would be some other gloomy writers,

A na ovim festivalima su prisustvovali i drugi pokunjeni pisci,

and they would come from places such as Egypt, Nigeria, Pakistan,

a dolazili su sa mesta, poput Egipta, Nigerije, Pakistana,

Bangladesh, Philippines, China, Venezuela, Russia.

Bangladeša, Filipina, Kine, Venecuele, Rusije.

And we would smile at each other in sympathy,

I smešili bi se saosećajno jedni drugima,

this camaraderie of the doomed.

ova družina prokletih.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

And you could call us WADWIC:

A možete da nas zovete MKZDP:

Worried and Depressed Writers International Club.

Međunarodni klub zabrinutih i depresivnih pisaca.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

But then things began to change,

No onda su stvari počele da se menjaju

and suddenly our club became more popular,

i iznenada je naš klub postajao popularniji,

and we started to have new members.

i počeli smo da dobijamo nove članove.

I remember --

Sećam se -

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

I remember Greek writers and poets joined first, came on board.

sećam se da su se Grčki pisci i pesnici prvi pridružili, ukrcali su se.

And then writers from Hungary and Poland,

A potom pisci iz Mađarske i Poljske,

and then, interestingly, writers from Austria, the Netherlands, France,

a potom, zanimljivo, pisci iz Austrije, Holandije, Francuske,

and then writers from the UK, where I live and where I call my home,

a potom pisci iz Ujedinjenog Kraljevstva, gde sam živim i nazivam to svojim domom,

and then writers from the USA.

a potom pisci iz SAD-a.

Suddenly, there were more of us

Iznenada nas je bilo više

feeling worried about the fate of our nations

koji smo zabrinuti zbog sudbine naših nacija

and the future of the world.

i budućnosti sveta.

And maybe there were more of us now

A možda nas sada ima još više

feeling like strangers in our own motherlands.

koji se osećamo kao stranci u našim sopstvenim domovinama.

And then this bizarre thing happened.

A onda se desilo nešto bizarno.

Those of us who used to be very depressed for a long time,

Oni među nama koji su nekad bili već dugo vremena veoma depresivni,

we started to feel less depressed,

počeli smo da se osećamo manje depresivnim,

whereas the newcomers, they were so not used to feeling this way

dok su nove pridošlice, toliko nisu bili naviknuti na ovo osećanje

that they were now even more depressed.

da su sad bili još depresivniji.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

So you could see writers from Bangladesh or Turkey or Egypt

Pa ste mogli da vidite pisce iz Bangladeša ili Turske ili Egipta

trying to console their colleagues

kako pokušavaju da uteše kolege

from Brexit Britain or from post-election USA.

iz bregzitske Britanije ili iz postizbornih SAD.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

But joking aside,

No, šalu na stranu,

I think our world is full of unprecedented challenges,

mislim da je naš svet pun jedinstvenih izazova,

and this comes with an emotional backlash,

a njih prate nagle emotivne reakcije

because in the face of high-speed change,

jer suočeni sa vrtoglavo brzim promenama,

many people wish to slow down,

mnogi ljudi žele da uspore,

and when there's too much unfamiliarity,

a kada je previše nepoznanica,

people long for the familiar.

ljudi žude za poznatim.

And when things get too confusing,

A kad stvari postanu suviše zbunjujuće,

many people crave simplicity.

mnogi ljudi čeznu za jednostavnošću.

This is a very dangerous crossroads,

Ovo je veoma opasna raskrsnica

because it's exactly where the demagogue enters into the picture.

jer tačno tu demagozi ulaze na scenu.

The demagogue understands how collective sentiments work

Demagozi razumeju kako funkcionišu kolektivna osećanja

and how he -- it's usually a he -- can benefit from them.

i kako on - obično je on - može da se okoristi njima.

He tells us that we all belong in our tribes,

Kaže nam da svi mi pripadamo našem plemenu,

and he tells us that we will be safer if we are surrounded by sameness.

i kaže nam da ćemo biti bezbedniji, ako se okružimo jednolikošću.

Demagogues come in all sizes and in all shapes.

Demagozi dolaze u svim veličinama i oblicima.

This could be the eccentric leader of a marginal political party

To bi mogao da bude ekscentrični vođa marginalizovane političke partije

somewhere in Europe,

negde u Evropi

or an Islamist extremist imam preaching dogma and hatred,

ili ekstremno islamistički imam koji propoveda dogme i mržnju

or it could be a white supremacist Nazi-admiring orator somewhere else.

ili bi mogao da bude beli govornik, supremacista, ljubitelj nacista od drugde.

All these figures, at first glance -- they seem disconnected.

Sve te pojave, na prvi pogled - deluju nepovezano.

But I think they feed each other,

Ali mislim da hrane jedni druge

and they need each other.

i da su potrebni jedni drugim.

And all around the world,

A širom sveta,

when we look at how demagogues talk and how they inspire movements,

kad vidimo kako demagozi govore i kako inspirišu pokrete,

I think they have one unmistakable quality in common:

mislim da imaju jednu nepogrešivo zajedničku osobinu:

they strongly, strongly dislike plurality.

snažno, snažno preziru pluralizam.

They cannot deal with multiplicity.

Ne mogu da izađu na kraj sa raznovrsnošću.

Adorno used to say,

Adorno je govorio:

"Intolerance of ambiguity is the sign of an authoritarian personality."

"Netolerancija prema dvosmislenosti je obeležje autoritarne ličnosti."

But I ask myself:

Međutim, pitam se:

What if that same sign,

šta ako je baš taj znak,

that same intolerance of ambiguity --

baš ta netolerancija prema dvosmislenosti -

what if it's the mark of our times, of the age we're living in?

šta ako je to pečat našeg vremena, vremena u kom živimo?

Because wherever I look, I see nuances withering away.

Jer kuda god da pogledam vidim kako iznijansiranost iščezava.

On TV shows, we have one anti-something speaker

Na televizijskim emisijama imamo jednog protivnika nečega

situated against a pro-something speaker.

suprotstavljenog zagovorniku nečega.

Yeah? It's good ratings.

Da? Obezbeđuje dobar rejting.

It's even better if they shout at each other.

Čak je i bolje ako viču jedan na drugog.

Even in academia, where our intellect is supposed to be nourished,

Čak i među akademicima, gde bi trebalo da negujemo naš intelekt,

you see one atheist scholar competing with a firmly theist scholar,

vidite ateistu učenjaka kako se nadgornjava sa verujućim učenjakom,

but it's not a real intellectual exchange,

ali ne radi se o stvarnoj intelektualnoj razmeni

because it's a clash between two certainties.

jer se radi o sukobu između dva ubeđenja.

I think binary oppositions are everywhere.

Mislim da su binarne suprotstavljenosti svuda.

So slowly and systematically,

Te polako i sistematično

we are being denied the right to be complex.

nam osporavaju pravo na složenost.

Istanbul, Berlin, Nice, Paris, Brussels,

Istanbul, Berlin, Nica, Pariz, Brisel,

Dhaka, Baghdad, Barcelona:

Daka, Bagdad, Barselona:

we have seen one horrible terror attack after another.

videli smo užasne terorističke napade jedan za drugim.

And when you express your sorrow, and when you react against the cruelty,

A kada izrazite tugu i reagujete protiv okrutnosti,

you get all kinds of reactions,

dobijete razne reakcije,

messages on social media.

poruke na društvenim mrežama.

But one of them is quite disturbing,

Ali jedna je naročito uznemirujuća,

only because it's so widespread.

samo zato što je široko rasprostranjena.

They say, "Why do you feel sorry for them?

Kažu: "Zašto ih žališ?

Why do you feel sorry for them?

Zašto ih žališ?

Why don't you feel sorry for civilians in Yemen

Zašto ne žališ civile u Jemenu

or civilians in Syria?"

ili civile u Siriji?"

And I think the people who write such messages

I mislim da ljudi koji pišu slične poruke

do not understand

ne razumeju

that we can feel sorry for and stand in solidarity with

da možemo da žalimo i da se solidarišemo

victims of terrorism and violence in the Middle East, in Europe,

sa žrtvama terorizma i nasilja na Bliskom istoku, u Evropi,

in Asia, in America, wherever, everywhere,

u Aziji, u Americi, bilo gde, svuda,

equally and simultaneously.

podjednako i istovremeno.

They don't seem to understand that we don't have to pick one pain

Izgleda da ne razumeju da ne moramo da biramo jedan bol

and one place over all others.

i jedno mesto naspram svih drugih.

But I think this is what tribalism does to us.

Ali mislim da nam to radi tribalizam.

It shrinks our minds, for sure,

Skuplja naše umove, zasigurno,

but it also shrinks our hearts,

ali nam takođe skuplja srca

to such an extent that we become numb to the suffering of other people.

do te mere da postajemo tupi na patnje drugih ljudi.

And the sad truth is, we weren't always like this.

A tužna istina je da nismo oduvek takvi.

I had a children's book out in Turkey,

U Turskoj sam imala dečju knjigu,

and when the book was published, I did lots of events.

a kad je knjiga objavljena, išla sam na mnoge događaje.

I went to many primary schools,

Išla sam u mnoge osnovne škole,

which gave me a chance to observe younger kids in Turkey.

što mi je pružilo priliku da posmatram mlađu decu u Turskoj.

And it was always amazing to see how much empathy, imagination

I uvek mi je bilo divno da gledam koliko empatije, mašte

and chutzpah they have.

i drskosti imaju.

These children are much more inclined to become global citizens

Ova deca su daleko sklonija u tom dobu da postanu građani sveta

than nationalists at that age.

nego nacionalisti.

And it's wonderful to see, when you ask them,

I čarobno je videti, kada ih upitate,

so many of them want to be poets and writers,

toliko njih žele da budu pesnici i pisci,

and girls are just as confident as boys,

a devojčice su jednako samopouzdane kao dečaci,

if not even more.

ako ne i više.

But then I would go to high schools,

No, onda bih pošla u srednje škole

and everything has changed.

i sve bi se promenilo.

Now nobody wants to be a writer anymore,

Sad više niko ne želi da bude pisac,

now nobody wants to be a novelist anymore,

sad niko više ne želi da bude romanopisac,

and girls have become timid,

a devojke su postale plašljive,

they are cautious, guarded,

oprezne su, imaju gard,

reluctant to speak up in the public space,

oklevaju da govore glasno na javnom mestu

because we have taught them --

jer smo ih naučili -

the family, the school, the society --

porodica, škola, društvo -

we have taught them to erase their individuality.

naučili smo ih da izbrišu svoju individualnost.

I think East and West,

Mislim da na Istoku i Zapadu

we are losing multiplicity,

gubimo raznovrsnost,

both within our societies and within ourselves.

i u našim društvima i u nama samima.

And coming from Turkey, I do know that the loss of diversity

A kako dolazim iz Turske, znam da je gubitak različitosti

is a major, major loss.

veliki, veliki gubitak.

Today, my motherland became the world's biggest jailer

Danas je moja domovina postala najveći svetski tamničar

for journalists,

za novinare,

surpassing even China's sad record.

premašujući čak i tužni rekord Kine.

And I also believe that what happened over there in Turkey

I ja takođe smatram da ono što se desilo tamo u Turskoj,

can happen anywhere.

može da se desi bilo gde.

It can even happen here.

Može čak i ovde da se desi.

So just like solid countries was an illusion,

Pa, baš kao što su čvrste države bile iluzija,

singular identities is also an illusion,

jedinstveni identiteti su takođe iluzija

because we all have a multiplicity of voices inside.

jer svi mi u nama imamo mnoštvo glasova.

The Iranian, the Persian poet, Hafiz,

Iranski, persijski pesnik Hafiz

used to say, "You carry in your soul every ingredient necessary

je govorio: "Nosiš u svojoj duši sve potrebne sastojke

to turn your existence into joy.

da pretvoriš svoje postojanje u radost.

All you have to do is to mix those ingredients."

Sve što je potrebno je da izmešaš te sastojke."

And I think mix we can.

I mislim da možemo da mešamo.

I am an Istanbulite,

Ja sam Istanbuljanka,

but I'm also attached to the Balkans,

ali sam takođe vezana za Balkan,

the Aegean, the Mediterranean,

Egejsko more, Mediteran,

the Middle East, the Levant.

Bliski istok, Levant.

I am a European by birth, by choice,

Evropljanka sam po rođenju, po izboru,

the values that I uphold.

po vrednostima koje držim.

I have become a Londoner over the years.

Postala sam Londonka tokom godina.

I would like to think of myself as a global soul, as a world citizen,

Volela bih da mislim o sebi kao o globalnoj duši, građanki sveta,

a nomad and an itinerant storyteller.

nomatkinji i lutajućoj pripovedačici.

I have multiple attachments, just like all of us do.

Imam višestruke privrženosti, baš kao i svi vi.

And multiple attachments mean multiple stories.

A višestruke privrženosti znače višestruke priče.

As writers, we always chase stories, of course,

Kao pisci, uvek jurimo priče, naravno,

but I think we are also interested in silences,

ali takođe mislim da smo zainteresovani za tišine,

the things we cannot talk about,

za stvari o kojima ne možemo da govorimo,

political taboos, cultural taboos.

političke tabue, kulturološke tabue.

We're also interested in our own silences.

Takođe smo zainteresovani za sopstvene tišine.

I have always been very vocal about and written extensively

Oduvek sam bila glasna i pisala sam naširoko

about minority rights, women's rights,

o pravima manjina, ženskim pravima,

LGBT rights.

LGBT pravima.

But as I was thinking about this TED Talk,

Međutim, razmišljajući o ovom TED govoru,

I realized one thing:

shvatila sam nešto:

I have never had the courage to say in a public space

nikad nisam imala hrabrosti da na javnom mestu kažem

that I was bisexual myself,

da sam i sama biseksualka

because I so feared the slander

jer sam se toliko plašila klevete

and the stigma and the ridicule

i ljage i ismevanja

and the hatred that was sure to follow.

i mržnje koja bi zasigurno usledila.

But of course, one should never, ever, remain silent

Ali, naravno, nikada, nikada ne treba da ćutite

for fear of complexity.

zbog straha od složenosti.

(Applause)

(Aplauz)

And although I am no stranger to anxieties,

I iako mi nisu strani nespokoji,

and although I am talking here about the power of emotions --

i iako ovde govorim o snazi osećanja -

I do know the power of emotions --

i sama znam snagu osećanja -

I have discovered over time

vremenom sam otkrila

that emotions are not limitless.

da osećanja nisu neograničena.

You know? They have a limit.

Znate? Imaju ograničenja.

There comes a moment --

Dođe trenutak -

it's like a tipping point or a threshold --

nalik prelomnoj tački ili pragu -

when you get tired of feeling afraid,

kada se umorite od osećanja straha,

when you get tired of feeling anxious.

kada se umorite od osećanja nespokoja.

And I think not only individuals,

I mislim da ne samo pojedinci,

but perhaps nations, too, have their own tipping points.

već možda i nacije imaju svoje prelomne tačke.

So even stronger than my emotions

Pa čak i snažnija od mojih osećanja

is my awareness

je moja svest

that not only gender, not only identity,

da nije samo rod, nije samo identitet,

but life itself is fluid.

već je i sami život tečan.

They want to divide us into tribes,

Žele da nas podele u tabore,

but we are connected across borders.

ali povezani smo širom granica.

They preach certainty,

Propovedaju izvesnost,

but we know that life has plenty of magic

ali mi znamo da u životu ima obilje čarolije

and plenty of ambiguity.

i obilje dvosmislenosti.

And they like to incite dualities,

I vole da podstiču dualnost,

but we are far more nuanced than that.

ali mi smo daleko iznijansiraniji od toga.

So what can we do?

Pa, šta možemo da učinimo?

I think we need to go back to the basics,

Mislim da moramo da se vratimo na osnove,

back to the colors of the alphabet.

nazad na boje azbuke.

The Lebanese poet Khalil Gibran used to say,

Libanski pesnik Halil Džubran je govorio:

"I learned silence from the talkative

"Naučio sam ćutnju od brbljivih

and tolerance from the intolerant

i toleranciju od netolerantnih

and kindness from the unkind."

i ljubaznost od neljubaznih."

I think it's a great motto for our times.

Mislim da je to sjajan moto našeg vremena.

So from populist demagogues, we will learn

Dakle, od populističkih demagoga ćemo da naučimo

the indispensability of democracy.

nužnost demokratije.

And from isolationists, we will learn the need for global solidarity.

A od izolacionista ćemo da naučimo potrebu za globalnom solidarnošću.

And from tribalists, we will learn the beauty of cosmopolitanism

A od tribalista ćemo da naučimo lepotu kosmopolitizma

and the beauty of diversity.

i lepotu različitosti.

As I finish, I want to leave you with one word, or one taste.

Kako završavam, želim da vas ostavim s jednom rečju ili jednim ukusom.

The word "yurt" in Turkish means "motherland."

Reč "yurt" na turskom znači "domovina".

It means "homeland."

Znači "otadžbina".

But interestingly, the word also means

No, zanimljivo, reč takođe znači

"a tent used by nomadic tribes."

"šator koji koriste nomadska plemena".

And I like that combination, because it makes me think

I sviđa mi se taj spoj jer me navodi na razmišljanje

homelands do not need to be rooted in one place.

kako domovine ne moraju da budu ukorenjene na jednom mestu.

They can be portable.

Mogu da budu prenosive.

We can take them with us everywhere.

Možemo da ih nosimo svuda sa sobom.

And I think for writers, for storytellers,

I mislim da za pisce, za pripovedače,

at the end of the day,

kad se sve svede,

there is one main homeland,

postoji jedna glavna domovina,

and it's called "Storyland."

a ona se naziva "Zemlja priča".

And the taste of that word

A ukus te reči

is the taste of freedom.

je ukus slobode.

Thank you.

Hvala vam.

(Applause)

(Aplauz)