The danger of silence | Clint Smith | TED

Prevodilac: Olivera Spasojevic Lektor: Miloš Milosavljević

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,

Doktor Martin Luter King mlađi,

in a 1968 speech where he reflects upon the Civil Rights Movement,

u svom govoru iz 1968, pozivajući se na Pokret za građanska prava,

states, "In the end,

izjavljuje: "Na kraju,

we will remember not the words of our enemies

nećemo pamtiti reči naših neprijatelja,

but the silence of our friends."

već ćutanje naših prijatelja."

As a teacher, I've internalized this message.

Kao profesor, internalizovao sam ovu poruku.

Every day, all around us,

Svaki dan, svuda oko nas,

we see the consequences of silence

vidimo posledice tišine

manifest themselves in the form of discrimination,

koje se manifestuju u obliku diskriminacije,

violence, genocide and war.

nasilja, genocida i rata.

In the classroom, I challenge my students

U učionici, iskušavam svoje studente

to explore the silences in their own lives

da istražuju tišinu u sopstvenim životima

through poetry.

kroz poeziju.

We work together to fill those spaces,

Radimo zajedno da ispunimo taj prostor,

to recognize them, to name them,

da ga prepoznamo, imenujemo,

to understand that they don't have to be sources of shame.

da razumemo da ne mora biti izvor sramote.

In an effort to create a culture within my classroom

U cilju stvaranja kulture u mojoj učionici,

where students feel safe sharing the intimacies

gde se učenici osećaju sigurno da dele privatnost

of their own silences,

svojih sopstvenih tišina,

I have four core principles posted on the board

napisao sam četiri glavna principa na tabli

that sits in the front of my class,

koja se nalazi ispred mog odeljenja,

which every student signs at the beginning of the year:

gde se svaki student upisuje na početku školske godine:

read critically, write consciously,

čitaj kritički, piši svesno,

speak clearly, tell your truth.

govori jasno, reci svoju istinu.

And I find myself thinking a lot about that last point,

Zamislio sam se kod poslednje tačke:

tell your truth.

reci svoju istinu.

And I realized that

I shvatio sam da

if I was going to ask my students to speak up,

ako budem tražio od svojih učenika da govore glasno,

I was going to have to tell my truth

moraću da kažem svoju istinu

and be honest with them about the times

i da budem iskren sa njima o trenucima

where I failed to do so.

kada to nisam uspevao.

So I tell them that growing up,

Rekao sam im da su me

as a kid in a Catholic family in New Orleans,

kao dete u katoličkoj porodici u Nju Orleansu,

during Lent I was always taught

tokom Velikog posta, učili

that the most meaningful thing one could do

da najznačajnija stvar koju neko može da uradi

was to give something up,

jeste da se odrekne nečega,

sacrifice something you typically indulge in

žrtvuje nešto u čemu uglavnom uživa,

to prove to God you understand his sanctity.

kako bi dokazao Bogu da razume njegovu svetost.

I've given up soda, McDonald's, French fries,

Odrekao sam se gaziranih pića, Mekdonaldsa, pomfrita,

French kisses, and everything in between.

francuskih poljubaca i svega sličnog.

But one year, I gave up speaking.

Ali jedne godine, odrekao sam se govora.

I figured the most valuable thing I could sacrifice

Shvatio sam da je najvrednija stvar koje sam mogao da se odreknem

was my own voice, but it was like I hadn't realized

moj glas, ali nisam shvatao

that I had given that up a long time ago.

da sam se ga se odrekao veoma davno.

I spent so much of my life

Proveo sam veći deo svog života

telling people the things they wanted to hear

govoreći ljudima ono što žele da čuju,

instead of the things they needed to,

umesto onoga što je trebalo da čuju,

told myself I wasn't meant to be anyone's conscience

rekavši sebi da nisam tu da bih bio nečija savest

because I still had to figure out being my own,

jer još uvek nisam shvatio svoju,

so sometimes I just wouldn't say anything,

tako da ponekad prosto ne bih rekao ništa,

appeasing ignorance with my silence,

zadovoljavajući neznanje svojim ćutanjem,

unaware that validation doesn't need words

nesvestan toga da potvrda ne zahteva reči

to endorse its existence.

da bi potvrdila svoje postojanje.

When Christian was beat up for being gay,

Kada je Kristijan prebijen zbog toga što je gej

I put my hands in my pocket

stavio sam ruke u džepove

and walked with my head down as if I didn't even notice.

i prošao sam sa spuštenom glavom kao da ne vidim.

I couldn't use my locker for weeks because the bolt on the lock

Nisam mogao da koristim ormarić nedeljama, jer me je katanac

reminded me of the one I had put on my lips

podsećao na katanac na mojim usnama

when the homeless man on the corner

kada me je beskućnik na ćošku

looked at me with eyes up merely searching

pogledao, samo tražeći

for an affirmation that he was worth seeing.

potvrdu da je vredan pogleda.

I was more concerned with touching the screen on my Apple

Bio sam prezauzet čačkanjem ekrana svog Epl telefona

than actually feeding him one.

umesto da ga pogledam.

When the woman at the fundraising gala

Kada je žena na dobrotvornoj večeri

said "I'm so proud of you.

rekla: "Ponosna sam na tebe.

It must be so hard teaching those poor, unintelligent kids,"

Mora da je teško učiti siromašnu, neinteligentnu decu,"

ujeo sam se za usnu, jer očigledno, bio nam je potreban njen novac

I bit my lip, because apparently we needed her money

more than my students needed their dignity.

više nego što je mojim učenicima trebalo dostojanstvo.

We spend so much time

Trošimo toliko vremena

listening to the things people are saying

slušajući šta drugi govore

that we rarely pay attention to the things they don't.

da retko obratimo pažnju na ono što ne govore.

Silence is the residue of fear.

Tišina je ostatak straha.

It is feeling your flaws

Oseća vaše mane,

gut-wrench guillotine your tongue.

stavlja na giljotinu vaš jezik.

It is the air retreating from your chest

To je vazduh koji napušta pluća,

because it doesn't feel safe in your lungs.

jer se tamo ne oseća sigurno.

Silence is Rwandan genocide. Silence is Katrina.

Tišina je genocid u Ruandi. Tišina je Katrina.

It is what you hear when there aren't enough body bags left.

Ono što čujete kada nema dovoljno vreća za leševe.

It is the sound after the noose is already tied.

To je zvuk koji se čuje kad se zategne omča.

It is charring. It is chains. It is privilege. It is pain.

Ugljenisanje. Lanci. Privilegija. Bol.

There is no time to pick your battles

Nema vremena da se bitke odaberu

when your battles have already picked you.

kada su bitke već odabrale vas.

I will not let silence wrap itself around my indecision.

Neću da dopustim da se tišina umota oko moje neodlučnosti.

I will tell Christian that he is a lion,

Reći ću Kristijanu da je lav,

a sanctuary of bravery and brilliance.

utočište hrabrosti i izvanrednosti.

I will ask that homeless man what his name is

Pitaću beskućnika kako se zove

and how his day was, because sometimes

i kako mu je dan prošao, jer ponekad,

all people want to be is human.

sve što ljudi žele je da budu ljudi.

I will tell that woman that my students can talk about

Reći ću onoj ženi da moji učenici mogu da pričaju

transcendentalism like their last name was Thoreau,

o transcendentalnosti kao da im je prezime Toro,

and just because you watched one episode of "The Wire"

i samo zato što ste gledali jednu epizodu "Žice"

doesn't mean you know anything about my kids.

ne znači da znate išta o mojoj deci.

So this year,

Zato ove godine,

instead of giving something up,

umesto da odustanem od nečega,

I will live every day as if there were a microphone

živeću svakoga dana kao da je mikrofon

tucked under my tongue,

zabijen ispod mog jezika,

a stage on the underside of my inhibition.

a scena ispod mojih inhibicija.

Because who has to have a soapbox

Jer šta će vam govornica,

when all you've ever needed is your voice?

kada je sve što vam je oduvek bilo potrebno - vaš glas?

Thank you.

Hvala vam.

(Applause)

(Aplauz)