Kelli Swazey: Life that doesn't end with death

Prevodilac: Stefan Zrnović Lektor: Tatjana Jevdjic

I think it's safe to say

Mislim da je sigurno reći

that all humans will be intimate with death

da će svi ljudi biti bliski sa smrću

at least once in their lives.

najmanje jednom u svom životu.

But what if that intimacy began

Ali šta ako je ta intima počela

long before you faced your own transition

mnogo pre nego što ste se vi suočili sa svojim prelaskom

from life into death?

iz života u smrt?

What would life be like

Kakav bi život bio

if the dead literally lived alongside you?

ako bi smrt živela bukvalno zajedno sa vama?

In my husband's homeland

U domovini mog muža

in the highlands of Sulawesi island

u planinama ostrva Sulavesi,

in eastern Indonesia,

u istočnoj Indoneziji,

there is a community of people that experience death

postoji zajednica ljudi koja ne tretira smrt

not as a singular event

kao jedinstven događaj,

but as a gradual social process.

već kao postepen društveni proces.

In Tana Toraja,

U Tana Toradži,

the most important social moments in people's lives,

najvažniji društveni događaji u ljudskim životima,

the focal points of social and cultural interaction

središnja tačka društvene i kulturne interakcije

are not weddings or births or even family dinners,

nisu venčanja i rođenja ili čak porodične večere,

but funerals.

već sahrane.

So these funerals are characterized

Ove sahrane se obeležavaju

by elaborate rituals

složenim ritualima

that tie people in a system of reciprocal debt

koji povezuju ljude u sistem uzajamnih obaveza

based on the amount of animals --

baziran na količini životinja -

pigs, chickens and, most importantly, water buffalo --

svinja, kokošaka i najvažnije, vodenih bizona -

that are sacrificed and distributed

koje se žrtvuju i razdeljuju

in the name of the deceased.

u ime pokojnika.

So this cultural complex surrounding death,

Ova kulturna celina koja okružuje smrt,

the ritual enactment of the end of life,

ritualni akt kraja života,

has made death the most visible

učinila je smrt najvidljivijim

and remarkable aspect of Toraja's landscape.

i izvanrednim aspektom slike Toradže.

Lasting anywhere from a few days

Posmrtne ceremonije su javni poslovi

to a few weeks,

koje posvuda traju

funeral ceremonies are a raucous affair,

od nekoliko dana do nekoliko nedelja,

where commemorating someone who's died

gde komemoracija nekoga ko je umro

is not so much a private sadness

nije toliko lična tuga

but more of a publicly shared transition.

već više javno podeljen prelazak.

And it's a transition that's just as much

To je prelaz koji je jednako vezan

about the identity of the living

za identitet življenja,

as it is about remembrance of the dead.

koliko je vezan i za sećanje na umrlog.

So every year, thousands of visitors

Svake godine, hiljade posetilaca

come to Tana Toraja to see, as it were,

dolazi u Tana Toradžu da vidi, kako izgleda

this culture of death,

ta kultura smrti

and for many people these grandiose ceremonies

i za većinu ljudi ove grandiozne ceremonije

and the length of the ceremonies

i dužine tih ceremonija

are somehow incommensurable

su nekako nesrazmerne sa načinom

with the way that we face our own mortality in the West.

na koji se mi suočavamo sa našom smrtnošću na Zapadu.

So even as we share death as a universal experience,

Čak iako je za nas smrt univerzalno iskustvo,

it's not experienced the same way the world over.

ona se ne doživljava na isti način širom sveta.

And as an anthropologist,

Kao antropolog,

I see these differences in experience

vidim ove razlike u iskustvu

being rooted in the cultural and social world

ukorenjene u kulturnom i društvenom svetu

through which we define the phenomena around us.

kroz koje definišemo fenomene oko nas.

So where we see an unquestionable reality,

Tamo gde vidimo neupitnu stvarnost,

death as an irrefutable biological condition,

smrt kao nepobitno biološko stanje,

Torajans see the expired corporeal form

Toradžani vide ugašen fizički oblik

as part of a larger social genesis.

kao deo većeg društvenog porekla.

So again, the physical cessation of life

Fizički prestanak života

is not the same as death.

nije isto što i smrt.

In fact, a member of society is only truly dead

U stvari, član društva je istinski mrtav

when the extended family can agree upon

jedino kada šira porodica može da se složi

and marshal the resources necessary

i da organizuje neophodna sredstva

to hold a funeral ceremony

za održavanje ceremonije sahrane

that is considered appropriate in terms of resources

koja se smatra prikladnom u pogledu sredstava

for the status of the deceased.

za status pokojnika.

And this ceremony has to take place

Ova ceremonija mora da se održi

in front of the eyes of the whole community

pred očima čitave zajednice

with everyone's participation.

i uz učešće svih.

So after a person's physical death,

Nakon fizičke smrti osobe,

their body is placed in a special room

njihovo telo se smešta u posebnu sobu

in the traditional residence, which is called the tongkonan.

u tradicionalno prebivalište, koje se zove tongkonan.

And the tongkonan is symbolic

Tongkonan je simboličan

not only of the family's identity

ne samo za identitet porodice,

but also of the human life cycle from birth to death.

već i za životni ciklus čoveka od rođenja od smrti.

So essentially, the shape of the building

U suštini, oblik zgrade u kojoj ste rođeni

that you're born into is the shape

ima oblik konstrukcije

of the structure which carries you

koja vas nosi

to your ancestral resting place.

do počivališta vaših predaka.

Until the funeral ceremony,

Do ceremonije sahrane,

which can be held years after a person's physical death,

koja može da se održi godinama nakon fizičke smrti osobe,

the deceased is referred to as "to makala," a sick person,

pokojnik se oslovljava sa "to makala", bolesna osoba

or "to mama," a person who is asleep,

ili "to mama", osoba koja spava,

and they continue to be a member of the household.

i pokojnici nastavljaju da budu članovi domaćinstva.

They are symbolically fed and cared for,

Simbolički ih hrane i neguju,

and the family at this time

a porodica će u to vreme

will begin a number of ritual injunctions,

početi brojne ritualne zapovesti

which communicates to the wider community around them

koji javljaju široj zajednici oko njih

that one of their members is undergoing the transition

da jedan od njihovih članova prolazi kroz tranziciju

from this life into the afterlife

iz ovozemaljskog života u onaj posle njega,

known as Puya.

poznat kao Puja.

So I know what some of you must be thinking right now.

Znam šta neki od vas sad misle.

Is she really saying that these people live

Da li ona stvarno govori da ovi ljudi žive

with the bodies of their dead relatives?

sa telima svojih mrtvih rođaka?

And that's exactly what I'm saying.

Upravo to govorim.

But instead of giving in to the sort of visceral reaction

Ali umesto da se prepustimo nekoj instiktivnoj reakciji

we have to this idea of proximity to bodies,

na ideju o bliskosti sa telima,

proximity to death,

bliskosti sa smrću

or how this notion just does not fit

ili tome kako se taj pojam ne uklapa

into our very biological or medical

u naš biološki i medicinski

sort of definition of death,

način definisanja smrti -

I like to think about what the Torajan way

volim da mislim o tome kako toradžanski način

of viewing death encompasses of the human experience

gledanja na smrt, obuhvata ljudsko iskustvo

that the medical definition leaves out.

koje medicina zanemaruje.

I think that Torajans socially recognize

Mislim da Toradžani društveno prepoznaju

and culturally express

i kulturno iskazuju

what many of us feel to be true

ono što većina nas oseća da je tačno,

despite the widespread acceptance

uprkos široko rasprostranjenoj prihvaćenosti

of the biomedical definition of death,

biomedicinske definicije smrti,

and that is that our relationships with other humans,

a to je da naše veze sa drugim ljudima,

their impact on our social reality,

njihov uticaj na našu društvenu realnost,

doesn't cease with the termination

ne prestaju završetkom

of the physical processes of the body,

fizičkih procesa tela;

that there's a period of transition

da se period prelaska

as the relationship between the living and the dead

kao veza između života i smrti transformiše,

is transformed but not ended.

ali se ne završava.

So Torajans express this idea of this enduring relationship

Dakle, Toradžani iskazuju ovu ideju ove trajne veze

by lavishing love and attention

pružajući ljubav i pažnju

on the most visible symbol of that relationship,

najvidljivijem simbolu te veze,

the human body.

ljudskom telu.

So my husband has fond memories

Moj muž gaji sećanja

of talking to and playing with

na pričanje, igranje

and generally being around his deceased grandfather,

i generalno svoj život sa pokojnim dedom

and for him there is nothing unnatural about this.

i za njega, ne postoji ništa neprirodno u vezi sa tim.

This is a natural part of the process

Ovo je prirodni deo procesa

as the family comes to terms with the transition

kada se porodica suočava sa prelaskom

in their relationship to the deceased,

u svojoj vezi sa pokojnikom,

and this is the transition from relating to the deceased

a ovo je prelaz sa veze sa pokojnikom kao osobom koja živi,

as a person who's living

to relating to the deceased

na vezu sa pokojnikom kao osobom koja mu je predak.

as a person who's an ancestor.

And here you can see these wooden effigies

Ovde možete videti ove drvene figure predaka,

of the ancestors,

so these are people who have already been buried,

dakle ovo su ljudi koji su već pokopani,

already had a funeral ceremony.

koji su imali posmrtnu ceremoniju.

These are called tau tau.

Oni se nazivaju "tau tau".

So the funeral ceremony itself

Sama posmrtna ceremonija

embodies this relational perspective on death.

oživljava pogled na odnos prema smrti.

It ritualizes the impact of death on families

Ona ritualizuje uticaj smrti na porodice

and communities.

i zajednice.

And it's also a moment of self-awareness.

To je takođe momenat samosvesti.

It's a moment when people think about who they are,

To je momenat kada ljudi misle o tome ko su,

their place in society,

o svom mestu u društvu

and their role in the life cycle

i svojoj ulozi u životnom ciklusu

in accordance with Torajan cosmology.

prema toradžanskoj kosmologiji.

There's a saying in Toraja

Postoji izreka u Toradži

that all people will become grandparents,

koja kaže da će svi ljudi postati dede,

and what this means is that after death,

a to znači da nakon smrti,

we all become part of the ancestral line

svi postajemo deo nasledne linije

that anchors us between the past and the present

koja nas učvršćuje između prošlosti i sadašnjosti

and will define who our loved ones are into the future.

i koja će definisati naše najmilije u budućnosti.

So essentially, we all become grandparents

U suštini, svi postajemo dede

to the generations of human children

generacijama dece

that come after us.

koje dolaze nakon nas.

And this metaphor of membership

Ova metafora članstva u većoj porodici ljudi je način

in the greater human family

is the way that children also describe

na koji deca takođe opisuju novac koji ulažu u ove žrtvene bizone

the money that they invest

in these sacrificial buffaloes

that are thought to carry people's soul

za koje se pretpostavlja da nose ljudsku dušu

from here to the afterlife,

odavde do života nakon smrti

and children will explain

i deca će objasniti da će ulagati novac u ovo

that they will invest the money in this

because they want to repay their parents

jer žele da svojim roditeljima,

the debt for all of the years their parents spent

vrate dugove za sve godine koje su njihovi roditelji potrošili

investing and caring for them.

ulažući u njih i brinući u njima.

But the sacrifice of buffalo

Ali žrtvovanje bizona

and the ritual display of wealth

i ritualni prikaz bogatstva

also exhibits the status of the deceased,

takođe prikazuje status pokojnika,

and, by extension, the deceased's family.

i samim tim, porodicu preminulog.

So at funerals, relationships are reconfirmed

Dakle, na sahranama, veze se potvrđuju, ali se i transformišu

but also transformed

in a ritual drama that highlights

u ritualnu dramu koja ističe najistaknutiji deo o smrti:

the most salient feature about death in this place:

its impact on life and the relationships of the living.

njen uticaj na život i na veze onih koji žive.

So all of this focus on death

Sav ovaj fokus na smrt

doesn't mean that Torajans don't aspire

ne znači da Toradžani ne teže idealu dugog života.

to the ideal of a long life.

They engage in many practices

Oni sprovode mnoge postupke

thought to confer good health

za koje veruju da se njima stiče dobro zdravlje

and survival to an advanced age.

i doživljava duboka starost.

But they don't put much stock

Ali oni ne veruju u napore

in efforts to prolong life in the face of debilitating illness

produžetka života uprkos iscrpljujućim bolestima

or in old age.

ili starosti.

It's said in Toraja that everybody has

Kažu da u Toradži svako ima

sort of a predetermined amount of life.

neku vrstu predodređene dužine života.

It's called the sunga'.

To se zove "sunga".

And like a thread, it should be allowed to unspool

Kao kanap, trebalo bi da može da se odmota

to its natural end.

do svog prirodnog kraja.

So by having death as a part

Smrt kao sastavni deo

of the cultural and social fabric of life,

kulturnog i društvenog života

people's everyday decisions about their health

utiče se na svakodnevne ljudske odluke o zdravlju.

and healthcare are affected.

The patriarch of my husband's maternal clan,

Glava plemena majke mog muža Nenet Kača,

Nenet Katcha,

is now approaching the age of 100, as far as we can tell.

se približava 100. godini, koliko znamo.

And there are increasing signs

Postoje sve veći znaci

that he is about to depart on his own journey for Puya.

da se sprema na sopstveno putovanje u Puju.

And his death will be greatly mourned.

Njegovu će smrt mnogi ožaliti.

But I know that my husband's family

Ali znam da se porodica mog muža raduje momentu

looks forward to the moment

when they can ritually display

kada mogu ritualno da pokažu

what his remarkable presence has meant to their lives,

šta je njegovo izuzetno prisustvo značilo u njihovim životima,

when they can ritually recount

kada mogu ritualno da navedu njegovu životnu priču,

his life's narrative,

weaving his story

uplićući je u istoriju svoje zajednice.

into the history of their community.

His story is their story.

Njegova priča je njihova priča.

His funeral songs will sing them a song about themselves.

Njegove posmrtne pesme će pevati o njima samima.

And it's a story that has no discernible beginning,

To je priča koja nema vidljiv početak

no foreseeable end.

niti predvidiv kraj.

It's a story that goes on

Ta se priča produžava mnogo nakon života njegovog tela.

long after his body no longer does.

People ask me if I'm frightened or repulsed

Ljudi me pitaju da li se plašim ili se gadim

by participating in a culture

zbog učestvovanja u kulturi

where the physical manifestations of death

gde nas fizičke manifestacije smrti

greet us at every turn.

dočekuju na svakom koraku.

But I see something profoundly transformative

Ali ja vidim nešto duboko transformišuće

in experiencing death as a social process

u doživljavanju smrti kao društvenog procesa,

and not just a biological one.

a ne samo biološkog.

In reality, the relationship between the living and the dead

U stvarnosti, veza između živih i mrtvih

has its own drama in the U.S. healthcare system,

ima svoju sopstvenu dramu u američkom zdravstvenom sistemu,

where decisions about how long to stretch

gde su odluke o tome koliko dugo razvući život

the thread of life are made based on our emotional

bazirane na našim emocionalnim i društvenim vezama sa ljudima oko nas,

and social ties with the people around us,

not just on medicine's ability to prolong life.

ne samo na mogućnosti medicine da produži život.

We, like the Torajans,

Poput Toradžana,

base our decisions about life

baziramo svoje odluke o životu

on the meanings and the definitions

na značenjima i definicijama koje pripisujemo smrti.

that we ascribe to death.

So I'm not suggesting that anyone in this audience

Ne sugerišem da bi bilo ko u ovoj publici

should run out and adopt the traditions

trebalo da otrči i prihvati tradiciju Toradžana.

of the Torajans.

It might be a little bit difficult

Bilo bi malo teško da se to desi<br />u Sjedinjenim Državama.

to put into play in the United States.

But I want to ask what we can gain

Volela bih da pitam šta možemo da dobijemo

from seeing physical death not only as a biological process

od gledanja na fizičku smrt ne samo kao na biološki proces

but as part of the greater human story.

već kao na deo veće ljudske priče.

What would it be like to look on

Kako bi bilo da gledamo na izdahnulog čoveka s ljubavlju

the expired human form with love

because it's so intimately a part of who we all are?

jer je intimno to deo onog šta smo?

If we could expand our definition of death

Kad bismo mogli da proširimo svoju definiciju smrti

to encompass life,

da obuhvatimo život,

we could experience death as part of life

mogli bismo da iskusimo smrt kao deo života

and perhaps face death

i možda da se suočimo sa smrću,

with something other than fear.

sa nečim drugim sem straha.

Perhaps one of the answers to the challenges

Možda jedan od odgovora na izazove američkog sistema zdravstvene zaštite,

that are facing the U.S. healthcare system,

particularly in the end-of-life care,

posebno u vezi sa negom pred smrt,

is as simple as a shift in perspective,

je jednostavan kao i promena pogleda,

and the shift in perspective in this case

a u ovom slučaju bio bi to pogled na društveni život svake smrti.

would be to look at the social life of every death.

It might help us recognize that the way we limit

To bi nam pomoglo da prepoznamo

da je način na koji smo ograničili naš razgovor o smrti

our conversation about death

to something that's medical or biological

kao nešto što je medicinsko ili biološko,

is reflective of a larger culture that we all share

slika naše kulture izbegavanja smrti

of avoiding death, being afraid of talking about it.

i straha od razgovora o njoj.

If we could entertain and value

Kad bismo mogli da razmotrimo i vrednujemo

other kinds of knowledge about life,

druge vrste spoznaja o životu,

including other definitions of death,

uključujući druge definicije smrti,

it has the potential to change the discussions

imali bismo potencijal za promenu razgovora o kraju života.

that we have about the end of life.

It could change the way that we die,

To bi moglo da promeni način na koji umiremo,

but more importantly,

ali još važnije,

it could transform the way that we live.

moglo bi da promeni način na koji živimo.

(Applause)

(Aplauz)