Jared Diamond: How societies can grow old better

Prevodilac: Aniko Kovac Lektor: Mile Živković

To give me an idea of how many of you here

Kako bih stekao utisak kolikom broju vas ovde

may find what I'm about to tell you

ovo što ću vam reći

of practical value,

može biti od praktičnog značaja,

let me ask you please to raise your hands:

molim vas da podignete ruke:

Who here is either over 65 years old

oni ovde koji su stariji od 65 godina

or hopes to live past age 65

ili se nadaju da će živeti duže od 65 godina

or has parents or grandparents who did live

ili imaju roditelje ili babu i dedu koji su

or have lived past 65,

preživeli duže od 65. godine?

raise your hands please. (Laughter)

Molim vas da podignete ruke. (Smeh)

Okay. You are the people to whom my talk

U redu. Vi ste oni kojima će moj govor

will be of practical value. (Laughter)

biti od praktičnog značaja. (Smeh)

The rest of you

Ostalima

won't find my talk personally relevant,

moj govor neće biti lično značajan,

but I think that you will still find the subject

ali mislim da će vam tema ipak biti

fascinating.

zapanjujuća.

I'm going to talk about growing older

Govoriću vam o starenju

in traditional societies.

u tradicionalnim društvima.

This subject constitutes just one chapter

Ovo čini samo jedno poglavlje

of my latest book, which compares

u mojoj poslednjoj knjizi, koja poredi

traditional, small, tribal societies

mala, tradicionalna, plemenska društva

with our large, modern societies,

sa našim velikim, modernim društvima

with respect to many topics

po pitanju mnogih tema

such as bringing up children,

kao što su podizanje dece,

growing older, health, dealing with danger,

starenje, zdravlje, nošenje sa opasnošću,

settling disputes, religion

rešavanje konflikata, religija

and speaking more than one language.

i znanje više od jednog jezika.

Those tribal societies, which constituted

Plemenska društva koja su činila

all human societies for most of human history,

celokupno ljudsko drušvo u većem delu ljudske istorije

are far more diverse than are our modern,

su mnogo raznolikija od naših modernih,

recent, big societies.

savremenih, velikih društava.

All big societies that have governments,

Sva velika društva koja imaju vladu

and where most people are strangers to each other,

i gde su većina ljudi stranci jedni drugima

are inevitably similar to each other

su neizbežno slična jedna drugima

and different from tribal societies.

i različita od plemenskih zajednica.

Tribes constitute thousands of natural experiments

Plemena čine hiljade prirodnih eksperimenata

in how to run a human society.

o tome kako upravljati ljudskim društvom.

They constitute experiments from which we ourselves

Ona čine eksperimente iz kojih mi

may be able to learn.

možemo da učimo.

Tribal societies shouldn't be scorned

Plemenska društva ne treba nipodaštavati

as primitive and miserable,

kao primitivne i bedne,

but also they shouldn't be romanticized

ali ih ne treba ni romantizovati

as happy and peaceful.

kao srećne i miroljubive.

When we learn of tribal practices,

Kada otkrivamo plemenske običaje

some of them will horrify us,

neka od njih nas prestrave,

but there are other tribal practices which,

ali postoje i drugi plemenski običaji

when we hear about them,

kojima, kada čujemo za njih,

we may admire and envy

možemo da se divimo i zavidimo na njima

and wonder whether we could adopt those practices

i da se zapitamo da li treba i mi

ourselves.

da ih usvojimo.

Most old people in the U.S. end up living

Većina starijih ljudi u SAD živi

separately from their children

odvojeno od svoje dece

and from most of their friends

i većine svojih prijatelja

of their earlier years,

iz ranijih godina

and often they live in separate retirements homes for the elderly,

i često žive odvojeno, u staračkim domovima,

whereas in traditional societies,

dok u tradicionalnim društvima

older people instead live out their lives

umesto toga, stariji ljudi proživljavaju svoj život

among their children, their other relatives,

među svojom decom, ostalom rodbinom

and their lifelong friends.

i svojim dugogodišnjim prijateljima.

Nevertheless, the treatment of the elderly

Ipak, odnos prema starijima

varies enormously among traditional societies,

se ogromno razlikuje među tradicionalnim društvima

from much worse to much better

od mnogo gorih do mnogo boljih

than in our modern societies.

nego u našim modernim društvima.

At the worst extreme, many traditional societies

U najgorem slučaju, mnoga tradicionalna društva

get rid of their elderly

se ratosiljaju starijih

in one of four increasingly direct ways:

na jedan od četiri rastući neposrednih načina:

by neglecting their elderly

zapostavljanjem starijih

and not feeding or cleaning them until they die,

i ukidanjem hrane ili higijene dok ne umru,

or by abandoning them when the group moves,

ili njihovim napuštanjem kada grupa krene dalje,

or by encouraging older people to commit suicide,

ili ohrabrivanjem starijih da izvrše samoubistvo,

or by killing older people.

ili ubijanjem starijih ljudi.

In which tribal societies do children

U kojim plemenskim zajednicama deca

abandon or kill their parents?

napuštaju ili ubijaju roditelje?

It happens mainly under two conditions.

Uglavnom se to dešava u dve okolnosti.

One is in nomadic, hunter-gather societies

Jedna su nomadske zajednice, lovci i sakupljači,

that often shift camp

koje često menjaju mesto

and that are physically incapable

i koje su fizički sprečene

of transporting old people who can't walk

da prenose starije koji ne mogu da hodaju,

when the able-bodied younger people already

jer sposobni mladi

have to carry their young children

moraju da nose svoju malu decu

and all their physical possessions.

i sva njihova posedstva.

The other condition is in societies

Druga okolnost je u društvima

living in marginal or fluctuating environments,

koja žive u marginalnim ili promenljivim uslovima

such as the Arctic or deserts,

kao što su Arktik ili pustinje,

where there are periodic food shortages,

gde se javljaju periodi nestašice hrane

and occasionally there just isn't enough food

i povremeno nema dovoljno hrane

to keep everyone alive.

kako bi svi preživeli.

Whatever food is available has to be reserved

Hrana koja je dostupna mora da se sačuva

for able-bodied adults and for children.

za fizički sposobne odrasle i za decu.

To us Americans, it sounds horrible

Nama ovo zvuči užasno,

to think of abandoning or killing

zamisliti da napustimo ili ubijemo

your own sick wife or husband

našu bolesnu suprugu ili muža

or elderly mother or father,

ili ostarelu majku ili oca,

but what could those traditional societies

ali šta bi te tradicionalne zajednice

do differently?

mogle da urade drugačije?

They face a cruel situation of no choice.

Susreću se sa okrutnim situacijama, bez izbora.

Their old people had to do it to their own parents,

Stariji su morali to da urade svojim roditeljima

and the old people know

i oni znaju

what now is going to happen to them.

da će se to sada njima dogoditi.

At the opposite extreme

Suprotna krajnost

in treatment of the elderly, the happy extreme,

u odnosu prema starijima, srećna krajnost,

are the New Guinea farming societies

su poljoprivredna društva Nove Gvineje,

where I've been doing my fieldwork for the past 50 years,

u kojima sam proteklih 50 godina radio na terenu,

and most other sedentary traditional societies

kao i većina drugih sedelačkih tradicionalnih društava

around the world.

širom sveta.

In those societies, older people are cared for.

U tim društvima se brinu o starijima.

They are fed. They remain valuable.

Hrane ih. Oni ostaju bitni.

And they continue to live in the same hut

Oni nastavljaju da žive u istoj kolibi sa

or else in a nearby hut near their children,

ili u nekoj kolibi u blizini svoje dece,

relatives and lifelong friends.

rodbine i starih prijatelja.

There are two main sets of reasons for this variation

Postoje dve velike grupe uzroka ovih razlika

among societies in their treatment

između društava u njihovom odnosu

of old people.

prema starijima.

The variation depends especially

Razlika se uglavnom zasniva

on the usefulness of old people

na korisnosti starijih

and on the society's values.

i na društvenim vrednostima.

First, as regards usefulness,

Što se tiče korisnosti,

older people continue to perform useful services.

stariji ljudi nastavljaju da obavljaju korisne radnje.

One use of older people in traditional societies

Jedna od stvari u kojima su stariji korisni u tradicionalnim društvima

is that they often are still effective

je to što su oni i dalje efikasni

at producing food.

u stvaranju hrane.

Another traditional usefulness of older people

Druga tradicionalna korist od starijih

is that they are capable of babysitting

je njihova sposobnost da čuvaju decu,

their grandchildren,

njihove unuke,

thereby freeing up their own adult children,

čime oslobađaju svoju odraslu decu,

the parents of those grandchildren,

roditelje tih unuka,

to go hunting and gathering food for the grandchildren.

i oni mogu da love i sakupljaju hranu za te unuke.

Still another traditional value of older people

Još jedna tradicionalna vrednost starijih

is in making tools, weapons, baskets,

je pravljenje alata, oružja, korpi,

pots and textiles.

posuđa i tekstila.

In fact, they're usually the people who are best at it.

U stvari, oni su uglavnom ti koji su najbolji u tome.

Older people usually are the leaders

Stariji ljudi su uglavnom vođe

of traditional societies,

tradicionalnih društava

and the people most knowledgeable about politics,

i oni znaju najviše o politici,

medicine, religion, songs and dances.

medicini, religiji, pesmama i plesovima.

Finally, older people in traditional societies

Stariji ljudi u tradicionalnim društvima

have a huge significance that would never occur

imaju ogromnu važnost koju mi,

to us in our modern, literate societies,

u modernim, pismenim društvima nikada ne bismo uvideli.

where our sources of information are books

Naši izvori informacija su knjige

and the Internet.

i internet.

In contrast, in traditional societies without writing,

Suprotno tome, u tradicionalnim društvima bez pisma,

older people are the repositories of information.

stariji ljudi su skladište informacija.

It's their knowledge that spells the difference

Njihovo znanje određuje razliku

between survival and death for their whole society

između preživljavanja i smrti njihovog čitavog društva

in a time of crisis caused by rare events

u vremenima krize prouzrokovane retkim događajima

for which only the oldest people alive

koje su samo najstariji živi ljudi

have had experience.

već iskusili.

Those, then, are the ways in which older people

To su načini na koje su stariji ljudi

are useful in traditional societies.

korisni u tradicionalnim društvima.

Their usefulness varies and contributes

Njihova korisnost se razlikuje i doprinosi

to variation in the society's treatment

razlikama u društvenom odnosu

of the elderly.

prema starijima.

The other set of reasons for variation

Druga grupa uzroka razlika

in the treatment of the elderly is

u odnosu prema starijima

the society's cultural values.

su kulturne vrednosti društva.

For example, there's particular emphasis

Na primer, u Istočnoj Aziji

on respect for the elderly in East Asia,

poseban naglasak je na poštovanju starijih

associated with Confucius' doctrine

što se povezuje sa Konfučijevom doktrinom

of filial piety, which means obedience,

privrženosti dece, koja podrazumeva poslušnost,

respect and support for elderly parents.

poštovanje i podršku starijim roditeljima.

Cultural values that emphasize respect for older people

Kulturne vrednosti koje naglašavaju poštovanje starijih

contrast with the low status of the elderly

su u kontrastu sa niskim statusom starijih

in the U.S.

u SAD.

Older Americans are at a big disadvantage

Stariji Amerikanci su podređeniji

in job applications.

pri prijavi za posao.

They're at a big disadvantage in hospitals.

Manje su prioritetni u bolnicama.

Our hospitals have an explicit policy

Američke bolnice imaju eksplicitnu politiku

called age-based allocation of healthcare resources.

nazvanu "raspodela zdravstvenih resursa na osnovu godina".

That sinister expression means that

Ovaj grešni izraz znači da

if hospital resources are limited,

ako su bolnički resursi ograničeni,

for example if only one donor heart

na primer, ako se javi samo jedno donorsko srce

becomes available for transplant,

za transplantaciju,

or if a surgeon has time to operate

ili ako hirurg ima vremena da operiše

on only a certain number of patients,

samo određeni broj pacijenata,

American hospitals have an explicit policy

američke bolnice imaju eksplicitnu politiku

of giving preference to younger patients

davanja prednosti mlađim

over older patients

naspram starijim pacijentima

on the grounds that younger patients are considered

na osnovu toga što se mlađi pacijenti smatraju

more valuable to society

vrednijim društvu,

because they have more years of life ahead of them,

jer imaju više godina života pred sobom,

even though the younger patients have fewer years

iako mlađi pacijenti imaju manje godina

of valuable life experience behind them.

vrednog životnog iskustva za sobom.

There are several reasons for this low status

Postoji nekoliko razloga ovako niskog statusa

of the elderly in the U.S.

starijih u SAD.

One is our Protestant work ethic

Jedna je protestantska radna etika,

which places high value on work,

koja visoko vrednuje rad,

so older people who are no longer working

tako da stariji ljudi koji više ne rade

aren't respected.

ne dobijaju poštovanje.

Another reason is our American emphasis

Još jedan razlog je američki naglasak

on the virtues of self-reliance and independence,

na vrline oslanjanja na sopstvene snage i nezavisnosti,

so we instinctively look down on older people

tako da mi automatski podređujemo starije ljude,

who are no longer self-reliant and independent.

koji postaju zavisni i nisu više samostalni.

Still a third reason is our American cult of youth,

Treći razlog je američki kult mladosti

which shows up even in our advertisements.

koji se javlja čak i u reklamama.

Ads for Coca-Cola and beer always depict

Reklame za Koka-kolu i pivo uvek prikazuju

smiling young people,

nasmejane mlade ljude,

even though old as well as young people

iako stariji, isto kao i mladi,

buy and drink Coca-Cola and beer.

kupuju i piju Koka-kolu i pivo.

Just think, what's the last time you saw

Razmislite samo. Kada ste poslednji put videli

a Coke or beer ad depicting smiling people

reklamu za Kolu ili pivo koja prikazuje nasmejane ljude

85 years old? Never.

u 85. godini? Nikad.

Instead, the only American ads

Umesto toga, jedine američke reklame

featuring white-haired old people

koje prikazuju sede starije ljude

are ads for retirement homes and pension planning.

su reklame za staračke domove i penzioni plan.

Well, what has changed in the status

Šta je ono što se promenilo u statusu

of the elderly today

starijih danas

compared to their status in traditional societies?

u odnosu na njihov status u tradicionalnim društvima?

There have been a few changes for the better

Desilo se nekoliko promena na bolje

and more changes for the worse.

i mnogo promena na gore.

Big changes for the better

Velike promene na bolje

include the fact that today we enjoy

uključuju činjenicu da danas uživamo

much longer lives,

u mnogo dužim životima,

much better health in our old age,

mnogo boljem zdravlju u poznom dobu

and much better recreational opportunities.

i mnogo boljim mogućnostima za rekreaciju.

Another change for the better is that we now have

Još jedna promena na bolje je da sada imamo

specialized retirement facilities

specijalizovane ustanove za starije

and programs to take care of old people.

i programe koji se brinu za starije ljude.

Changes for the worse begin with the cruel reality

Promene na gore počinju sa surovom stvarnošću

that we now have

sa kojom se sada suočavamo -

more old people and fewer young people

više starijih i manje mladih

than at any time in the past.

nego u bilo kom trenutku u prošlosti.

That means that all those old people

To znači da su svi ti stariji ljudi

are more of a burden on the few young people,

veći teret manjem broju mladih ljudi

and that each old person has less individual value.

i da svaka starija osoba nosi manju ličnu vrednost.

Another big change for the worse in the status of the elderly

Još jedna velika promena na gore u statusu starijih

is the breaking of social ties with age,

je prekidanje društvenih veza s godinama,

because older people, their children,

jer se stariji ljudi, njihova deca

and their friends,

i njihovi prijatelji

all move and scatter independently of each other

svi sele i raspršuju nezavisno jedni od drugih

many times during their lives.

mnogo puta tokom njihovih života.

We Americans move on the average

Amerikanci se sele prosečno

every five years.

svakih pet godina.

Hence our older people are likely

Zbog toga će naši stariji sa velikom verovatnoćom

to end up living distant from their children

završiti živeći daleko od svoje dece

and the friends of their youth.

i prijatelja iz mladosti.

Yet another change for the worse in the status of the elderly

Još jedna promena na gore u statusu starijih

is formal retirement from the workforce,

je zakonom određeno penzionisanje

carrying with it a loss of work friendships

koje sa sobom nosi gubitak prijateljstava

and a loss of the self-esteem associated with work.

i gubitak samopouzdanja vezanog za rad.

Perhaps the biggest change for the worse

Možda najveća promena na gore

is that our elderly are objectively

je to što su naši stariji objektivno

less useful than in traditional societies.

manje korisni nego u tradicionalnim društvima.

Widespread literacy means that they are no longer

Široko rasprostranjena pismenost znači da oni više nisu

useful as repositories of knowledge.

korisni kao skladišta znanja.

When we want some information,

Kada želimo neku informaciju,

we look it up in a book or we Google it

potražićemo je u knjizi ili na Guglu

instead of finding some old person to ask.

umesto da potražimo neku stariju osobu i pitamo je.

The slow pace of technological change

Spori napredak tehnološkog razvoja

in traditional societies

u tradicionalnim društvima

means that what someone learns there as a child

znači da je ono što neko nauči kao dete

is still useful when that person is old,

i dalje korisno kada ta osoba ostari,

but the rapid pace of technological change today

a brzi tok tehnološkog razvoja danas

means that what we learn as children

znači da ono što naučimo kao deca

is no longer useful 60 years later.

postaje beskorisno 60 godina kasnije.

And conversely, we older people are not fluent

Kao posledica toga mi, stariji ljudi, ne poznajemo

in the technologies essential for surviving

tehnologije neophodne za preživljavanje

in modern society.

u modernom društvu.

For example, as a 15-year-old,

Na primer, kao petnaestogodišnjak

I was considered outstandingly good at multiplying numbers

bio sam izvanredno dobar u množenju,

because I had memorized the multiplication tables

jer sam zapamtio tablice množenja

and I know how to use logarithms

i znam kako da koristim logaritme

and I'm quick at manipulating a slide rule.

i brz sam u upotrebi logaritmara.

Today, though, those skills are utterly useless

Danas su, pak, te veštine potpuno nepotrebne,

because any idiot

jer bilo koji idiot

can now multiply eight-digit numbers

može da množi osmocifrene brojeve

accurately and instantly with a pocket calculator.

tačno i trenutno uz pomoć džepnog digitrona.

Conversely, I at age 75

Kao posledica toga, ja sa 75

am incompetent at skills

sam nekompetentan u veštinama

essential for everyday life.

potrebnim za svakodnevni život.

My family's first TV set in 1948

Prvi TV moje porodice 1948.

had only three knobs that I quickly mastered:

imao je samo tri dugmeta

an on-off switch, a volume knob,

za uključivanje i isključivanje, jačinu

and a channel selector knob.

i odabir kanala.

Today, just to watch a program

Danas, samo da bih odgledao program

on the TV set in my own house,

na televizoru u mojoj kući

I have to operate a 41-button TV remote

moram da rukujem daljinskim sa 41 dugmetom

that utterly defeats me.

što me potpuno poražava.

I have to telephone my 25-year-old sons

Moram da nazovem svoje 25-ogodišnje sinove

and ask them to talk me through it

i zamolim ih mi da mi pomognu

while I try to push those wretched 41 buttons.

dok pokušavam da ispritiskam tih 41 mizernih dugmića.

What can we do to improve the lives of the elderly

Šta možemo da učinimo da poboljšamo živote starijih

in the U.S., and to make better use of their value?

u SAD i bolje iskoristimo njihove vrednosti?

That's a huge problem.

To je ogroman problem.

In my remaining four minutes today,

U svoja preostala četiri minuta danas

I can offer just a few suggestions.

mogu da vam ponudim samo neke predloge.

One value of older people is that they are

Jedna od vrednosti starijih je

increasingly useful as grandparents

da su sve više i više korisni kao babe i dede

for offering high-quality childcare

nudeći visoko kvalitetnu brigu o deci

to their grandchildren, if they choose to do it,

svojim unucima, ako odaberu to da rade,

as more young women enter the workforce

pošto sve više mladih žena počinje da radi

and as fewer young parents of either gender

i sve manje mladih roditelja oba pola

stay home as full-time caretakers of their children.

ostaje kod kuće da se stara o svojoj deci tokom čitavog dana.

Compared to the usual alternatives

Poređeno sa uobičajenim alternativama

of paid babysitters and day care centers,

plaćanja bejbi-sitera i obdaništa,

grandparents offer superior, motivated,

babe i dede nude bolju, motivisanu

experienced child care.

brigu o deci, sa iskustvom.

They've already gained experience from raising their own children.

Oni su već stekli iskustvo odgajanjem sopstvene dece.

They usually love their grandchildren,

U većini slučajeva oni vole svoje unuke

and are eager to spend time with them.

i željni su da provode vreme s njima.

Unlike other caregivers,

Za razliku od drugih staratelja,

grandparents don't quit their job

babe i dede ne napuštaju svoj posao,

because they found another job with higher pay

jer su našli bolji, sa većom platom

looking after another baby.

čuvajući neko drugo dete.

A second value of older people is paradoxically

Druga vrednost starijih je, paradoksalno,

related to their loss of value

povezana sa gubitkom njihove vrednosti

as a result of changing world conditions and technology.

kao posledica promena u svetskim uslovima i tehnologiji.

At the same time, older people have gained

Istovremeno, stariji ljudi su dobili

in value today precisely because

na vrednosti danas upravo

of their unique experience of living conditions

zbog njihovog jedinstvenog iskustva u životnim uslovima

that have now become rare

koji su sada postali retki

because of rapid change, but that could come back.

zbog brzine promena, ali koji bi se mogli vratiti.

For example, only Americans now in their 70s

Na primer, samo Amerikanci koji su sada u svojim 70-im

or older today can remember

ili su stariji se danas sećaju

the experience of living through a great depression,

iskustva življenja tokom velike depresije,

the experience of living through a world war,

iskustva života tokom svetskog rata,

and agonizing whether or not

brige da li će ili neće

dropping atomic bombs would be more horrible

atomska bomba biti gora

than the likely consequences of not dropping atomic bombs.

nego posledica nebacanja atomskih bombi.

Most of our current voters and politicians

Većina sadašnjih glasača i političara

have no personal experience of any of those things,

nemaju lično iskustvo u tim stvarima,

but millions of older Americans do.

ali milioni starijih Amerikanaca ga imaju.

Unfortunately, all of those terrible situations

Nažalost, sve te užasne situacije

could come back.

bi mogle da se ponove.

Even if they don't come back,

A čak i da se ne ponove,

we have to be able to plan for them

moramo da budemo sposobni da planiramo za njih

on the basis of the experience of what they were like.

na osnovu iskustva kakve su nekada bile.

Older people have that experience.

Stariji ljudi imaju to iskustvo.

Younger people don't.

Mlađi ljudi nemaju.

The remaining value of older people

Vrednost starijih

that I'll mention involves recognizing that

koju ću još spomenuti uključuje prepoznavanje da

while there are many things that older people

iako postoji mnogo stvari koje stariji

can no longer do,

više ne mogu da rade,

there are other things that they can do

postoje druge stvari koje mogu da rade

better than younger people.

bolje od mladih ljudi.

A challenge for society is to make use of those things

Izazov za društvo je da iskoristi te stvari

that older people are better at doing.

koje stariji bolje rade.

Some abilities, of course, decrease with age.

Neke sposobnosti, naravno, nestaju godinama.

Those include abilities at tasks

One uključuju sposobnosti u zadacima

requiring physical strength and stamina,

koji zahtevaju fizičku snagu i izdržljivost,

ambition, and the power of novel reasoning

ambiciju i moć inovativnog razmišljanja

in a circumscribed situation,

u specifičnim situacijama,

such as figuring out the structure of DNA,

kao što je pronalaženje strukture DNK,

best left to scientists under the age of 30.

što je najbolje prepustiti naučnicima ispod 30.

Conversely, valuable attributes

Kao posledica toga, vredne osobine

that increase with age include experience,

koje rastu sa godinama uključuju iskustvo,

understanding of people and human relationships,

razumevanje ljudi i međuljudskih odnosa,

ability to help other people

sposobnost za pomaganje drugima

without your own ego getting in the way,

bez uplitanja sopstvenog ega

and interdisciplinary thinking about large databases,

i interdisciplinarno razmišljanje o velikim bazama podataka

such as economics and comparative history,

kao što su ekonomija i komparativna istorija,

best left to scholars over the age of 60.

što je bolje ostaviti stručnjacima preko 60.

Hence older people are much better than younger people

Zbog toga su stariji ljudi mnogo bolji od mlađih

at supervising, administering, advising,

u nadgledanju, administraciji, savetovanju,

strategizing, teaching, synthesizing,

osmišljanju strategija, podučavanju, sintezi

and devising long-term plans.

i razvoju dugoročnih planova.

I've seen this value of older people

Video sam ovu vrednost starijih ljudi

with so many of my friends in their 60s,

u velikom broju svojih prijatelja u njihovim 60-im

70s, 80s and 90s,

70-im, 80-im i 90-im

who are still active as investment managers,

koji su i dalje aktivni kao investicioni menadžeri,

farmers, lawyers and doctors.

poljoprivrednici, advokati i lekari.

In short, many traditional societies

Ukratko, mnoga tradicionalna društva

make better use of their elderly

bolje iskorišćavaju starije

and give their elderly more satisfying lives

i pružaju im ispunjenije živote

than we do in modern, big societies.

nego što to mi činimo u modernim, velikim društvima.

Paradoxically nowadays,

Paradoksalno, danas

when we have more elderly people than ever before,

kada imamo više starijih nego ikada pre

living healthier lives and with better medical care

koji žive zdravije živote sa boljom zdravstvenom negom

than ever before,

nego ikada pre

old age is in some respects more miserable

starost je u nekim pogledima bednija

than ever before.

nego ikada pre.

The lives of the elderly are widely recognized

Životi starijih su naširoko prepoznati

as constituting a disaster area

kao područja katastrofe

of modern American society.

u modernom američkom društvu.

We can surely do better by learning

Sigurno možemo biti bolji ako učimo

from the lives of the elderly

iz života starijih

in traditional societies.

u tradicionalnim društvima.

But what's true of the lives of the elderly

Ali ono što je istinito za živote starijih

in traditional societies

u tradicionalnim društvima

is true of many other features

je istinito i za druge osobine

of traditional societies as well.

tradicionalnih društava.

Of course, I'm not advocating that we all give up

Naravno, nisam zagovornik napuštanja

agriculture and metal tools

poljoprivrede i metalnih oruđa

and return to a hunter-gatherer lifestyle.

i vraćanja lovu i sakupljanju.

There are many obvious respects

Postoji mnogo očiglednih aspekata

in which our lives today are far happier

zbog kojih su naši životi danas daleko srećniji

than those in small, traditional societies.

od onih u malim, tradicionalnim društvima.

To mention just a few examples,

Napomenuo bih samo neke primere,

our lives are longer, materially much richer,

naši životi su duži, materijalno znatno bogatiji

and less plagued by violence

i manje mučeni nasiljem

than are the lives of people in traditional societies.

nego životi ljudi u tradicionalnim društvima.

But there are also things to be admired

Ali postoje i stvari kojima se treba diviti

about people in traditional societies,

kod ljudi u tradicionalnim društvima

and perhaps to be learned from them.

i možda učiti iz njih.

Their lives are usually socially much richer

Njihovi životi su uglavnom značajno društveno bogatiji

than our lives,

nego naši životi,

although materially poorer.

iako materijalno siromašniji.

Their children are more self-confident,

Njihova deca imaju više samopouzdanja,

more independent, and more socially skilled

nezavisnija su i imaju više socijalnih veština

than are our children.

nego naša deca.

They think more realistically about dangers than we do.

Razmišljaju realističnije o opasnostima nego mi.

They almost never die of diabetes, heart disease,

Skoro nikada ne umiru od dijabetesa, srčanih oboljenja,

stroke, and the other noncommunicable diseases

šloga ili drugih nezaraznih bolesti,

that will be the causes of death of almost

koje će biti uzrok smrti

all of us in this room today.

skoro svih nas u ovoj prostoriji danas.

Features of the modern lifestyle predispose us to those diseases,

Osobine savremenog života nas predodređuju tim bolestima,

and features of the traditional lifestyle

a osobine tradicionalnih društava

protect us against them.

nas štite od njih.

Those are just some examples of what we can learn

To su samo neki primeri toga šta možemo da naučimo

from traditional societies.

od tradicionalnih društava.

I hope that you will find it as fascinating

Nadam se da vam biti isto toliko zapanjujuće

to read about traditional societies

da čitate o tradicionalnim društvima

as I found it to live in those societies.

kao što je meni bilo da živim među njima.

Thank you.

Hvala vam.

(Applause)

(Aplauz)