The 4 stories we tell ourselves about death | Stephen Cave

Translator: Nelson Simfukwe Reviewer: Joachim Mangilima

I have a question:

Nina swali:

Who here remembers when they first realized

Ni wakina nani hapa walishawahi tambua lini

they were going to die?

watakufa?

I do. I was a young boy,

Natambua.Nilikuwa mvulana mdogo,

and my grandfather had just died,

na babu yangu alikuwa amefariki,

and I remember a few days later lying in bed at night

na nakumbuka siku chache baadaye nikiwa nimelala kitandani wakati wa usiku

trying to make sense of what had happened.

nikijaribu kujiuliza kipi kilichotokea.

What did it mean that he was dead?

Ilimaanisha nini kwamba amekufa?

Where had he gone?

Atakuwa ameenda wapi?

It was like a hole in reality had opened up

Ilikuwa ni kama shimo limefunguka

and swallowed him.

na likammeza.

But then the really shocking question occurred to me:

Na swali la kushtua likanijia:

If he could die, could it happen to me too?

Kama amekufa,inaweza ikanitokea na mimi?

Could that hole in reality open up and swallow me?

Hilo shimo litafunguka na kunimeza?

Would it open up beneath my bed

Litafunguka chini ya kitanda changu

and swallow me as I slept?

na kunimeza wakati nimelala?

Well, at some point, all children become aware of death.

Katika namna fulani,watoto wote wanakuja gundua kuhusu kifo.

It can happen in different ways, of course,

Kinaweza kutokea katika njia nyingi tofauti,

and usually comes in stages.

na kawaida huja kwa hatua.

Our idea of death develops as we grow older.

Mawazo yetu kuhusu kifo yanakua kadiri tunavyozidi kuzeeka.

And if you reach back into the dark corners

Na kama ukifika katika kona za giza

of your memory,

za kumbukumbu yako,

you might remember something like what I felt

utakumbuka kitu fulani kama nilichohisi mimi

when my grandfather died and when I realized

wakati babu yangu alipofariki na nilipogundua

it could happen to me too,

inaweza kunitokea na mimi pia,

that sense that behind all of this

hiyo maana iliyopo nyuma ya haya yote

the void is waiting.

ubatili unangojea.

And this development in childhood

Na haya maendeleo katika utoto

reflects the development of our species.

yanaakisi maendeleo ya aina yetu.

Just as there was a point in your development

Kama kulivyokuwa na alama katika maendeleo yako

as a child when your sense of self and of time

kama mtoto wakati utambuzi wako wa nafsi na muda

became sophisticated enough

ulivyokuja kuchanganyika vya kutosha

for you to realize you were mortal,

kiasi cha wewe kutambua haitaishi milele,

so at some point in the evolution of our species,

kwa hiyo katika hali fulani ya mabadiliko yetu,

some early human's sense of self and of time

baadhi ya utambuzi wa binadamu wa nafsi na muda

became sophisticated enough

ukaja jichanganya vya kutosha.

for them to become the first human to realize,

kwa wao kuja kuwa binadamu wa kwanza kutambua,

"I'm going to die."

"naelekea kufa"

This is, if you like, our curse.

Kama unapenda,laana yetu.

It's the price we pay for being so damn clever.

Ni gharama tunayolipa kwa kuwa werevu wajinga.

We have to live in the knowledge

Tunatakiwa kuishi katika maarifa

that the worst thing that can possibly happen

hicho ni kitu kibaya kinachoweza kutokea

one day surely will,

siku moja kwa uhakika,

the end of all our projects,

mwisho wa miradi yetu,

our hopes, our dreams, of our individual world.

matumaini yetu,ndoto zetu,katika dunia ya kila mmoja.

We each live in the shadow of a personal

Tunaishi katika kivuli cha

apocalypse.

kuwaza mwisho wa dunia.

And that's frightening. It's terrifying.

Na inaogopesha.Na kutisha.

And so we look for a way out.

Kwa hiyo tunatafuta njia ya kujinasua.

And in my case, as I was about five years old,

Kwa upande wangu,nilipokuwa na miaka mitano,

this meant asking my mum.

hii ilimaanisha kumuuliza mama yangu.

Now when I first started asking

Sasa nilipoanza kuuliza

what happens when we die,

kipi kinatokea tukifarikia,

the grown-ups around me at the time

watu wazima waliokuwa wananizunguka wakati huo

answered with a typical English mix of awkwardness

walijibu katika mchanganyiko wa kiingereza na ulio mgumu kuelewa.

and half-hearted Christianity,

na mkristo mwenye nusu moyo,

and the phrase I heard most often

na kipande cha sentensi ninachosikia mara nyingi

was that granddad was now

ilikuwa kwamba babu kwa sasa

"up there looking down on us,"

"yuko juu akituangalia sisi"

and if I should die too, which wouldn't happen of course,

na kama nikifa pia,

then I too would go up there,

na mimi pia nitaenda juu,

which made death sound a lot like

hiki kinafanya kifo kionekane kama

an existential elevator.

lifti isiyoonekana kwa macho lakini inafanya kazi.

Now this didn't sound very plausible.

Lakini hii haikuonekana kama ina ukweli sana.

I used to watch a children's news program at the time,

Nilizoea kuangalia habari za watoto wakati huo,

and this was the era of space exploration.

na huu ulikuwa wakati wa kujifunza kuhusu unajimu.

There were always rockets going up into the sky,

Kulikuwa na roketi zinakwenda juu angani,

up into space, going up there.

zinakwenda huko.

But none of the astronauts when they came back

Hamna mnajimu ambaye alirudi

ever mentioned having met my granddad

na akasema kwamba amekutana na babu yangu

or any other dead people.

au mtu yoyote aliyekufa.

But I was scared,

Lakini nilikuwa naogopa,

and the idea of taking the existential elevator

wazo la kupanda lifti ya kifo

to see my granddad

kumuona babu yangu

sounded a lot better than being swallowed

naona ni bora zaidi kuliko kwenda kumezwa

by the void while I slept.

wakati nimelala.

And so I believed it anyway,

na nikaamini,

even though it didn't make much sense.

pamoja haikuleta maana sana.

And this thought process that I went through

Na hili wazo nililokuwa nalo

as a child, and have been through many times since,

wakati nikiwa mtoto,nimekuwa nalo kwa muda sana

including as a grown-up,

hadi nikiwa mtu mzima,

is a product of what psychologists call

ni zao ambalo wanasaikolojia wanaita

a bias.

upendeleo.

Now a bias is a way in which we systematically

Sasa upendeleo ni njia ambayo

get things wrong,

hufanya vitu kimakosa,

ways in which we miscalculate, misjudge,

njia ambazo tunakosea kukokotoa,kutoa maamuzi,

distort reality, or see what we want to see,

kuharibu uhalisia,au kuona tunachotaka kuona,

and the bias I'm talking about

na upendeleo ninaoongelea

works like this:

unafanya kazi kama hivi:

Confront someone with the fact

Kumfata mtu na ukweli

that they are going to die

kwamba atakufa

and they will believe just about any story

na wataamini kuhusu hadithi yoyote

that tells them it isn't true

ambayo inawaambia sio kweli

and they can, instead, live forever,

na badala yake,wanaweza kuishi milele,

even if it means taking the existential elevator.

hata kama inamaanisha watapanda lifti.

Now we can see this as the biggest bias of all.

Sasa tunaweza kuona huu ni upendeleo kupita wote.

It has been demonstrated in over 400

Imeelezew katika zaidi ya masomo 400

empirical studies.

ya undani.

Now these studies are ingenious, but they're simple.

masomo haya ni ya werevu,lakini ni rahisi.

They work like this.

Yanafanya kazi kama hivi.

You take two groups of people

Unachukua makundi mawili ya watu

who are similar in all relevant respects,

ambao wako sawasawa katika kila kitu,

and you remind one group that they're going to die

na unawaambia kundi moja kwamba watafariki

but not the other, then you compare their behavior.

wengine huwaambii,unalinganisha tabia zao.

So you're observing how it biases behavior

Kwa hiyo unaangalia jinsi gani unafanya tabia zao kuwa

when people become aware of their mortality.

watu wanapoanza kugundua kuhusu vifo vyao.

And every time, you get the same result:

Na kila wakati,unapata matokeo yaleyale:

People who are made aware of their mortality

Watu ambao tayari washatambua kuhusu vifo vyao

are more willing to believe stories

wako tayari kuamini hadithi

that tell them they can escape death

ambazo zinawaambia wanaweza kukwepa kifo

and live forever.

na kuishi milele.

So here's an example: One recent study

Huu ni mfano:Tafiti moja ya hivi karibuni

took two groups of agnostics,

ilichukua makundi mawili ya wapagani,

that is people who are undecided

hao ni watu ambao hawana maamuzi

in their religious beliefs.

katika kuamini dini.

Now, one group was asked to think about being dead.

Sasa,kundi moja liliambiwa kufikiria kuhusu kufa.

The other group was asked to think about

Kundi lingine likaambiwa kufikiria kuhusu

being lonely.

kuwa mpweke.

They were then asked again about their religious beliefs.

Waliulizwa tena kuhusu imani zao za kidini.

Those who had been asked to think about being dead

Wale walioambiwa kufikiria kuhusu kifo

were afterwards twice as likely to express faith

walikuwa wakielezea mara mbili zaidi hisia zao

in God and Jesus.

kuhusu Mungu na Yesu.

Twice as likely.

Mara mbili zaidi.

Even though the before they were all equally agnostic.

Pamoja na kwamba wote walikuwa wapagani.

But put the fear of death in them,

Lakini weka uoga wa kifo ndani yao,

and they run to Jesus.

watakimbila kwa Yesu.

Now, this shows that reminding people of death

Sasa,hii inaonesha kwamba kuwakumbusha watu kuhusu kifo

biases them to believe, regardless of the evidence,

inawachochea kuamini,bila kujali ukweli,

and it works not just for religion,

na sio kwa dini tu,

but for any kind of belief system

katika imani yoyote ile

that promises immortality in some form,

ambayo inaeleza kifo katika njia tofauti tofauti,

whether it's becoming famous

haijalishi kama inakuwa maarufu

or having children

au kuwa na watoto

or even nationalism,

au utaifa,

which promises you can live on as part of a greater whole.

ambayo inasema utaishi siku zote.

This is a bias that has shaped

Huu ni upendeleo uliotengeneza umbile

the course of human history.

na historia y binadamu.

Now, the theory behind this bias

Sasa,fikra iliyopo katika upendeleo huu

in the over 400 studies

katika tafiti 400

is called terror management theory,

inaitwa fikra ya usimamizi wa uoga,

and the idea is simple. It's just this.

na wazo ni rahisi.Ni hivi.

We develop our worldviews,

Tunakuza mawazo yetu kuhusu dunia,

that is, the stories we tell ourselves

hivyo,hadithi tunazoambia nafsi zetu

about the world and our place in it,

kuhusu dunia na sehemu yetu

in order to help us manage

ili kusaidia kusimamia

the terror of death.

hofu ya kifo.

And these immortality stories

Na hizi hadithi za kifo

have thousands of different manifestations,

zina maelfu ya shuhuda tofauti tofauti,

but I believe that behind the apparent diversity

lakini naamini nyuma ya utofauti uliopo

there are actually just four basic forms

kuna aina nne za muhimu

that these immortality stories can take.

ambazo hizi hadithi za vifo zinahusiana.

And we can see them repeating themselves

Na tunaweza kuona zinajirudia

throughout history, just with slight variations

katika historia,na utofauti mdogo sana

to reflect the vocabulary of the day.

kuakisi msamiati wa siku.

Now I'm going to briefly introduce these four

Sasa nitatoa muhtasari wa hizi aina nne

basic forms of immortality story,

kuu za hadithi za kifo,

and I want to try to give you some sense

na ninataka kujaribu kukuonesha maana

of the way in which they're retold by each culture

ni jinsi gani vinaelezewa kwa kuirudia katika kila utamaduni

or generation

au kizazi

using the vocabulary of their day.

kwa kutumia msamiati wa siku.

Now, the first story is the simplest.

Sasa,hadithi ya kwanza ni rahisi sana.

We want to avoid death,

Tunataka kukwepa kifo,

and the dream of doing that in this body

na ndoto ya kufanya hicho katika mwili huu

in this world forever

katika hii dunia milele

is the first and simplest kind of immortality story,

ni hadithi ya kwanza na rahisi ya kifo,

and it might at first sound implausible,

na inaweza kuonekana isiyo na maana kwa mara ya kwanza,

but actually, almost every culture in human history

lakini kiukweli,karibia kila tamaduni katika historia ya binadamu

has had some myth or legend

ilikuwa na mzimu au kiongozi mkongwe

of an elixir of life or a fountain of youth

wa kutupa maisha au kurudisha wazee katika ujana

or something that promises to keep us going

au kitu kinachotuahidi sisi kuendelea mbele

forever.

milele.

Ancient Egypt had such myths,

Wahenga wa Kimisri walikuwa na huo mzimu,

ancient Babylon, ancient India.

Wahenga wa Babylon,wa India.

Throughout European history, we find them in the work of the alchemists,

Katika historia ya ulaya,tunawaona katika kazi ya wanakemia wa kizamani,

and of course we still believe this today,

na mpaka leo tunaamini,

only we tell this story using the vocabulary

tunahdithia hizi hadithi kwa kutumia msamiati

of science.

wa sayansi.

So 100 years ago,

Miaka 100 iliyopita,

hormones had just been discovered,

homoni zilikuwa zimegunduliwa,

and people hoped that hormone treatments

na watu wakatumaini kwamba matibabu ya homoni

were going to cure aging and disease,

yatatibu uzee na magonjwa,

and now instead we set our hopes on stem cells,

na sasa tunaweka matumaini yetu katika kiini shina

genetic engineering, and nanotechnology.

uhandisi wa gene,na teknolojia ya nano.

But the idea that science can cure death

Lakini wazo kwamba sayansi inaweza kuponya kifo

is just one more chapter in the story

liko sura moja mbele zaidi katika hadithi

of the magical elixir,

ya maajabu ya kuweza kuishi milele,

a story that is as old as civilization.

hadithi ambayo ni ya zamani kama ulivyo ustaarabu.

But betting everything on the idea of finding the elixir

Lakini kuweka mawazo yote katika kufikiria kutafuta kuishi milele

and staying alive forever

na kukaa wazima siku zote

is a risky strategy.

ni mkakati wenye hatari sana.

When we look back through history

Tukiangalia nyuma katika historia

at all those who have sought an elixir in the past,

wale waliotafuta kuishi milele huko nyuma,

the one thing they now have in common

kitu kimoja ambacho wote wanacho

is that they're all dead.

ni kwamba wote wameshakufa.

So we need a backup plan, and exactly this kind of plan B

Kwa hiyo tunahitaji mpango wa kutukomboa,na mpango huu mbadala

is what the second kind of immortality story offers,

ni ambao aina ya pili ya kifo inaelezea,

and that's resurrection.

ni kufufuka.

And it stays with the idea that I am this body,

Na hiyo inakuwa ni wazo kwamba mimi ni huu mwili,

I am this physical organism.

Ni kiumbe kamili.

It accepts that I'm going to have to die

Kinakubali kwamba kitakufa

but says, despite that,

lakini kinasema,pamoja na hilo,

I can rise up and I can live again.

Ninaweza amka na nikaishi tena.

In other words, I can do what Jesus did.

Katika maneno mengine,naweza fanya kama alichofanya Yesu.

Jesus died, he was three days in the [tomb],

Yesu alikufa,akakaa siku tatu kaburini,

and then he rose up and lived again.

na baada ya hapo akafufuka na kuamka tena.

And the idea that we can all be resurrected to live again

Na wazo ambalo tunaishi nalo ni kwamba wote sisi tunaweza fufuka na kuishi tena

is orthodox believe, not just for Christians

hata waimani ya Orthodox wanaamini,si kwa wakristo tu

but also Jews and Muslims.

hata Wayahudi na Waislamu.

But our desire to believe this story

Lakini tamaa yetu katika kuamini hizi hadithi

is so deeply embedded

imefungamana kiundani sana

that we are reinventing it again

kwamba tunaivumbua tena

for the scientific age,

kwa enzi za kisayansi,

for example, with the idea of cryonics.

kwa mfano,kwa kutumia wazo la kutumia mazingira ya joto dogo sana ili kuweza kutunza kiumbe kirudi katika uhai

That's the idea that when you die,

Wazo ni kwamba ukifa,

you can have yourself frozen,

unaweza kujigandisha mwenyewe,

and then, at some point when technology

na baadaye,katika namna fulani teknolojia

has advanced enough,

imekua vya kutosha,

you can be thawed out and repaired and revived

unaweza kutengenezwa na tena kurudi katika uhai

and so resurrected.

kwa kufufuka.

And so some people believe an omnipotent god

Na watu wanaamini Mungu wa nguvu zote

will resurrect them to live again,

atawafufua na wataishi tena,

and other people believe an omnipotent scientist will do it.

na wengine wanaamini wanasayansci wenye nguvu na maarifa watawafufua nao pia.

But for others, the whole idea of resurrection,

Lakini kwa wengine,wazo zima ni kuhusu kufufuka,

of climbing out of the grave,

kwa kutoka nje ya kaburi,

it's just too much like a bad zombie movie.

ni kama zile sinema z kutisha za zombies.

They find the body too messy, too unreliable

Mwili unakuwa mchafu sana,usiotamanika

to guarantee eternal life,

kwa kuwezesha maisha ya milele,

and so they set their hopes on the third,

Watu wanaweka matumaini yao katika hili swala la tatu,

more spiritual immortality story,

hadithi ya kifo iliyokaa kiroho zaidi,

the idea that we can leave our body behind

wazo kwamba tutaiacha miili yetu nyuma

and live on as a soul.

na kuishi kama roho.

Now, the majority of people on Earth

Sasa,watu wengi katika dunia

believe they have a soul,

wanaamini wana roho,

and the idea is central to many religions.

na wazo hili ni kuu kwa dini nyingi.

But even though, in its current form,

Lakini hata hivyo,katika mfumo wa sasa,

in its traditional form,

katika utamaduni wake,

the idea of the soul is still hugely popular,

wazo la roho ni maarufu sana,

nonetheless we are again

achilia yote hayo tunakuja tena

reinventing it for the digital age,

kuvumbua wazo hili katika nyakati za kidigitali,

for example with the idea

kwa mfano

that you can leave your body behind

unaweza kuacha mwili wako nyuma

by uploading your mind, your essence,

kwa kuwezesha akili yako,uhalisia wako,

the real you, onto a computer,

wewe halisi,kwenye kompyuta,

and so live on as an avatar in the ether.

na kuishi kama avatar.

But of course there are skeptics who say

Lakini kuna wabishi ambao wanasema

if we look at the evidence of science,

tukiangalia katika ukweli wa sayansi,

particularly neuroscience,

hasa sayansi ya mishipa ya fahamu,

it suggests that your mind,

inadokeza kwamba,akili yako

your essence, the real you,

uhalisi wako,

is very much dependent on a particular part

vinategemea sana upande fulani

of your body, that is, your brain.

wa mwili wako,ambao ni ubongo.

And such skeptics can find comfort

Na aho wenye wasiwasi wanaweza pata faraja

in the fourth kind of immortality story,

katika aina ya nne ya hadithi ya kifo,

and that is legacy,

na huo ni urithi,

the idea that you can live on

wazo kwamba unaweza ishi

through the echo you leave in the world,

mpaka kwenye mwangi unaiacha dunia,

like the great Greek warrior Achilles,

kama mwanajeshi hodari wa Kigiriki Achilles,

who sacrificed his life fighting at Troy

aliyetoa sadaka ya maisha yake kwa Troy

so that he might win immortal fame.

ili kupata umaarufu wa kifo.

And the pursuit of fame is as widespread

Na umaarufu ulisambaa

and popular now as it ever was,

na ni maarufu kama ilivyokuwa zamani,

and in our digital age,

na katika nyakati hizi za kidigitali,

it's even easier to achieve.

ni rahisi sana kufanikiwa.

You don't need to be a great warrior like Achilles

Huitaji kuwa kama mwanajeshi hodari kama Achilles

or a great king or hero.

au kuwa mfalme hodari au shujaa.

All you need is an Internet connection and a funny cat. (Laughter)

Unachohitaji ni mtandao wa intaneti na paka anayefurahisha(Vicheko)

But some people prefer to leave a more tangible,

Lakini watu wengi wanapendelea kuacha vile vionekanavyo,

biological legacy -- children, for example.

urithi wa kibiolojia--watoto,kwa mfano.

Or they like, they hope, to live on

Au wapo hivi,wana imani,kuishi

as part of some greater whole,

katika nafasi ya maisha yote,

a nation or a family or a tribe,

taifa au familia au kabila,

their gene pool.

gene zao.

But again, there are skeptics

Lakini tena,wanakuwa na wasiwasi

who doubt whether legacy

wana wasiwasi kwamba urithi

really is immortality.

kiuhalisia ni kuhusu kifo.

Woody Allen, for example, who said,

Kwa mfano,Woody Allen alisema,

"I don't want to live on in the hearts of my countrymen.

"Sitaki kuishi katika mioyo ya watu wa nchi yangu.

I want to live on in my apartment."

Nataka kuishi katika nyumba yangu"

So those are the four

Hizo ni

basic kinds of immortality stories,

aina nne kuu za hadithi za kifo,

and I've tried to give just some sense

na nimejaribu kuonesha maana

of how they're retold by each generation

ni jinsi zinasemwa na kila jamii

with just slight variations

na utofauti mdogo sana

to fit the fashions of the day.

kutosha fasheni ya siku.

And the fact that they recur in this way,

Na ukweli kwamba zinajirudia katika hii njia,

in such a similar form but in such different belief systems,

katika mfumo uleule lakini katika aina tofauti za kuamini,

suggests, I think,

Nadhani,

that we should be skeptical of the truth

tunatakiwa kuwa na wasiwasi wa ukweli

of any particular version of these stories.

katika aina yoyote ya hadithi hizi.

The fact that some people believe

Ukweli kwamba watu wanaamini

an omnipotent god will resurrect them to live again

mungu mwenye nguvu atawafufua na kuishi tena

and others believe an omnipotent scientist will do it

na wengine wanaamini wanasayansi wenye nguvu watawafufua na kuishi tena.

suggests that neither are really believing this

inasema kwamba hamna anayeamini hili

on the strength of the evidence.

au nguvu ya ukweli.

Rather, we believe these stories

ila,tunaamini hadithi hizi

because we are biased to believe them,

kwa sababu tunachochewa kuziamini,

and we are biased to believe them

na tunachochewa kuziamini

because we are so afraid of death.

kwa sababu tunaogopa kifo.

So the question is,

Kwa hiyo swali ni,

are we doomed to lead the one life we have

je,tunapotoshwa kuongoza maisha tuliyonayo

in a way that is shaped by fear and denial,

katika njia ya uoga na kupotosha ukweli?

or can we overcome this bias?

au tunaweza kushinda huu uchochezi?

Well the Greek philosopher Epicurus

Mphilosophia wa kigiriki Epicurus

thought we could.

alifikiri tunaweza.

He argued that the fear of death is natural,

Alihoji kwamba uoga wa kifo ni kitu cha asili,

but it is not rational.

lakini sio cha mantiki.

"Death," he said, "is nothing to us,

"kifo",alisema,"si kitu kwetu,

because when we are here, death is not,

kwa sababu tuko hapa,kifo hakipo,

and when death is here, we are gone."

na wakati kifo kikiwa hapa,na sisi tunakuwa hatupo"

Now this is often quoted, but it's difficult

Mara nyingi kauli hii huwa inanukuliwa,lakini ni vigumu

to really grasp, to really internalize,

kuielewa,kiundani zaidi,

because exactly this idea of being gone

kwa sababu kiuhakika wazo hili la kuondoka

is so difficult to imagine.

ni gumu sana kulifikiria.

So 2,000 years later, another philosopher,

Miaka 2000 baadaye,mphilosophia mwingine,

Ludwig Wittgenstein, put it like this:

Ludwig Wittgenstein,alisema:

"Death is not an event in life:

"Kifo sio tukio la maisha:

We do not live to experience death.

Hatuishi ili kuzoea kifo.

And so," he added,

Akaongeza kwa kusema,

"in this sense, life has no end."

"katika maana hii,maisha hayana mwisho"

So it was natural for me as a child

Kwa hiyo ilikuwa halisi kwa mimi kama mtoto

to fear being swallowed by the void,

kuogopa kumezwa na shimo la kifo,

but it wasn't rational,

lakini haikuwa na mantiki,

because being swallowed by the void

kwa sababu kumezwa na shimo la kifo

is not something that any of us

sio kitu ambacho mtu yoyote kati yetu

will ever live to experience.

ataishi na kukutana nacho.

Now, overcoming this bias is not easy because

Sasa,kukwepa uchochezi huu sio kitu rahisi kwa sababu

the fear of death is so deeply embedded in us,

hofu ya kifo imo ndani yetu,

yet when we see that the fear itself is not rational,

wakati huohuo tunaona uoga huna mantiki,

and when we bring out into the open

na tunapoonyesha uoga

the ways in which it can unconsciously bias us,

katika njia ambazo tunachochewa bila kujitambua,

then we can at least start

angalau tunaweza kuanza

to try to minimize the influence it has

kupunguza ule msukumo ulionao

on our lives.

katika maisha yetu.

Now, I find it helps to see life

Sasa,naona inasaidia kuona maisha

as being like a book:

ykifanana na kama kitabu:

Just as a book is bounded by its covers,

Kama kilivyozungukwa na kava,

by beginning and end,

mwanzoni na mwishoni,

so our lives are bounded by birth and death,

kwa hiyo maisha yetu yamezungukwa kwa kuzaliwa na kifo,

and even though a book is limited by beginning and end,

na hata kama kitabu kina mipaka mwanzoni na mwishoni,

it can encompass distant landscapes,

inaweza jumuisha mazingira ya mbali,

exotic figures, fantastic adventures.

maumbile ya kusisimua,matukio mazuri sana.

And even though a book is limited by beginning and end,

Na hata kama kitabu kina mipaka mwanzoni na mwishoni,

the characters within it

wahusika ndani yake

know no horizons.

hawajui mwisho wa upeo wa macho.

They only know the moments that make up their story,

Wanajua nyakati zinazohusu hadithi zao,

even when the book is closed.

hata kama kitabu kikifungwa.

And so the characters of a book

kwa wahusika katika kitabu

are not afraid of reaching the last page.

hawaogopi kufika ukurasa wa mwisho.

Long John Silver is not afraid of you

Long John Silver hakuogopi

finishing your copy of "Treasure Island."

kumalizia nakala yako ya "Treasure Island"

And so it should be with us.

na itakuwa na sisi.

Imagine the book of your life,

Fikiria kitabu cha maisha yako,

its covers, its beginning and end, and your birth and your death.

inakava,mwanzoni na mwishoni,kuzaliwa kwako na kufa kwako.

You can only know the moments in between,

Unaweza kujua nyakati,

the moments that make up your life.

zinazofanya maisha yako.

It makes no sense for you to fear

Haileti maana kwa wewe kuogopa

what is outside of those covers,

kilicho nje ya kava,

whether before your birth

kama ni kabla ya kuzaliwa

or after your death.

au baada ya kifo chako.

And you needn't worry how long the book is,

Na hautakiwi kuwa na wasiwasi kitabu ni kirefu kiasi gani,

or whether it's a comic strip or an epic.

au ni cha kichekesho au kinaelezea ukubwa wa kitu.

The only thing that matters

Kitu kimoja cha msingi

is that you make it a good story.

ni kwamba unaifanya iwe hadithi nzuri.

Thank you.

Asante.

(Applause)

(Makofi)