Let Curiosity Lead | Yara Shahidi | TED

翻译人员: Evelyn LIAO 校对人员: Yanyan Hong

Do you remember how big the world felt when we were younger?

你还记得我们小时候觉得世界很大吗？

Because my childhood was filled with time travel and adventures.

因为我的童年充满着旅行和冒险。

I sat in awe of how flowers grew from a simple seed.

我曾坐着惊叹花朵是 如何从一颗简单的种子发芽长大。

I remember looking up at the sky and wondering:

我记得我向上看着天空，思考着：

Was the Earth moving? Was the sun moving? Or was I moving?

地球在移动吗？太阳在移动吗？ 或者是我在移动？

And I filled the rest of the time by reading books about fantasy lands.

余下的时间我在阅读 关于这篇神奇土地的书籍。

But slowly, the time travel and adventures of my youth

但是渐渐地， 我童年时期的时光旅行和冒险

became using my GPS

开始变成了用GPS来弄清楚 有多少堵车是难以避免的，

to figure out how much traffic I'd inevitably be sitting in.

The flowers became the screen saver to my laptop I spent way too much time on.

那些花朵变成了 我使用过多的电脑桌面的屏保，

I only saw the sunrise when pulling all-nighters to get work done.

我只会因熬夜工作才得以看到日出。

And those fantasy lands, well,

那些幻想中的土地，

those became essays and articles from underfunded newspapers.

变成了一些资金短缺小报上的短文和文章。

And yes, some of this is just a part of growing up, necessary even.

是的，这是成长必需的一部分。

But I realized the imaginative and creative forces that drove me

但是我意识到驱使我的那股想象力和创造力

had less and less space to thrive in my young adult life.

在我成年初期的生活中 越来越失去空间去茁壮成长。

And in being forced to look at the world as it is,

被强迫着去看这个世界是什么样的，

I was missing out on the opportunity to look at the world as it could be.

让我失去了去看这个世界 本可以是什么样子的机会。

Now more than ever,

现在比以往更甚，

we live in a world that requires of us an imagination

我们生活在一个需要想象力的世界，

so that we can envision what could be different.

这样我们才能设想出不同的可能性。

And while I didn't come prepared today to answer the world's largest problems,

尽管我今天来并没有准备去回答 这个世界最宏大的那些问题，

I would like to make a case

我还是想要说明

for how one tool can help us continue to build new worlds

一个工具如何可以帮助我们继续建设新世界，

and find our place in it.

并且在其中找到我们自己的位置。

Curiosity.

好奇心。

I don't have any fancy graphs to show you all today,

我没有任何华丽的图表 来把它全部展示给你们，

but I would like to think that I'm sort of an expert in the field

但是我认为我还算是这个领域的一个专家，

as my entire life has been a case study in following my curiosities.

因为我的整个人生就是追随好奇心的例子。

It started super simple.

一开始非常简单。

My grampy and I would reimagine and act out

我的爷爷和我会重新想象和扮演

the entire saga of The Odyssey with my Polly Pocket dolls,

整个《奥德赛》传说， 加上我的波莉口袋玩偶，

as one does at the age of four.

在我四岁的时候。

And around the age of five,

差不多五岁时，

I asked for every religious book, I mean every religious book.

我看了各种宗教书，各种。

Fast forwarding to 13, I read my first short story

很快到了13岁， 我读了我人生中第一本短故事，

from the formidable James Baldwin,

是令人敬佩的詹姆斯·鲍德温 （James Baldwin）写的，

and my life was forever changed.

我的人生永久被改变了。

Needless to say, I was grateful to be surrounded

无须多言，我非常感激

by a community of people that honored my interests.

在我身边支持我兴趣的人。

But as I got older, I began to get confronted

但是当我长大，我开始面临

by a big question:

一个巨大的问题：

Are you sure about that?

你确定吗？

Now this was a question I really could not escape.

现在这是一个我无法逃避的问题。

In August of 2018, right as I was embarking on my next adventure.

2018 年 8 月， 我恰好准备开启我的下一次冒险。

I was beginning my freshman year at Harvard

我开始了在哈佛大学的一年，

right as my television show “Grown-ish” began filming season two.

刚好我的电视剧“Grown-ish”开始拍摄第二季。

And I was at a crossroads, because acting for me has been more than a career.

我站在一个十字路口， 因为演戏对我来说不仅仅是一份职业，

It's given me permission to explore my fantasies.

它还让我可以探索我的奇思妙想。

I feel like I gain another level of empathy

每次当我进入一个不同的角色，

every time I step into a different character's shoes.

我感觉自己获得了另一种程度的共情。

But my education has been equally as pivotal.

但是我的学习也同样重要。

Because my education has fulfilled my endless desire to know:

因为我的学习满足了我无止境的求知欲：

to know places, to know the events that have shaped us,

去了解那些地点， 去了解那些影响了我们的事件，

the communities that have built us,

那些塑造了我们的社区，

the obstacles that have tried to stop us,

那些试图阻止我们的障碍，

the mistakes that haunt us.

那些反复纠缠我们的错误。

But selfishly, to know about myself and my place in the world.

但是更自私地，是去了解 关于我们自己以及自己在世界上的位置。

So my two lifelong passions were colliding,

因此我的两个终身的热情就冲突了，

and I was being told by academic advisers and entertainment folk alike --

我的学术导师和娱乐圈同僚告诉我——

although no one on my team --

尽管没人在我的团队——

that there was no symbiotic relationship between the two worlds.

两个领域之间没有标志性的关联。

I was searching for an "and,"

我一直在寻找一个关联，

but I kept getting presented an "either-or."

但是持续呈现的都是“二选一”。

And I almost let those five words -- “Are you sure about that?” -- stop me.

我几乎被这五个字—— “你确定如此？”——束缚着。

But let me cut to the chase.

但是我直说吧，

I'm speaking to you now as a Harvard alum

我现在是作为一个哈佛校友在这里演讲，

with a television show going into its sixth season.

我的电视剧第六季即将播出。

(Applause)

（掌声）

It's cool.

太酷了。

And while my college predicament may have been unusual,

尽管我大学的窘境可能不太寻常，

I do think this experience is quite universal.

我仍然相信这个经历非常普遍。

Because, one, I’m far from the first person

因为，第一，我不是第一个

to go to school while working.

在工作时又去学校读书的人。

But also I'd go so far as to say all of us juggle multiple interests,

另外，我甚至会说我们所有人 都在尽力应付多样的兴趣、

passions and jobs.

热情和工作。

Yet there comes a moment on our paths

在我们的道路上会遇到一个时刻，

where we're expected to get serious,

我们希望变得严肃，

to find our one thing, stick to it.

来找到我们的那件事，坚持在那件事上

We're told that our multiple areas of interest

我们被告诉同时在多个领域上有兴趣

that we are equally drawn to are incompatible.

是不兼容的。

And hit with that all-too-familiar “Are you sure about that?”

都会撞见那句太过熟悉的话 “你确定如此？”

Suddenly we go from being expected to know math and a language,

突然我们就从期待了解数学和一门语言、

science and history,

科学和历史，

to operating in this narrow silo

到期待在这个狭窄的筒巷里

for the sake of becoming an expert or really good at one thing.

想成为一个专家，或者非常擅长某件事情。

I mean, think about how many times we ask each other the question,

我是说，想想有多少时间 我们问彼此这个问题，

"What do you do?"

“你在做什么？”

Which is really a proxy in my mind for a much more pressing question,

这在我看来是个更加重要的问题，

"Who are you right now?"

“你现在是谁？”

Because what we do is only a fraction of who we are.

因为我们在做的只是我们是谁的一部分。

And this culture of heralding expertise

这种预示着成为专家的文化

means that our curiosities are often mislabeled as distractions.

意味着我们的好奇心通常被误认为是干扰。

I would love to think through what we could be missing out on

我想要去思考不主动把好奇心

by not actively prioritizing our curiosity.

放在重要位置，会失去些什么？

Here, let me put it this way.

在这里，让我这样说，

Curiosity has been a lifeline for me.

好奇心对我来说是一个贯穿一生的东西。

It's really easy to be 23 and a pessimist.

做 一位 23 岁的悲观主义者是很容易的，

It doesn't take many observational skills

并不需要很多观察力

to see the deep flaws and fissures of our world,

就能看到我们这个世界深层的缺陷和失败，

to see how close we remain to these systems of oppression

就能看到我们是如何

we swear are behind us.

仍然和这个我们发誓 已经落后的压迫制度联系在一起。

And when I say I feel affected by these flaws,

当我说我感觉被这些缺陷影响的时候，

I'm not just talking about

我并不只是在说

some existential "I have a degree in a social science" kind of way,

一些已经有的 “我有一个社会科学的学历”之类的话，

but in the very real way that it affects me and my family

而是从非常现实的角度看， 它每天影响着我、我的家庭

and my community every day.

和我的社区。

It's also easy to be 23 and struggle to find your place.

在 23 岁试图找到自己的位置也非常容易。

I remember so vividly being 16

我记得非常清楚我 16 岁时，

and thinking that I could change the world.

我还认为我能够改变世界。

I was certain of it. I was one voting initiative away.

我非常确定这一点，我是那个支持创新的人。

I was one march away,

我一个人前行着，

I was one panel away from real change,

我游离在真正的改变之外，

the kind that lasts.

这种情况持续着。

And I remember when that assuredness was replaced by quicksand.

我记得那份确信被像流沙 那样危险而捉摸不定的事物所取代。

It felt as though the more I moved and the more I struggled,

这让我感觉尽管我走得越多，我越挣扎，

the more I sank into the overwhelm.

我越来越难以驾驭这一切。

And I responded to feeling lost by finding comfort in my expertise,

当我迷失在我所擅长的舒适区里，

我开始错误地选择躲藏在寻求确定性背后。

hiding behind this false sense of certainty,

I really acted like I knew everything there was to know.

我真的就像， 我知道我所需要知道的一切，

I was suppressing my curiosity,

我压制着我的好奇心，

but I realized that made it so much easier

但是我意识到

挑选出每个有潜在性的决定 比做出行动更容易。

to pick apart every potential decision rather than take action.

Now while I can't speak for everyone's experiences,

现在尽管我不能代表每个人的经历，

from conversations I've had with my peers and my mentors,

但通过和我的同辈以及导师的谈话，

I know this feeling isn't relegated to being 23.

我知道这种感受无关 23 岁。

Choosing to take on both college and entertainment at the same time,

同时选择上大学和做娱乐行业，

blending my two worlds,

融合这两个领域，

was a necessary recommitment to my curiosity.

对我的好奇心来说 是非常必要的再次承诺。

I found such a joy in discovering just how much I didn't know.

光从探索未知中， 我不知道收获了多少乐趣。

Lessons came from everywhere:

每一处都能学到东西：

classes like hip-hop sampling,

比如嘻哈采样课程，

on how neo soul and blues became the basis to a new sound

课程是关于新灵魂乐和蓝调 如何变成一种新声音的基础，

taught me how media can be used as a way of preserving legacy,

教了我媒体可以如何被用作 保留遗产的一种方式，

as a way of bringing past cultures into the present.

作为一种把过去文化融入到现在的一种方式。

Playing Tinker Bell gave me permission to reignite my imagination.

玩 Tinker Bell 让我再次点燃我的想象力。

My class on W.E.B. Du Bois

我的 W.E.B Du Bois 课

is where I discovered the name for our television production company,

是我发现我们电视制作公司名字的地方，

7th Sun.

7th Sun （制片公司）。

And building a television set and writers’ room

打造电视节目布景和创作者的房间

gave me the ability to practice equitable hiring

交给我了在一个陈旧体系中

within an archaic system in real time.

实现实时公平招聘的能力。

And in an independent study created by Dr. Cornel West,

在一个由康奈尔·韦斯特（Cornel West）博士 创立的独立研究中，

I learned my biggest lesson of all.

我学到所有课当中最重要的一节。

See, there are certain elements of our society

看，在我们的社会中有某些元素

that we deem as universal, immovable truths,

是我们认为很寻常的、不可动摇的真理，

when they're, in fact, subjective.

实际上，那些真理是主观的。

Not only are they subjective,

它们并不单是主观的，

they're oftentimes responsible for these systems of oppression,

他们通常都造成了压迫制度，

for these dangerous misconceptions about people,

造成了关于人们的错误概念，

for this feeling of stuckness, this feeling like nothing can change.

造成了困顿的感觉， 这种感觉就好像没什么可以改变。

And to me, these universal truths can range from everything

对我来说，这些普遍的真理 可以涉及到任何事情，

as big as socioeconomic exploitation

从宏大的社会经济剥削，

to that "Are you sure about that?"

到微小的“你确定如此吗？”

that stops you from going off on your own and exploring.

它们束缚着你自发性地去探索。

Conversely, this means academics and entertainment are most potent

相反的，这意味着学术和娱乐是最有效的

in their abilities to demonstrate alternate realities.

有能力去展现被改变的现实。

This lesson reinvigorated my love for these two spaces

这门课让我恢复了对这两个领域的热爱，

because I realized they'd always been primed for imagination and exploration

因为我意识到它们 总是在为想象力和探索欲做准备，

and gave us the ability to explore what can blossom from curiosity.

并且让我们拥有去探索什么 可以激发好奇心的能力。

This perspective shift taught me that I was thinking too small

这种观念的转变教会我，我曾经想得太狭隘了，

because I thought the task at hand was to merely alter these systems at play

因为我过去认为，手中的事情 对于这些制度起作用来说太微不足道了，

rather than to imagine entirely new ways of being.

而不是去想象一种全新的方式存在。

Because the results of curiosity are immeasurable.

因为好奇心的结果是不可估量的。

From Galileo's reordering of the universe

从世代相传的伽利略发现新宇宙，

to how the musician Prince undefined masculinity for generations.

到音乐家普林斯（Prince） 超脱传统定义的男子气概，

And oftentimes these discoveries can jeopardize past ways of thinking.

通常这些发现都会威胁到过往的思考方式。

I like to call the change that emerges from blossomed curiosities rupture.

我想把这些从旺盛求知欲当中 产生的改变叫做决裂。

If tradition is this result of repetition,

如果传统是一直重复，

then rupture is the introduction of something fresh.

那么决裂就是一些新事物的进入。

It's bridging together two spaces often kept separate

它让两个通常保持分离的领域合并在一起，

for the sake of achieving new ends,

为了达到新的终点，

and it's of insisting that there are possibilities

并且它坚持

在我们过去存在的事物当中之外有可能性。

outside of the ones we've been presented with.

But too often dreaming is relegated to the academy

但是通常抱负和理想都被认为是学术界、

and to Silicon Valley, and to all of these exclusive institutions.

硅谷和独家机构的事。

When it is in fact the daily curiosities

而事实上，

of every one of us

我们每个人每天的好奇，

that holds the most potential for rupture.

才是最有可能产生决裂的。

Now if you aren't convinced just yet that you are

现在如果你还没有被说服

a universe-shifting change maker,

你是一个改变宇宙的人，

then it is my duty as a history nerd to remind you

那么作为一个历史学爱好者， 我的责任就是提醒你

that most of these leaders of these social change movements

大多数社会运动的领导，

that we credit with giving us the world that we live in today,

也就是我们认为 创造我们现在所在世界的人，

change was not their day job.

改变并不是他们每天的工作。

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr was a preacher

小马丁·路德·金博士是一位传教士，

paying attention to the works of Gandhi across the ocean while reading Tolstoy.

在读托尔斯泰的时候， 他也在看大洋彼岸甘地的作品。

But I also think of my own papa, who used his position within education

我也想到我的父亲，

他通过教威斯康星州麦迪逊的黑人儿童， 让他们有了选举权。

to enfranchise Black children in Madison, Wisconsin.

I think of my cousin, Anousheh Ansari,

我想到了自己的侄子， 阿努什·安萨里（Anousheh Ansari），

who went from looking up at the stars in Iran

他从去到伊朗看星星，

to flying to the space station.

到飞向空间站。

I think about the protesters in Iran led by women and children,

我想到了伊朗由妇女儿童领导的抗议者，

putting their lives on the line

将她们的生命放在危险之中，

because they're curious about what a society looks like

是因为她们好奇

that values women, life and freedom.

一个重视妇女、生命和自由的社会是什么样的。

(Applause)

（掌声）

Now if it isn't clear,

现在如果它不清楚，

do you know what the byproduct of curiosity is?

那你知道好奇心的衍生品是什么吗？

Possibility, surprise!

可能性！

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Now I’ve graduated from Harvard, and my television show is ending.

现在我已经从哈佛毕业， 我的电视节目就快结束了。

And a couple of years ago, this really would have terrified me

几年前，离开两个我熟悉的领域

to leave two spaces that I know so well.

让我非常恐慌。

But because I've built a life centered on honoring my interests,

但是我已经建立了 一种以尊重兴趣为中心的生活，

everything from the glockenspiel to Octavia Butler,

从钟琴到奥克塔维亚巴特勒，

I walk excitedly towards what's next

我非常激动地走向下一步——

because I know somewhere between the two lies my next adventure.

因为我知道这两者之间 就有着我的下一趟冒险旅程。

Chasing curiosity means that my purpose is constantly unfolding in front of me.

追逐好奇心意味着我的目的地 总是在我的前方展开，

All I have to do is pay attention.

我所需要做的就是集中注意力。

And similarly, each and every one of us have a special set of interests

并且类似的， 我们每一个人都有特殊的兴趣，

that are totally unique to us, like a thumbprint.

这些兴趣对我们来说独一无二， 就像一个指纹。

So please join me in recommitting to curiosity.

因此，请和我一起再次向好奇心承诺，

Because honoring your so-called distractions is an act of creating.

因为尊重那些所谓的“干扰” 其实是一种创造的行为。

It's to sit in the grandeur of all of our options.

他让我们所有的选择变得璀璨，

It's to acknowledge our infinite possibilities

它是当这个世界试着说服我们 它是有限的的时候，

when the world tries to convince us it is indeed finite.

我们认识到无限的可能性。

So refuse to let your world get smaller, and let’s build new futures together.

因此，请拒绝让你的世界变得更窄小， 让我们共同建造一个新的未来。

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause)

（掌声）