The revolutionary power of diverse thought | Elif Shafak

翻译人员: chunhua zhang 校对人员: Wilde Luo

"Can you taste words?"

“你能品尝词语的味道吗？”

It was a question that caught me by surprise.

这是一个让我措手不及的问题

This summer, I was giving a talk at a literary festival,

这个夏天，我在一个文学盛会上演讲

and afterwards, as I was signing books,

之后在签售我的书时

a teenage girl came with her friend,

一个小女孩和她的朋友走了过来

and this is what she asked me.

问了我上述的问题

I told her that some people experience an overlap in their senses

我告诉她有些人体会到感观上的重叠

so that they could hear colors

所以他们能听到颜色

or see sounds,

或看到声音

and many writers were fascinated by this subject, myself included.

而很多作家也为此痴迷，也包括我自己

But she cut me off, a bit impatiently, and said, "Yeah, I know all of that.

但是她有点不耐烦地打断了我， 并说到：“是的，我都知道。

It's called synesthesia. We learned it at school.

这叫做联觉，我们在学校学过。

But my mom is reading your book,

但是我妈妈正在读你的书，

and she says there's lots of food and ingredients

她说书上有很多食物和佐料，

and a long dinner scene in it.

以及一个长长的晚餐场景。

She gets hungry at every page.

每一页都看得她很饥饿。

So I was thinking,

所以我在想，

how come you don't get hungry when you write?

你在写作的时候怎么会不饿呢？

And I thought maybe, maybe you could taste words.

我想也许，也许你可以品尝这些词语。

Does it make sense?"

有道理吗？“

And, actually, it did make sense,

事实上，它是合理的，

because ever since my childhood,

因为从我小的时候

each letter in the alphabet has a different color,

字母表上的每个字母都有不同的颜色

and colors bring me flavors.

而这些颜色带给我味道

So for instance, the color purple is quite pungent, almost perfumed,

例如，紫色是很辛辣浓郁的，几乎香气逼人

and any words that I associate with purple

任何能让我联想到紫色的词语

taste the same way,

都是相同的味道

such as "sunset" -- a very spicy word.

就像 ”日落“ ——一个非常辛辣的词语

But I was worried that if I tell all of this to the teenager,

但是我担心如果我将 这些都说给这个女孩听

it might sound either too abstract

就会显得要么太抽象了

or perhaps too weird,

或者要么太奇怪了

and there wasn't enough time anyhow,

而且当时也没有太多时间

because people were waiting in the queue,

因为人们还在排队等候

so it suddenly felt like what I was trying to convey

所以突然间觉得，我想尝试去表达的东西

was more complicated and detailed

要比这个环境允许我能说的

than what the circumstances allowed me to say.

要更加复杂和详细

And I did what I usually do in similar situations:

于是我就像往常一样

I stammered, I shut down, and I stopped talking.

我结巴起来了，然后闭嘴停止谈论

I stopped talking because the truth was complicated,

我停止谈论是因为事实太复杂了

even though I knew, deep within,

即使我深深地知道

that one should never, ever remain silent for fear of complexity.

人们永不应该因为它太复杂了而感到 害怕，继而保持沉默

So I want to start my talk today

所以今天，我想用在那天 我没能作出的回答

with the answer that I was not able to give on that day.

作为今天的演讲的引子

Yes, I can taste words --

是的，我能品尝词语——

sometimes, that is, not always,

有时能，有时不能

and happy words have a different flavor than sad words.

快乐的词语跟悲伤的词语味道不同

I like to explore: What does the word "creativity" taste like,

我喜欢去探索：“创造力”这个词是什么味道

or "equality,"

又或者 “平等”

"love," "revolution?"

“爱”、“革命” 呢？

And what about "motherland?"

以及 “祖国” 呢？

These days, it's particularly this last word that troubles me.

这些日子，这最后一个词语尤其困扰着我

It leaves a sweet taste on my tongue,

它在我的舌头上留下了甘甜

like cinnamon, a bit of rose water

就像是肉桂、一点玫瑰水

and golden apples.

和金苹果

But underneath, there's a sharp tang,

但是在深处，又有一种强烈的味道

like nettles and dandelion.

像是荨麻和薄公英

The taste of my motherland, Turkey,

我的祖国，土耳其的味道

is a mixture of sweet and bitter.

是混合着甜和苦的

And the reason why I'm telling you this

我之所以告诉你们这些，

is because I think there's more and more people

是因为我想今天这个世界上

all around the world today

有越来越多的人

who have similarly mixed emotions

对他们的故土

about the lands they come from.

怀有这种相似的混合情感

We love our native countries, yeah?

我们热爱自己的祖国，对吧？

How can we not?

我们怎能不爱？

We feel attached to the people, the culture, the land, the food.

我们感觉自己与这里的人民、 文化、土地和食物紧密相连

And yet at the same time,

然而与此同时

we feel increasingly frustrated by its politics and politicians,

我们对这里的政治和政客感到越来越失望

sometimes to the point of despair or hurt or anger.

有时甚至感到绝望、受伤和愤怒

I want to talk about emotions

我想谈谈情感，

and the need to boost our emotional intelligence.

以及提升我们的情商的必要性

I think it's a pity

我感到很遗憾的是

that mainstream political theory pays very little attention to emotions.

主流的政治理论甚少关注情感

Oftentimes, analysts and experts are so busy with data and metrics

通常，分析师和专家都忙于关注 数据和度量指标

that they seem to forget those things in life

以至于似乎忘了，有些东西 是很难被测量的

that are difficult to measure

and perhaps impossible to cluster under statistical models.

并且也许不可能用统计学模型来归类

But I think this is a mistake, for two main reasons.

我认为有两个主要的原由 可以说明这是错误的

Firstly, because we are emotional beings.

首先，我们是富有情感的动物

As human beings, I think we all are like that.

作为人类，我想我们都是如此

But secondly, and this is new,

第二点，是一个新观点

we have entered a new stage in world history

我们已经进入一个历史新阶段

in which collective sentiments guide and misguide politics

在这其中，众人的意见和观点比起以往 任何时候都能左右政治

more than ever before.

And through social media and social networking,

通过社交媒体和社交网络

these sentiments are further amplified,

这些观点被进一步地放大

polarized, and they travel around the world quite fast.

被极端化，并且被快速传播到各地

Ours is the age of anxiety, anger,

我们还生活在一个 焦虑、愤怒、怀疑、怨恨

distrust, resentment

以及我认为的，充满恐惧的时代

and, I think, lots of fear.

But here's the thing:

但是事情是这样的：

even though there's plenty of research about economic factors,

虽然已经有很多关于经济要素的研究

there's relatively few studies about emotional factors.

但是关于情感要素的研究还是少之又少

Why is it that we underestimate feelings and perceptions?

我们为什么会低估情感和认知呢？

I think it's going to be one of our biggest intellectual challenges,

我想这将成为我们最大的智力挑战之一

because our political systems are replete with emotions.

因为我们的政治制度里面充满了情感

In country after country,

在一个又一个的国家里

we have seen illiberal politicians exploiting these emotions.

我们看到偏执的政客们利用这些情感

And yet within the academia and among the intelligentsia,

但是在学术界和知识界

we are yet to take emotions seriously.

我们还没有很认真地对待情感

I think we should.

我觉得我们应该认真对待

And just like we should focus on economic inequality worldwide,

正如我们应当关注全球性的 经济不平等一样

we need to pay more attention to emotional and cognitive gaps worldwide

我们需要更加关注全球性的 情感和认知鸿沟

and how to bridge these gaps,

并且想想如何消除这些鸿沟

because they do matter.

因为它们的确重要

Years ago, when I was still living in Istanbul,

几年前，当我还住在伊斯坦布尔的时候

an American scholar working on women writers in the Middle East

一个研究中东女性作家的美国学者

came to see me.

跑过来拜访我

And at some point in our exchange, she said,

然后在我们交流中的某一刻，她说，

"I understand why you're a feminist,

“我明白你为什么是一个女权主义者，

because, you know, you live in Turkey."

因为，很显然的，你生活在土耳其。”

And I said to her,

然后我对她说

"I don't understand why you're not a feminist,

“我不明白你为什么不是一个女权主义者，

because, you know, you live in America."

因为，也很显然，你生活在美国。”

(Laughter)

（笑声）

(Applause)

（掌声）

And she laughed.

然后她笑了

She took it as a joke,

她将它当成了一个笑话

and the moment passed.

就一笑而过了

(Laughter)

（笑声）

But the way she had divided the world into two imaginary camps,

但是她那种将世界分成两个假想的阵营

into two opposite camps --

两个对立的阵营的方式——

it bothered me and it stayed with me.

困扰了我并一直留在我的脑海

According to this imaginary map,

根据这张假想的地图

some parts of the world were liquid countries.

这个世界上某些部分都是 “液态” 的国家

They were like choppy waters not yet settled.

它们就像波浪起伏的水面， 还没有平静下来

Some other parts of the world, namely the West,

而这个世界的其它部分，也就是西方国家

were solid, safe and stable.

它们是固态、安全和稳定的

So it was the liquid lands that needed feminism

所以这液态的土地上需要女权主义

and activism and human rights,

行动主义和人权，

and those of us who were unfortunate enough

而我们这些来自这些地方的 人们，非常不幸地

to come from such places

had to keep struggling for these most essential values.

需要继续为这些基本价值观去斗争

But there was hope.

但是希望仍在

Since history moved forward,

既然历史是向前发展的，

even the most unsteady lands would someday catch up.

即使是最不稳定的土地 也总有一天会变牢固

And meanwhile, the citizens of solid lands

同时，固态的土地上的公民

could take comfort in the progress of history

也可以在历史的前进和 自由秩序的胜利中得到安慰

and in the triumph of the liberal order.

They could support the struggles of other people elsewhere,

他们可以支持其他地方的人们的斗争

but they themselves did not have to struggle

但他们自己已经不需要再去 为基本的民主为斗争了

for the basics of democracy anymore,

because they were beyond that stage.

因为他们已经越过那个阶段了

I think in the year 2016,

我想，在 2016 年

this hierarchical geography was shattered to pieces.

这种划分地域等级的观点已经破碎

Our world no longer follows this dualistic pattern

我们的世界不再遵循这种 存在于这个学者脑海中的二元模式了

in the scholar's mind, if it ever did.

Now we know that history does not necessarily move forward.

现在我们知道历史未必就是前进的

Sometimes it draws circles,

有时它会原地打转

even slides backwards,

甚至倒退

and that generations can make the same mistakes

一代又一代的人们都可能犯下 他们祖先曾经犯过的错误

that their great-grandfathers had made.

And now we know that there's no such thing

现在我们知道，并没有所谓的 固态国家和与之相对的液态国家

as solid countries versus liquid countries.

In fact, we are all living in liquid times,

事实上，我们都生活在液态的时代

just like the late Zygmunt Bauman told us.

就像已故的齐格蒙特 · 鲍曼 告诉我们的那样

And Bauman had another definition for our age.

而鲍曼对我们的时代有另外一个定义

He used to say we are all going to be walking on moving sands.

他曾经说过我们都将行走在流沙上

And if that's the case, I think,

如果真是这样的话，我想

it should concern us women more than men,

它对我们女人的影响要大于男人

because when societies slide backwards into authoritarianism,

因为当社会倒退到威权主义

nationalism or religious fanaticism,

民族主义或宗教狂热主义时

women have much more to lose.

女人失去的要更多

That is why this needs to be a vital moment,

这也就是，为什么现在是一个关键时刻， 不仅仅是对全球的行动主义而言

not only for global activism,

but in my opinion, for global sisterhood as well.

而且在我看来，对全球的妇女团体也是如此

(Applause)

（掌声）

But I want to make a little confession before I go any further.

但是我想在进一步阐述之前先坦白一点： 直到最近，每当参加国际会议或庆祝活动

Until recently, whenever I took part in an international conference or festival,

I would be usually one of the more depressed speakers.

通常我都是比较沮丧的发言者之一

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Having seen how our dreams of democracy and how our dreams of coexistence

眼看着我们的民主梦和共存梦如何逐步地、 以一种令人困惑的速度在土耳其破碎

were crushed in Turkey,

both gradually but also with a bewildering speed,

over the years I've felt quite demoralized.

这些年来我感到非常的灰心丧气

And at these festivals there would be some other gloomy writers,

在这些庆祝活动里也还有 其他的一些沮丧的作家

and they would come from places such as Egypt, Nigeria, Pakistan,

他们可能来自埃及、尼日利亚、巴基斯坦、

Bangladesh, Philippines, China, Venezuela, Russia.

孟加拉国、菲律宾、中国、委内瑞拉、俄罗斯

And we would smile at each other in sympathy,

我们会出于同情而互相微笑

this camaraderie of the doomed.

这种 “同是天涯沦落人” 之感

(Laughter)

（笑声）

And you could call us WADWIC:

你可以叫我们 WADWIC：

Worried and Depressed Writers International Club.

“担心和忧虑的国际性作家俱乐部” 的缩写

(Laughter)

（笑声）

But then things began to change,

然后事情开始转变

and suddenly our club became more popular,

突然间我们的俱乐部变得越来越流行了

and we started to have new members.

我们开始拥有新成员了

I remember --

我记得——

(Laughter)

（笑声）

I remember Greek writers and poets joined first, came on board.

我记得希腊作家和诗人最先加入进来

And then writers from Hungary and Poland,

然后是来自匈牙利和波兰的作家

and then, interestingly, writers from Austria, the Netherlands, France,

再之后，有趣的是， 奥地利、荷兰和法国的作家也来了

and then writers from the UK, where I live and where I call my home,

然后英国的作家加入了； 我在那生活，并称之为家

and then writers from the USA.

再就是来自美国的作家

Suddenly, there were more of us

突然间，我们中有越来越多的人

feeling worried about the fate of our nations

为我们国家的命运 和世界的未来感到担忧

and the future of the world.

And maybe there were more of us now

也许我们中有越来越多的人

feeling like strangers in our own motherlands.

身在自己的祖国 却觉得自己像是陌生人

And then this bizarre thing happened.

然后很古怪的事情发生了

Those of us who used to be very depressed for a long time,

我们当中那些曾经忧虑了很长时间的人

we started to feel less depressed,

开始感到没那么忧虑了

whereas the newcomers, they were so not used to feeling this way

然而这些新成员， 他们对这种感受十分不适应

that they were now even more depressed.

现在甚至变得更加忧虑了

(Laughter)

（笑声）

So you could see writers from Bangladesh or Turkey or Egypt

所以你可以看到来自 孟加拉国、土耳其或埃及的作家

trying to console their colleagues

在试着安慰他们那些来自 脱欧后的英国或大选后的美国的同行

from Brexit Britain or from post-election USA.

(Laughter)

（笑声）

But joking aside,

但是笑话归笑话，

I think our world is full of unprecedented challenges,

我想我们的世界正充满着前所未有的挑战

and this comes with an emotional backlash,

而且伴随着强烈的情感碰撞

because in the face of high-speed change,

因为在面对高速的变革时

many people wish to slow down,

很多人希望能够放慢脚步

and when there's too much unfamiliarity,

当面对太多的陌生事物时

people long for the familiar.

人们会渴望熟悉的事物

And when things get too confusing,

但事情变得太复杂而令人困惑时

many people crave simplicity.

很多人渴求简单

This is a very dangerous crossroads,

这是一个很危险的十字路口

because it's exactly where the demagogue enters into the picture.

因为这正是蛊惑民心的政客 粉墨登场的地方

The demagogue understands how collective sentiments work

这些政客知道民意是如何起作用的

and how he -- it's usually a he -- can benefit from them.

并且他——通常是男性—— 如何能从中获利

He tells us that we all belong in our tribes,

他会跟我们说：大家都属于同一个部落

and he tells us that we will be safer if we are surrounded by sameness.

还劝诱道：如果我们周围 都是跟我们一样的人，我们就会更安全

Demagogues come in all sizes and in all shapes.

蛊惑人心的政客们形态、外表各异

This could be the eccentric leader of a marginal political party

他可能是欧洲某个地方 一个小政党的古怪的领导人

somewhere in Europe,

or an Islamist extremist imam preaching dogma and hatred,

或者是一个宣扬教条和 仇恨的极端伊斯兰教阿訇

or it could be a white supremacist Nazi-admiring orator somewhere else.

又或者是一个崇拜纳粹的 白人至上主义者演说家

All these figures, at first glance -- they seem disconnected.

所有这些人，乍看之下—— 似乎没有什么联系

But I think they feed each other,

但是我想他们是互为依靠的

and they need each other.

他们彼此需要

And all around the world,

在全世界来看

when we look at how demagogues talk and how they inspire movements,

当我们观察这些政客如何 交谈和鼓励那些运动时

I think they have one unmistakable quality in common:

我想他们都有一个明显的特征：

they strongly, strongly dislike plurality.

他们非常非常地厌恶多元化

They cannot deal with multiplicity.

他们不能处理好多样性问题

Adorno used to say,

阿多诺曾经说过，

"Intolerance of ambiguity is the sign of an authoritarian personality."

“对歧义的不包容是专制型人格的标志。”

But I ask myself:

但是我问自己：

What if that same sign,

如果这样的标志，

that same intolerance of ambiguity --

这样的对歧义的不包容性——

what if it's the mark of our times, of the age we're living in?

它也同样是我们所生活的 这个时代的标志怎么办？

Because wherever I look, I see nuances withering away.

因为我看到不管是在哪里， 细微的差别都在渐渐消失

On TV shows, we have one anti-something speaker

在电视节目里，我们会看到

反对某事的与拥护此事的发言者 会被安排到对立位置

situated against a pro-something speaker.

Yeah? It's good ratings.

对吧？而且收视率还不错

It's even better if they shout at each other.

如果他们冲着彼此大叫那就更好了

Even in academia, where our intellect is supposed to be nourished,

即便是在学术界，这个我们获取 智慧滋养的地方

you see one atheist scholar competing with a firmly theist scholar,

你可以看到无神论学者跟 坚定的有神论学者较劲，

but it's not a real intellectual exchange,

但是这不是真正的学术交流

because it's a clash between two certainties.

因为这是两种 “必然” 之间的冲突

I think binary oppositions are everywhere.

我想二元对立是无处不在的

So slowly and systematically,

所以慢慢地、成体系地

we are being denied the right to be complex.

我们失去了包容复杂性、多样性的权利

Istanbul, Berlin, Nice, Paris, Brussels,

从伊斯坦布尔、柏林、尼斯、巴黎、布鲁塞尔

Dhaka, Baghdad, Barcelona:

达卡、巴格达、巴塞罗那等国家：

we have seen one horrible terror attack after another.

我们看到了一次又一次的恐怖袭击

And when you express your sorrow, and when you react against the cruelty,

当你表达悲伤、反抗这种残暴时

you get all kinds of reactions,

你会得在社交媒体上

messages on social media.

看到各种反应和信息

But one of them is quite disturbing,

其中的一个反应很令人不安：

only because it's so widespread.

因为它如此普遍

They say, "Why do you feel sorry for them?

他们说，“为什么你会为他们感到难过？

Why do you feel sorry for them?

为什么你会为他们感到难过？

Why don't you feel sorry for civilians in Yemen

为什么你不为也门或者 叙利亚的民众感到难过？”

or civilians in Syria?"

And I think the people who write such messages

我想，写下这种信息的人

do not understand

他不明白

that we can feel sorry for and stand in solidarity with

我们会为所有的恐怖主义和暴力活动的 受害者感到难过并坚定地站在他们一边

victims of terrorism and violence in the Middle East, in Europe,

不管他们是来自中东、欧洲、 亚洲还是美洲，都平等相待

in Asia, in America, wherever, everywhere,

equally and simultaneously.

They don't seem to understand that we don't have to pick one pain

他们似乎不明白为什么

我们不去挑选出哪一项痛苦 或者哪一个难区最为惨烈

and one place over all others.

But I think this is what tribalism does to us.

但是我想这就是部落主义对我们的影响

It shrinks our minds, for sure,

它将我们的思想和灵魂萎缩到一定的程度， 使我们对其他人的痛苦变得麻木

but it also shrinks our hearts,

to such an extent that we become numb to the suffering of other people.

And the sad truth is, we weren't always like this.

一个悲伤的事实是， 我们以前不总是这样的

I had a children's book out in Turkey,

我在土耳其出版过一本少儿读物

and when the book was published, I did lots of events.

当这本书出版后，我举行了很多活动

I went to many primary schools,

我走访很多小学

which gave me a chance to observe younger kids in Turkey.

这也就给了我一个观察 土耳其的小孩子的机会

And it was always amazing to see how much empathy, imagination

我总是很吃惊于他们表现出来的 同情心、想像力和敢作敢为

and chutzpah they have.

These children are much more inclined to become global citizens

比起成为民族主义者，这些孩子 在那时更倾向成为世界公民

than nationalists at that age.

And it's wonderful to see, when you ask them,

很奇妙的是， 如果问他们的志向

so many of them want to be poets and writers,

他们中的很多人都回答说 想要成为诗人和作家

and girls are just as confident as boys,

并且女孩子也像男孩子一样的自信， 甚至信心更足

if not even more.

But then I would go to high schools,

然后我又去了中学

and everything has changed.

发现所有的东西都变了

Now nobody wants to be a writer anymore,

没有人再想成为作家了

now nobody wants to be a novelist anymore,

也没有人想成为小说家

and girls have become timid,

女孩子变得羞怯

they are cautious, guarded,

她们很谨慎、有防备心

reluctant to speak up in the public space,

不愿意在公共场合发言

because we have taught them --

因为 “我们” 教会了她们——

the family, the school, the society --

我们的家庭、学校、社会——

we have taught them to erase their individuality.

教会了她们抹掉自己的个性

I think East and West,

我想不管是东方还是西方

we are losing multiplicity,

我们都在失去多样性

both within our societies and within ourselves.

包括我们的社会和我们自己本身

And coming from Turkey, I do know that the loss of diversity

因为我来自土耳其，所以我知道 失去多样性是一个很大很大的损失

is a major, major loss.

Today, my motherland became the world's biggest jailer

今天，对记者而言，我的祖国已经 成为了世界上最大的监狱

for journalists,

surpassing even China's sad record.

已经超过了中国可悲的记录

And I also believe that what happened over there in Turkey

而我也相信发生在土耳其的这些事情

can happen anywhere.

可以发生在任何别的地方

It can even happen here.

甚至是发生在这里

So just like solid countries was an illusion,

就像固态国家是一个幻觉一样

singular identities is also an illusion,

人特征的单一性也是一个幻觉

because we all have a multiplicity of voices inside.

因为我们内心都拥有多种声音

The Iranian, the Persian poet, Hafiz,

伊朗的波斯诗人哈菲兹曾经说过

used to say, "You carry in your soul every ingredient necessary

“为了将喜悦注入贫乏的生活， 你将所需的原料都放入灵魂中了。

to turn your existence into joy.

All you have to do is to mix those ingredients."

你所要做的就是 将这些原料搅拌混合。”

And I think mix we can.

我想，我们都会混合

I am an Istanbulite,

我是一个伊斯坦布尔人

but I'm also attached to the Balkans,

但我也属于巴尔干

the Aegean, the Mediterranean,

爱琴海、地中海

the Middle East, the Levant.

中东、黎凡特

I am a European by birth, by choice,

根据我的出生地，我的选择， 我持有的价值观，我是一个欧洲人

the values that I uphold.

I have become a Londoner over the years.

这些年来我成为了一个伦敦人

I would like to think of myself as a global soul, as a world citizen,

我认为自己是一个全球人、世界公民，

a nomad and an itinerant storyteller.

一个流浪者以及流动巡回的说书人

I have multiple attachments, just like all of us do.

跟所有的人一样，我也有多重依恋。

And multiple attachments mean multiple stories.

多重依恋意味着多重故事

As writers, we always chase stories, of course,

作为作家，当然， 我们一直在追逐故事

but I think we are also interested in silences,

但我想我们也对沉默、不允许谈论的 事物、政治禁忌和文化禁忌感兴趣

the things we cannot talk about,

political taboos, cultural taboos.

We're also interested in our own silences.

我们也对自己的沉默感兴趣

I have always been very vocal about and written extensively

我一直对少数族群权利、妇女权利、 LGBT性少数群体的权利问题直言不讳

about minority rights, women's rights,

也写了很多相关的文章

LGBT rights.

But as I was thinking about this TED Talk,

当我在思考这一场 TED 演讲时

I realized one thing:

我意识到一件事：

I have never had the courage to say in a public space

我从来都没有勇气在公共场合说出 我自己就是一个双性恋者的事实

that I was bisexual myself,

because I so feared the slander

因为我害怕诽谤、污名、嘲笑 以及仇恨会接踵而来

and the stigma and the ridicule

and the hatred that was sure to follow.

But of course, one should never, ever, remain silent

但是，当然，我们永远不能仅仅 因为对复杂感到畏惧而保持沉默

for fear of complexity.

(Applause)

（掌声）

And although I am no stranger to anxieties,

虽然我已经习惯了焦虑

and although I am talking here about the power of emotions --

虽然我在这里谈论着情感的力量——

I do know the power of emotions --

我也很清楚地知道情感的力量——

I have discovered over time

随着时间的过去，我发现

that emotions are not limitless.

情感也不是无限的

You know? They have a limit.

你知道吗？它们是有限的

There comes a moment --

会有那么一刻——

it's like a tipping point or a threshold --

像是一个临界点或者阈值——

when you get tired of feeling afraid,

你会厌倦那种害怕的感觉

when you get tired of feeling anxious.

你会厌倦那种焦虑的感觉

And I think not only individuals,

我想不仅是个人

but perhaps nations, too, have their own tipping points.

也许国家也是一样，有属于它们的临界点

So even stronger than my emotions

所以，比我的情绪更强大的，是我的感悟： 不仅仅是性别、身份，生命它本身，就是液态的

is my awareness

that not only gender, not only identity,

but life itself is fluid.

They want to divide us into tribes,

他们想把我们分离成部落

but we are connected across borders.

但我们都跨过边界连在一起

They preach certainty,

他们鼓吹天命

but we know that life has plenty of magic

但我们知道生命充满了魔力， 充满了不确定性

and plenty of ambiguity.

And they like to incite dualities,

他们喜欢煽动二元性

but we are far more nuanced than that.

但我们之间的微妙差异远多于此

So what can we do?

所以我们能做什么呢？

I think we need to go back to the basics,

我想我们需要回到最基本的的东西

back to the colors of the alphabet.

回到每个字母的颜色上

The Lebanese poet Khalil Gibran used to say,

黎巴嫩诗人哈利勒 · 纪伯伦曾说过

"I learned silence from the talkative

“我从健谈者那里学会了沉默，

and tolerance from the intolerant

从狭隘者那里学会了宽容，

and kindness from the unkind."

从残忍者那里学会了仁爱。”

I think it's a great motto for our times.

我想这是我们这个时代的 一个很好的座右铭

So from populist demagogues, we will learn

所以从民粹主义煽动者那里， 我们会学到民主的不可或缺性

the indispensability of democracy.

And from isolationists, we will learn the need for global solidarity.

从孤立主义者那里，我们 会学到全球团结的必要性

And from tribalists, we will learn the beauty of cosmopolitanism

从部落主义者那里，我们会学到 世界主义之美以及多样性之美

and the beauty of diversity.

As I finish, I want to leave you with one word, or one taste.

在结束演讲前，我想留给你 一个词，或者说一种味道

The word "yurt" in Turkish means "motherland."

“yurt” 这个词在土耳其语中的 意思是 “祖国”

It means "homeland."

它也是 “故乡” 的意思

But interestingly, the word also means

但有趣的是，这个词还有一个意思是 “一顶游牧部落所使用的帐篷 ”

"a tent used by nomadic tribes."

And I like that combination, because it makes me think

我喜欢这种组合，因为它让我觉得

homelands do not need to be rooted in one place.

故乡不一定非要是某个扎根的地方

They can be portable.

它们是可以转移的

We can take them with us everywhere.

我们可以将它们随身携带到任何地方

And I think for writers, for storytellers,

我想对于作家，对于讲述者来说

at the end of the day,

在一天结束的时候

there is one main homeland,

会来到一个主要的故乡

and it's called "Storyland."

称作 “故事乡”

And the taste of that word

而这个词的味道，

is the taste of freedom.

也是自由的味道

Thank you.

谢谢

(Applause)

（掌声）