How to revive your belief in democracy | Eric Liu

翻译人员: psjmz mz 校对人员: Jingdan Niu

I bring you greetings

我要将一个

from the 52nd-freest nation on earth.

来自世界自由度 排名第52位国家的问候。

As an American, it irritates me that my nation keeps sinking

作为一个美国人，我感到 烦恼的是自己国家的名次

in the annual rankings published by Freedom House.

在每年《自由之家》公布 的排行榜中持续下滑。

I'm the son of immigrants.

我来自一个移民家庭。

My parents were born in China during war and revolution,

我的父母出生于战争 与解放时期的中国，

went to Taiwan and then came to the United States,

他们先去了台湾，后来到了美国，

which means all my life,

这意味着我整个一生，

I've been acutely aware just how fragile an inheritance freedom truly is.

都深刻地意识到传统自由 是何等脆弱。

That's why I spend my time teaching, preaching and practicing democracy.

因此我把时间用在教学、 宣讲与实践民主上。

I have no illusions.

我从不抱幻想。

All around the world now,

在当今的世界，

people are doubting whether democracy can deliver.

人们正怀疑民主能否实现。

Autocrats and demagogues seem emboldened,

专制者和煽动者们看起来无所畏惧，

even cocky.

甚至非常自大。

The free world feels leaderless.

我们觉得自由的世界缺乏领袖。

And yet, I remain hopeful.

然而，我依然充满希望。

I don't mean optimistic.

我不是说乐观。

Optimism is for spectators.

乐观是留给观众的。

Hope implies agency.

希望暗示着行动。

It says I have a hand in the outcome.

这说的是我可以为结果贡献力量。

Democratic hope requires faith

民主的希望需要信仰，

not in a strongman or a charismatic savior

不是信仰铁腕人物 或魅力超凡的救世主，

but in each other,

而是彼此之间的信仰，

and it forces us to ask: How can we become worthy of such faith?

它促使我们提问： 我们如何才配拥有这种信仰？

I believe we are at a moment of moral awakening,

我相信我们正处于道德觉醒的时刻，

the kind that comes when old certainties collapse.

这是一个旧认知崩塌的时刻。

At the heart of that awakening is what I call "civic religion."

这场觉醒的核心， 我称之为“公民宗教”。

And today, I want to talk about what civic religion is,

今天，我想讨论什么是公民宗教，

how we practice it,

我们如何实践它，

and why it matters now more than ever.

还有为什么它在现今变得更重要？

Let me start with the what.

让我从“它是什么”开始。

I define civic religion as a system of shared beliefs and collective practices

我给公民宗教的定义是 一个选择像公民一样生活的

by which the members of a self-governing community

自治社区成员所共享的

choose to live like citizens.

信仰与集体实践的系统。

Now, when I say "citizen" here, I'm not referring to papers or passports.

我在这里说的“公民”， 无关证件或护照的范畴。

I'm talking about a deeper, broader, ethical conception

我谈论的是作为一个社区的贡献者，

of being a contributor to community, a member of the body.

社区一员的更深入、 更广泛的伦理道德观念。

To speak of civic religion as religion is not poetic license.

说公民宗教为宗教 并非为了诗意修辞。

That's because democracy

那是因为民主制度

is one of the most faith-fueled human activities there is.

是最需要用信仰推动的 人类活动之一。

Democracy works only when enough of us believe democracy works.

唯有足够多的人相信民主， 它才能发挥作用。

It is at once a gamble and a miracle.

这既是一场赌博，也是一个奇迹。

Its legitimacy comes not from the outer frame of constitutional rules,

它的合法性并非来自 外部的国家宪法框架，

but from the inner workings of civic spirit.

而是源自公民精神的内核。

Civic religion, like any religion,

公民宗教，和其他的宗教一样，

contains a sacred creed, sacred deeds and sacred rituals.

包含神圣信条、神圣的契约 和神圣的仪式。

My creed includes words like "equal protection of the laws"

我的信条里包含的话语如 “人人平等的法律保护权”

and "we the people."

以及“我们人民”。

My roll call of hallowed deeds includes abolition, women's suffrage,

我的神圣事迹名单包括 废除奴隶制，妇女选举权，

the civil rights movement,

民权运动，

the Allied landing at Normandy,

盟军登陆诺曼底，

the fall of the Berlin Wall.

柏林墙的倒塌。

And I have a new civic ritual that I'll tell you about in a moment.

稍后我还将告诉你们一个 新的公民宗教仪式。

Wherever on earth you're from,

不论你来自地球的哪个角落，

you can find or make your own set of creed, deed and ritual.

你都可以找到或者制定你自己 的信仰，信条和仪式。

The practice of civic religion is not about worship of the state

公民宗教的实践无关国家崇拜，

or obedience to a ruling party.

也不是屈服于执政党。

It is about commitment to one another

它是关于对他人

and our common ideals.

和我们共同理想的承诺。

And the sacredness of civic religion is not about divinity or the supernatural.

并且公民宗教的神圣性 与神性或者超自然无关。

It is about a group of unlike people

它是一群不同的人

speaking into being our alikeness,

通过对话形成我们的共性，

our groupness.

我们的群体性。

Perhaps now you're getting a little worried

也许你们现在有些怀疑

我这是在大力推崇邪教。

that I'm trying to sell you on a cult.

Relax, I'm not.

放心，我不是。

I don't need to sell you.

我不需要说服你们。

As a human, you are always in the market for a cult,

作为人类，你们经常处于各种邪教，

for some variety of religious experience.

各种宗教体验的包围中。

We are wired to seek cosmological explanations,

我们天生就想要寻求宇宙学的解释，

to sacralize beliefs that unite us in transcendent purpose.

将那些把我们团结在 超然目标中的信念神圣化。

Humans make religion because humans make groups.

人类因群居而创造了宗教。

The only choice we have is whether to activate that groupness for good.

我们唯一的选择是是否要 为了福祉来激活这种群体性。

If you are a devout person, you know this.

如果你是一个虔诚的人， 你就会知道这点。

If you are not,

如果你不是，

if you no longer go to prayer services

如果你不再祷告

or never did,

或者从来没做过，

then perhaps you'll say that yoga is your religion,

那么可能你会说你的信仰是瑜伽，

or Premier League football,

或是英超足球，

or knitting, or coding or TED Talks.

是编织、编程或TED演讲。

But whether you believe in a God or in the absence of gods,

但你是否相信上帝还是相信虚无，

civic religion does not require you to renounce your beliefs.

公民宗教并不需要你放弃你的信仰。

It requires you only to show up as a citizen.

它只需要你表现得是一个公民就好。

And that brings me to my second topic:

接下来进入我的第二个话题：

how we can practice civic religion productively.

我们如何有效地践行公民宗教。

Let me tell you now about that new civic ritual.

我来介绍一下新的公民仪式。

It's called "Civic Saturday,"

它叫做“公民星期六”，

and it follows the arc of a faith gathering.

它遵循着宗教集会的轨迹。

We sing together,

我们一起唱歌，

we turn to the strangers next to us to discuss a common question,

我们跟旁边的陌生人 讨论共同的问题，

we hear poetry and scripture,

我们听诗歌和经文，

there's a sermon that ties those texts

有场布道会将这些资料

to the ethical choices and controversies of our time,

和这个时代的伦理选择 和争议联系起来，

but the song and scripture and the sermon

但这些诗歌、经文和布道

are not from church or synagogue or mosque.

并非来自基督教堂、 犹太教堂或清真寺。

They are civic,

它们是公民的，

drawn from our shared civic ideals

源自我们共同的公民理想，

and a shared history of claiming and contesting those ideals.

以及对这些理念的 共同宣扬和挑战的历史。

Afterwards, we form up in circles to organize rallies, register voters,

然后，我们围成一圈 组织集会，登记选民，

join new clubs, make new friends.

加入新的俱乐部，结交新朋友。

My colleagues and I started organizing Civic Saturdays

我和同时于2016年开始在西雅图

in Seattle in 2016.

组织公民星期六。

Since then, they have spread across the continent.

自那之后，它们开始 在全国传播开来。

Sometimes hundreds attend, sometimes dozens.

有时候有数百人参与， 有时候几十个人。

They happen in libraries and community centers

有时候举办在图书馆和社区中心

and coworking spaces,

以及共同办公空间，

under festive tents and inside great halls.

或者节日帐篷和大厅里。

There's nothing high-tech about this social technology.

这种社会技术没有什么高科技可言。

It speaks to a basic human yearning for face-to-face fellowship.

它体现了人类对 面对面交流的基本渴望。

It draws young and old, left and right,

它吸引了年轻人和老人，左派和右派，

poor and rich, churched and unchurched,

穷人和富人，传教士和非传教士，

of all races.

以及各种种族。

When you come to a Civic Saturday and are invited to discuss a question

当你参与公民星期六， 并被邀请讨论诸如

like "Who are you responsible for?"

“你要对谁负责？”

or "What are you willing to risk or to give up for your community?"

或者“为了你的社区你愿意冒险 或放弃什么？”之类的问题，

When that happens, something moves.

这些情况发生时，事情就会发生变化。

You are moved.

你会被触动。

You start telling your story.

你开始讲述你的故事。

We start actually seeing one another.

我们开始看到彼此。

You realize that homelessness, gun violence, gentrification,

你会意识到无家可归， 枪支暴力，士绅化，

terrible traffic, mistrust of newcomers, fake news --

糟糕的交通，对新来者 的不信任，假新闻——

these things aren't someone else's problem,

这些东西不是某个人的问题，

they are the aggregation of your own habits and omissions.

它们是我们习惯和疏漏的总和。

Society becomes how you behave.

你的行为决定了社会的样子。

We are never asked to reflect on the content of our citizenship.

我们从来没被要求反思 我们的公民身份的内容。

Most of us are never invited to do more or to be more,

我们很多人从没被邀请 去做更多或变得更多，

and most of us have no idea how much we crave that invitation.

并且我们很多人不知道我们 有多渴望得到这样的邀请。

We've since created a civic seminary

从那以后，我们创建了 一个公民神学院，

to start training people from all over to lead Civic Saturday gatherings

开始培训世界各地的人们， 让他们在自己的城镇

on their own, in their own towns.

领导公民星期六的集会。

In the community of Athens, Tennessee,

在田纳西州的雅典社区，

a feisty leader named Whitney Kimball Coe

一位名叫惠特尼·金博尔·科 的精力充沛的领导者

leads hers in an art and framing shop

在一家有青年唱诗班和许多小旗子

with a youth choir and lots of little flags.

的艺术与装裱店领导集会。

A young activist named Berto Aguayo

一位名叫贝托·阿瓜约的 年轻活动人士

led his Civic Saturday on a street corner

在芝加哥后院的一个街角

in the Back of the Yards neighborhood of Chicago.

领导他的公民星期六。

Berto was once involved with gangs.

贝托曾经参加过帮派。

Now, he's keeping the peace

现在，他在维护和平

and organizing political campaigns.

和组织政治活动。

In Honolulu, Rafael Bergstrom,

在檀香山，拉斐尔·伯格斯特罗姆，

a former pro baseball player turned photographer and conservationist,

一名前职业棒球运动员， 后来成为摄影师和环保主义者，

leads his under the banner "Civics IS Sexy."

在“公民是性感的”的旗帜下 领导他自己的公民星期六。

It is.

它是的。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Sometimes I'm asked, even by our seminarians:

有时候甚至我们神学院的学生也问我：

"Isn't it dangerous to use religious language?

“使用宗教的语言会不会危险？

Won't that just make our politics even more dogmatic and self-righteous?"

这难道不会让我们的政治 更加教条和自以为是吗？”

But this view assumes that all religion is fanatical fundamentalism.

这种观点的潜台词是，所有宗教 都是狂热的原教旨主义的。

It is not.

并不是的。

Religion is also moral discernment,

宗教也是道德明辨的。

an embrace of doubt,

是拥抱怀疑的，

a commitment to detach from self and serve others,

致力于放下自我并为他人服务，

a challenge to repair the world.

接受修复世界的挑战。

In this sense, politics could stand to be a little more like religion,

在这个意义上，政治应更多像是宗教，

not less.

而非更少。

Thus, my final topic today:

因此，我今天最后一个话题是：

why civic religion matters now.

为什么现在公民宗教这么重要。

I want to offer two reasons.

我想要给出两个理由。

One is to counter the culture of hyperindividualism.

一个是反对极端的个人主义文化。

Every message we get from every screen and surface

我们从现代市场环境每个屏幕和表面

of the modern marketplace

得到的每一条信息都是

is that each of us is on our own,

我们每个人都是独立的，

a free agent,

自由行动，

free to manage our own brands,

自由管理自己的品牌，

free to live under bridges,

自由生活在天桥底下，

free to have side hustles,

自由做副业，

free to die alone without insurance.

自由在没有保险的情况下孤独死去。

Market liberalism tells us we are masters beholden to none,

市场自由主义告诉我们， 我们是不受任何约束的主人，

but then it enslaves us

但它却把我们束缚在

in the awful isolation of consumerism and status anxiety.

消费主义和地位焦虑 的可怕孤立之中。

(Audience) Yeah!

（观众）没错！

Millions of us are on to the con now.

数以百万的人现在明白了。

We are realizing now

我们现在意识到

that a free-for-all is not the same as freedom for all.

人人拥有自由并不等于 人人享有自由。

(Applause)

（鼓掌）

What truly makes us free is being bound to others

真正使我们自由的 是在互助和义务中

in mutual aid and obligation,

与他人绑在一起，

having to work things out the best we can in our neighborhoods and towns,

我们必须在社区和城镇里 尽我们所能把事情解决好，

as if our fates were entwined --

就如我们的命运是交织的——

because they are --

因为它们本就如此——

as if we could not secede from one another,

就如我们不能彼此分离，

because, in the end, we cannot.

因为最终，我们不能分离。

Binding ourselves this way actually liberates us.

这样绑定我们实际上解放了我们。

It reveals that we are equal in dignity.

它表明我们拥有平等的尊严。

It reminds us that rights come with responsibilities.

它提醒我们权利伴随责任而来。

It reminds us, in fact,

它提醒我们，实际上，

that rights properly understood are responsibilities.

权利的正确理解就是责任。

The second reason why civic religion matters now

公民宗教现在如此重要的 第二个原因是，

is that it offers the healthiest possible story of us and them.

它为我们和他们提供了最健康的故事。

We talk about identity politics today as if it were something new,

我们今天谈论的身份政治 好像是新事物一样，

but it's not.

但并非如此。

All politics is identity politics,

所有的政治都是身份政治，

a never-ending struggle to define who truly belongs.

一场定义谁才是真正归属 的无休止斗争。

Instead of noxious myths of blood and soil that mark some as forever outsiders,

跟那些永远把一些人视为局外人的 关于鲜血和土地的有害神话相比，

civic religion offers everyone a path to belonging

公民宗教为每个人提供了一条

based only a universal creed of contribution, participation,

通往奉献、参与、包容的普世信念

inclusion.

的道路。

In civic religion, the "us" is those who wish to serve,

在公民宗教中，“我们”是那些希望服务，

volunteer, vote, listen, learn, empathize, argue better,

自愿，投票，倾听，学习， 同情，更好地辩论的人，

circulate power rather than hoard it.

将权力循环使用而不是储存起来。

The "them" is those who don't.

“他们”是那些不这样做的人。

It is possible to judge the them harshly,

对他们进行严厉的批评是可能的，

but it isn't necessary,

但这是没有必要的，

for at any time, one of them can become one of us,

因为在任何时候，他们都 有可能成为我们的一员，

simply by choosing to live like a citizen.

只需要选择像公民那样生活。

So let's welcome them in.

所以让我们欢迎他们加入。

Whitney and Berto and Rafael are gifted welcomers.

惠特尼、贝托和拉斐尔 是天生的欢迎者。

Each has a distinctive, locally rooted way

他们都有独特的，根植于本地的方式

to make faith in democracy relatable to others.

去让别人对与人息息相关 的民主产生信仰。

Their slang might be Appalachian or South Side or Hawaiian.

他们的俚语可能是阿巴拉契亚语、 南区语或夏威夷语。

Their message is the same:

他们的信息是一样的：

civic love, civic spirit, civic responsibility.

公民之爱，公民精神，公民责任。

Now you might think that all this civic religion stuff

现在你可能会觉得 这些公民宗教的玩意

is just for overzealous second-generation Americans like me.

只适合像我这样过分 热情的二代美国人。

But actually, it is for anyone, anywhere,

但实际上，它适合任何人，任何地方，

who wants to kindle the bonds of trust,

适合那些想要点燃 管理我们自由所需

affection and joint action

的信任、情感

needed to govern ourselves in freedom.

和共同行动的纽带的人。

Now maybe Civic Saturdays aren't for you.

也许公民星期六不适合你。

That's OK.

那没关系。

Find your own ways to foster civic habits of the heart.

用你自己的方式 培养自己的公民习惯。

Many forms of beloved civic community are thriving now,

在这个觉醒的时代，很多 受人喜爱的公民社区形式

in this age of awakening.

正在蓬勃发展。

Groups like Community Organizing Japan,

像“社区组织日本”这样的团体，

which uses creative performative rituals of storytelling

使用创造性的表演仪式来讲述故事，

to promote equality for women.

去提倡女性平等。

In Iceland, civil confirmations,

在冰岛的公民坚信礼中，

where young people are led by an elder

年轻人由长辈带领

to learn the history and civic traditions of their society,

学习他们社会的历史和公民传统。

culminating in a rite-of-passage ceremony

在类似于教堂确认仪式

akin to church confirmation.

的仪式中达到高潮。

Ben Franklin Circles in the United States,

在美国的“本·富兰克林圈”里，

where friends meet monthly

人们每月定期聚会

to discuss and reflect upon the virtues that Franklin codified

讨论和反思富兰克林在他的自传中

in his autobiography,

编纂的美德，

like justice and gratitude and forgiveness.

如正义、感恩和宽恕。

I know civic religion is not enough

我知道公民宗教不足以纠正

to remedy the radical inequities of our age.

我们这个时代的根本不平等。

We need power for that.

我们需要权力。

But power without character is a cure worse than the disease.

但没有品格的权力比疾病更糟糕。

I know civic religion alone can't fix corrupt institutions,

我知道单凭公民宗教 不能纠正腐败的制度，

but institutional reforms without new norms will not last.

但没有新规范的制度无法长久。

Culture is upstream of law.

文化是法律的上游。

Spirit is upstream of policy.

精神是政策的上游。

The soul is upstream of the state.

灵魂是国家的上游。

We cannot unpollute our politics if we clean only downstream.

如果我们只清理下游，我们就 不能使我们的政治不受污染。

We must get to the source.

我们必须直击源头。

The source is our values,

源头是我们的价值，

and on the topic of values, my advice is simple: have some.

在价值的话题中，我的 建议很简单：得有。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

(Applause)

（鼓掌）

Make sure those values are prosocial.

确保这些价值是亲社会的。

Put them into practice,

把它们付诸实践，

and do so in the company of others,

在别人的陪伴下去做，

with a structure of creed, deed and joyful ritual

用一种信条、实际和快乐的仪式结构

that'll keep all of you coming back.

来保持你们所有人的持续。

Those of us who believe in democracy and believe it is still possible,

对我们这些相信民主并 相信民主是可能的人而言，

we have the burden of proving it.

我们去证明这一点有负担。

But remember, it is no burden at all

但请记住，在一个 你被视为成人的社区里，

to be in a community where you are seen as fully human,

在一个你对影响你的事情 有发言权的社区里，

where you have a say in the things that affect you,

在一个你不需要被连接 也能被尊重的社区里，

where you don't need to be connected to be respected.

这根本不是什么负担。

That is called a blessing,

这就是福音，

and it is available to all who believe.

并且它属于每一个相信的人。

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause)

（鼓掌）