What Ping-Pong Taught Me About Life | Pico Iyer | TED

翻译人员: Lipeng Chen 校对人员: psjmz mz

Every other night in Japan,

我在日本的时候，

I step out of my apartment,

每隔一晚就会出门，

I climb up a hill for 15 minutes,

爬山 15 分钟，

and then I head into my local health club,

然后再到当地的健康俱乐部，

where three ping-pong tables are set up in a studio.

那里有三张乒乓桌。

And space is limited,

空间有限，

so at every table,

所以在每张乒乓桌上，

one pair of players practices forehands,

有一对球员练习正手，

another practices backhands,

另一对练习反手，

and every now and then, the balls collide in midair

时不时地，球就会在空中碰撞，

and everybody says, "Wow!"

每个人就感叹道，“哇！”

Then, choosing lots, we select partners and play doubles.

然后，我们抽签选择搭档进行双打。

But I honestly couldn't tell you who's won,

但是说实话我没法告诉你们是谁赢了，

because we change partners every five minutes.

因为我们每五分钟就会更换搭档。

And everybody is trying really hard

每个人都为了赢分

to win points,

拼尽全力，

but nobody is keeping track of who is winning games.

但是没有人在记录 到底是谁赢了比赛。

And after an hour or so of furious exertion,

在经过一小时激烈的角逐后，

I can honestly tell you

老实说，

that not knowing who has won

不知道谁赢了

feels like the ultimate victory.

却像是最终的胜利。

In Japan, it's been said,

在日本，有一种说法是，

they've created a competitive spirit without competition.

他们不通过比赛 却创造出了比赛的精神。

Now, all of you know that geopolitics is best followed by watching ping-pong.

你们都知道可以通过 看乒乓了解地缘政治。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

The two strongest powers in the world were fiercest enemies

世界上最强大的两个国家 曾是针锋相对的敌人，

until, in 1972, an American ping-pong team

直到 1972 年，美国乒乓球队

was allowed to visit Communist China.

被允许访问共产主义中国。

And as soon as the former adversaries

当曾经的对手

were gathered around some small green tables,

集结在这些小绿桌旁边时，

each of them could claim a victory,

每一方都获得了胜利，

and the whole world could breathe more easily.

整个世界也能松一口气。

China's leader, Mao Zedong,

中国的领导人毛泽东

wrote a whole manual on ping-pong,

为乒乓球写了一整本手册，

and he called the sport "a spiritual nuclear weapon."

他称这项运动为“精神核武器”。

And it's been said that the only honorary lifelong member

据说美国乒乓球协会

of the US Table Tennis Association

唯一的终生荣誉会员

is the then-President Richard Nixon,

就是当时的总统理查德·尼克松，

who helped to engineer this win-win situation

他通过乒乓外交

through ping-pong diplomacy.

帮助实现了这样的双赢局面。

But long before that,

但是在那之前，

really, the history of the modern world

现代世界的历史

was best told through the bouncing white ball.

通过这些往复的白色塑料球 来讲述，效果最好。

"Ping-pong" sounds like a cousin of "sing-song,"

“乒乓（ping-pong）”听起来像是 “合唱（sing-song）”的表亲，

like something Eastern,

像是来自东方，

but actually, it's believed that it was invented by high-class Brits

但实际上，乒乓被认为 是由维多利亚时代

during Victorian times,

的英国贵族发明的，

who started hitting wine corks over walls of books after dinner.

那时他们在晚饭后 用书对着墙击打葡萄酒软塞。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

No exaggeration.

没有夸张。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

And by the end of World War I,

第一次世界大战结束时，

the sport was dominated by players from the former Austro-Hungarian Empire:

这项运动被来自原来的 奥匈帝国的球员垄断：

eight out of nine early world championships

早期世锦赛的九个冠军中

were claimed by Hungary.

有八个被匈牙利摘取。

And Eastern Europeans grew so adept

东欧人对把球打来打去

at hitting back everything that was hit at them

变得如此熟练，

that they almost brought the whole sport to a standstill.

以至于他们近乎把这项运动 带入了停滞状态。

In one championship match in Prague in 1936,

在 1936 年布拉格的一场世锦赛中，

the first point is said to have lasted two hours and 12 minutes.

第一分据说在过了 两小时12分后才被拿下。

The first point!

第一分！

Longer than a "Mad Max" movie.

比《疯狂麦克斯》的电影还要长。

And according to one of the players, the umpire had to retire with a sore neck

据其中一个球员说， 裁判在这一比分结束前

before the point was concluded.

因为脖子酸而不得不退场。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

That player started hitting the ball back with his left hand

运动员甚至开始用左手击球，

and dictating chess moves between shots.

并在击打间隙指挥下象棋。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Many in the audience started, of course, filing out,

当然，观众席中的许多人开始计数，

as that single point lasted maybe 12,000 strokes.

这一比分可能持续了 12000 下击打。

And an emergency meeting of the International Table Tennis Association

国际乒乓球协会的紧急会议不得不

had to be held then and there,

在现场立刻召开，

and soon the rules were changed

随后规则改变，

so that no game could last longer than 20 minutes.

没有一轮比赛可以长于 20 分钟。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Sixteen years later, Japan entered the picture,

十六年后，日本进入了人们的视野，

when a little-known watchmaker called Hiroji Satoh

一位名叫佐藤博治的无名制表匠

showed up at the world championships in Bombay in 1952.

出现在了 1952 年 孟买的国际锦标赛上。

And Satoh was not very big, he wasn't highly rated,

佐藤博治没有名气，排名也不高，

he was wearing spectacles,

他还戴着眼镜，

but he was armed with a paddle that was not pimpled,

但是他的球拍并不像其他的球拍那样

as other paddles were,

坑坑洼洼的，

but covered by a thick spongy rubber foam.

而是覆盖着厚厚的海绵状橡胶泡沫。

And thanks to this silencing secret weapon,

多亏了这个秘密武器，

the little-known Satoh won a gold medal.

默默无闻的佐藤博治摘得了金牌。

One million people came out into the streets of Tokyo

当他回国时，在东京有一百万人

to greet him upon his return,

走上街头夹道欢迎他凯旋，

and really, Japan's postwar resurgence was set into motion.

日本的战后复兴也真正开始了。

What I learned, though, at my regular games in Japan,

不过，我在日本的 常规乒乓赛中学到的，

is more what could be called the inner sport of global domination,

更恰当地说是全面占优的内在运动，

sometimes known as life.

有时也被称作人生。

We never play singles in our club,

我们俱乐部从不打单打，

only doubles,

只进行双打，

and because, as I say, we change partners every five minutes,

因为，正如我所说， 我们每五分钟就会更换搭档，

if you do happen to lose, you're very likely to win

如果你不巧输了， 那么在六分钟后，

six minutes later.

你很有可能赢下比赛。

We also play best-of-two sets,

我们也玩两局制，

so often, there's no loser at all.

通常就没有输家。

Ping-pong diplomacy.

乒乓外交。

And I always remember that as a boy growing up in England,

我一直记得， 作为在英格兰长大的男孩，

I was taught that the point of a game was to win.

我被教育比赛的关键是获胜。

But in Japan, I'm encouraged to believe that, really, the point of a game

但在日本，我被鼓励相信比赛的要义

is to make as many people as possible around you feel that they are winners.

是让你身边尽可能多 的人认为他们是赢家。

So you're not careening up and down as an individual might,

所以你不会以一个个体上下沉浮，

but you're part of a regular, steady chorus.

相反，你是常规，稳定 的团体的一部分。

The most skillful players in our club

我们俱乐部打得最好的球员

deploy their skills to turn a 9-1 lead for their team

能够利用他们的技巧 将他们球队 9 比 1 的领先，

into a 9-9 game in which everybody is intensely involved.

进行到 9 比 9，这样每个人 都能积极参与其中。

And my friend who hits these high, looping lobs

我有个朋友会打吊高转球，

that smaller players flail at and miss --

小个子球员只能乱打，根本接不到——

well, he wins a lot of points, but I think he's thought of as a loser.

他能赢很多分， 但我觉得他却是个输家。

In Japan, a game of ping-pong is really like an act of love.

在日本，乒乓比赛真的像是爱的举动。

You're learning how to play with somebody,

你学习如何和别人一起比赛，

rather than against her.

而不是赢过别人。

And I'll confess,

我承认，

at first, this seemed to me to take all the fun out of the sport.

起初，我觉得这样完全 剥夺了运动的乐趣。

I couldn't exult after a tremendous upset victory against our strongest players,

我无法在赢下最强球员后 感受到胜利的喜悦，

because six minutes later, with a new partner,

因为六分钟后， 和一个新的搭档在一起。

I was falling behind again.

我又落后了。

On the other hand, I never felt disconsolate.

另一方面，我从未感到悲伤。

And when I flew away from Japan and started playing singles again

当我飞离日本，又开始和我的英国同僚

with my English archrival,

进行单打时，

I noticed that after every defeat, I was really brokenhearted.

我注意到每次失败后， 我真的非常伤心。

But after every victory, I couldn't sleep either,

但每次胜利后，我也无法入眠，

because I knew there was only one way to go,

因为我知道接下来只有一条路可走，

and that was down.

那就是下坡路。

Now, if I were trying to do business in Japan,

如果我尝试在日本做生意，

this would lead to endless frustration.

这会导致无尽的沮丧。

In Japan, unlike elsewhere,

在日本，不像其他地方，

if the score is still level after four hours,

如果四小时后比分依然持平，

a baseball game ends in a tie,

棒球比赛会以平局结束，

and because the league standings are based on winning percentage,

而因为联赛排名依据胜率，

a team with quite a few ties can finish ahead

一个有一些平局的队伍

of a team with more victories.

可以比赢得多场比赛的队伍 排名更靠前。

One of the first times an American was ever brought over to Japan

起初有一个名叫鲍比·瓦伦丁的 美国人被带到日本

to lead a professional Japanese baseball team,

来领导一个职业日本棒球队，

Bobby Valentine, in 1995,

那时是 1995 年，

he took this really mediocre squad,

他带着这个平庸的队伍，

he lead them to a stunning second-place finish,

最终惊人的拿下了第二名，

and he was instantly fired.

然而他立刻被解雇了。

Why?

为什么？

"Well," said the team spokesman,

“嗯，”球队发言人说，

"because of his emphasis on winning."

“因为他总强调赢下比赛。”

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Official Japan can feel quite a lot like that point

官方的日本感觉像是

that was said to last two hours and 12 minutes,

那据说花了两小时 12 分钟 才拿下的一分，

and playing not to lose

而不想输球的比赛

can take all the imagination, the daring, the excitement, out of things.

会剥夺所有的想象、冒险和兴奋。

At the same time, playing ping-pong in Japan

同时，在日本打乒乓

reminds me why choirs regularly enjoy more fun

让我想到了为何相比独唱，

than soloists.

合唱常常更有趣。

In a choir, your only job is to play your small part perfectly,

在合唱队，你的唯一工作就是 唱好你的那一声部，

to hit your notes with feeling,

有感情的唱对音符，

and by so doing, to help to create a beautiful harmony

这样做才能构建

that's much greater than the sum of its parts.

比单纯齐唱更美的和声。

Yes, every choir does need a conductor,

是的，每个合唱团都需要一个指挥，

but I think a choir releases you from a child's simple sense of either-ors.

但我认为合唱让你脱离了 对于对错的简单理解。

You come to see that the opposite of winning isn't losing --

你意识到胜利的对面并不是失败——

it's failing to see the larger picture.

而是不能看到更大的格局。

As my life goes on,

随着我生命的继续，

I'm really startled to see that no event

我才真正认识到没有一个事情

can properly be assessed for years after it has unfolded.

能够在它发生的几年后 被正确的评价。

I once lost everything I owned in the world,

我曾经在一场野火中 失去了我在这世界上

every last thing, in a wildfire.

拥有的所有东西，每一件东西。

But in time, I came to see that it was that seeming loss

但是逐渐的，我意识到 这看上去的损失

that allowed me to live on the earth more gently,

让我能在地球上生活的更平和，

to write without notes,

让我不用笔记就能写作，

and actually, to move to Japan

也让我搬去日本，

and the inner health club known as the ping-pong table.

接触到了内在的健康俱乐部， 也就是乒乓球桌。

Conversely, I once stumbled into the perfect job,

相反的，我曾经有一份完美的工作，

and I came to see that seeming happiness

而我逐渐意识到这种表面的快乐

can stand in the way of true joy

实际上相比苦难会更加阻碍

even more than misery does.

真正的快乐。

Playing doubles in Japan really relieves me of all my anxiety,

在日本打双打让我真正 脱离了所有的焦虑，

and at the end of an evening,

在一天结束时，

I notice everybody is filing out in a more or less equal state of delight.

我注意到每个人 都表现出了差不多的欢乐。

I'm reminded every night

我每一晚都被提醒，

that not getting ahead isn't the same thing as falling behind

没有领先并不等同于落后，

any more than not being lively is the same thing as being dead.

就好似没有活力并不等同于死亡。

And I've come to understand why it is

我意识到为什么

that Chinese universities are said to offer degrees in ping-pong,

中国大学会颁发乒乓球的文凭，

and why researchers have found that ping-pong

为什么研究人员发现乒乓球

can actually help a little with mild mental disorders

实际上可以减缓轻度的心理疾病，

and even autism.

甚至是自闭症。

But as I watch the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo,

但当我在东京观看 2020 年奥运会的时候，

I'm going to be keenly aware

我清楚的意识到

that it won't be possible to tell who's won or who's lost

在相当长的一段时间，谁赢谁输

for a very long time.

将很难分辨。

You remember that point I mentioned

还记得我刚才提过的

that was said to last for two hours and 12 minutes?

那个据说持续了 两小时 12 分钟的一分吗？

Well, one of the players from that game ended up, six years later,

六年后，比赛中的其中一个球员

in the concentration camps of Auschwitz and Dachau.

被送进了奥斯维辛和达豪集中营。

But he walked out alive.

但他活着走了出来。

Why?

为什么？

Simply because a guard in the gas chamber

仅仅是因为毒气室的守卫

recognized him from his ping-pong playing days.

因为他的乒乓事迹认出了他。

Had he been the winner of that epic match?

他是那场史诗级比赛的胜者吗？

It hardly mattered.

这已不重要。

As you recall, many people had filed out before even the first point was concluded.

可能你还记得，许多人在 第一个比分揭晓前就离开了。

The only thing that saved him

拯救他的唯一东西

was the fact that he took part.

就是他曾经参与了这场比赛的事实。

The best way to win any game,

每隔一晚日本就告诉我，

Japan tells me every other night,

赢得任何比赛的最好方式，

is never, never to think about the score.

就是永远，永远都不要想着分数。

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause)

（掌声）