Why Your Life Needs Novelty, No Matter Your Age | Kenneth Chabert | TED

翻译人员: Yip Yan Yeung 校对人员: Yanyan Hong

In 2018, I had what I call a powerful first experience.

2018 年，我有了一个 震撼的第一次。

At 31 years old,

在我 31 岁的时候，

I made my first snow angel.

我第一次做了雪天使图案。

Now, that may not sound powerful to some of you,

也许这对有些人来说 没什么大不了的，

but for me, it was.

但对我来说，意义重大。

And so how do you get from New York City to Montana?

你怎么从纽约去蒙大拿？

Well, you have to have a horse.

好吧，你得先有匹马。

I don't make the rules,

这可不是我乱编的，

but not having a horse is why so many people don't make it out there.

但没有马正是 很多人去不了那里的原因。

I'm kidding.

开个玩笑。

I was actually invited to attend and speak at a conference in Big Sky.

我曾受邀参与一场位于大天空市 （Big Sky）的会议并发言，

I'm a kid from the Bronx, so I knew nothing about Big Sky.

我是个来自纽约布朗克斯区的小孩， 所以我对大天空一无所知。

I knew nothing about Montana.

我对蒙大拿州一无所知。

In fact, I had only recognized images similar to it

其实我只在我的苹果电脑 空闲时跳出来的屏保上

as the screen saver that comes on whenever my MacBook goes idle.

看到过类似的图片。

I landed in Bozeman and the first thing I did was thank God,

我落地博兹曼市（Bozeman）后， 做的第一件事就是感谢上帝，

because I don't like flying, even though I have to do it often.

因为我不喜欢乘飞机， 虽然我总是得乘飞机。

I walked out of the airport and I saw no skyscrapers,

我走出机场，没有看到摩天大楼，

no lines and cabs,

没有地铁、出租车，

no people yelling and arguing,

没有大声争吵、大喊大叫的人，

and there were no funny smells that I was familiar with.

也没有我熟悉的怪味。

You know, all of the things that make NYC amazing.

没有纽约的这些神奇之处。

So fast forward,

再然后，

I'm in the passenger seat of the car and I'm looking out the window

我坐在汽车的后排，看着窗外，

and I'm just taking on the views.

真的就是在充分欣赏美景。

Mountains covered in snow, trees everywhere.

山上覆盖着白雪，树木丛生。

And at one point we pass by these homes that had to be worth millions of dollars

某一刻，我们途径了一些 “价值连城”的房子，

because they had the most beautiful view of the environment.

因为它们坐拥最美的风景。

Later the next day, as I'm getting off stage from speaking,

第二天，我发完言走下台后，

a woman comes up to me and she asks,

一位女士走到我面前，问：

"Would you like to go on a hike?"

“你想不想来个徒步旅行？”

Now I’m from New York City, so a hike is a few city blocks.

我来自纽约，所以徒步旅行 对我而言顶多是走几个街区。

New York City is at sea level, so we're talking about real oxygen.

纽约地处海平面， 所以我们现在是真有氧气。

So, no, this was a hike.

不，这可是场徒步旅行。

And at 8,000 feet elevation,

等你到了海拔 8000 英尺，

one quickly realizes Montana's oxygen just isn't real.

你就知道蒙大拿可不是真有氧气。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Midway through our hike, I can't remember what I said,

徒步途中， 我不记得我说了些什么，

but the woman grabs a fistful of snow,

但这位女士抓起了一捧雪，

puts it in her mouth and she starts to chew.

放进了嘴里，开始咀嚼。

And my initial thought was, "That was disgusting."

我的第一反应是：“太恶心了吧。”

I would never touch anything that touches a New York City street.

我可不想碰任何 碰过纽约路面的东西。

But then I realized this was snow from Montana,

但我突然意识到 这是蒙大拿的雪啊，

and this was symbolic of the relationships Montanans have with their environment.

这是蒙大拿人和环境之间 关系的象征。

So towards the end of the hike,

徒步末尾，

this woman lays down in a bed of snow

这位女士躺在了雪地上，

and she moves her body in a way where [it] registers to me,

她用身体做出了这样的动作， 我想起来了，

she's making a snow angel.

她在做“雪天使”啊。

So after about 30 seconds, I decide to mimic.

大约 30 秒后，我打算模仿她。

And so I lay in this fresh bed of snow in Montana,

我躺在了蒙大拿刚下的雪地上，

I move my arms and my legs.

动起了我的手臂和腿，

And then it dawns on me.

我恍然大悟，

I'm making a snow angel for the first time.

这是我第一次做雪天使。

And of course, I've seen other people do it

当然，我看过别人这么做，

and I've seen it on television before.

之前也在电视上看到过。

But it was the first time I did it.

但这是我第一次这么做。

You see, I've coined the term powerful first experiences or PFEs

我自创了“震撼的第一次” 或者 PFE 这个词，

as doing something you never thought you would do for the first time,

意思是做那些 你从未想过要做的事，

in a place that you never thought you would be in for the first time.

在你从未想过 会做这件事的地方。

The main reason why I was in Montana in the first place

我到蒙大拿的主要原因本来

was to give a talk about powerful first experiences,

就是要做一场 关于“震撼的第一次”的演讲，

so it was only right that I would then have

所以我在蒙大拿有了一场 “震撼的第一次”

powerful first experiences in Montana.

也是理所因当。

Powerful first experiences are life-altering moments and experiences

震撼的第一次是 改变人生的瞬间和经历，

that change the way that we see ourselves

改变了我们看待自己的方式，

and changes the way we see the world.

改变了我们看待世界的方式。

And it can be as expansive as skydiving out of a plane in France

可以像在法国极限跳伞 这么大型的经历，

or as small as visiting a lake to meditate for the first time.

也可以像第一次前往 一个湖泊冥想这么微不足道。

What matters is your imagination,

重要的是你的想象力、

your courage and your curiosity.

勇气和好奇心。

在希思兄弟 （Chip and Dan Heath）的书

In the book "Power of Moments" by Chip and Dan Heath,

《时刻的力量》 （Power of Moments）中，

the authors reference what psychologists call the reminiscence bump,

作者引用了心理学家 所称的“记忆隆起”，

a phenomenon where older individuals are asked

即在要求老年人

to think about their experiences,

回忆以往经历时，

where they tend to disproportionately talk

他们会滔滔不绝地

about the experiences that happened roughly between the ages of 15 to 30.

谈论他们 15 至 30 岁左右的经历。

Some researchers say

有些研究者称，

this is a time in our lives when we experience the most novelty.

这段时间是我们人生中 经历最多新奇事物的时候。

And there's a few theories why.

有许多理论可以解释其中原因。

One, when you enter and pass through your 30s,

一个原因是，当你走进 30 岁， 度过了三十多岁的人生，

life can seem like it speeds up

就会感觉人生加速了，

because we develop the habits of doing the same things over and over.

因为我们形成了一遍又一遍地 做同一件事的习惯。

Another reason is that there are just some experiences in our lives

另一个原因是人生中 就是有一些事

that are set to happen within that time frame.

只会在那段时间里发生。

So think about it.

想想看。

By 15, you might be in high school.

到了 15 岁，你在读高中。

By 18, you may be in college.

到了 18 岁，你在读大学。

After college, you get a job,

读完了大学，你找了份工作，

you may buy the big home, you may get married,

买座大房子，结婚，

you may have a kid.

生个娃。

And then you might experience loss or grief.

然后你会经历失去和伤痛。

And then you enter your 30s and that's it.

然后到了 30 岁，全剧终。

No more powerful first experiences

再也没有震撼的第一次，

and life repeats itself over and over.

生活一次又一次地反复上演。

Something about that seems so unfulfilling.

这种感觉太没意思了。

Now imagine if you were a kid from a community like the Bronx.

想象一下你是一个 布朗克斯之类的社区里的小孩。

While the Bronx offers amazing experiences,

虽然布朗克斯确实会 给你留下一些神奇的经历，

by the time you turn 14 or 15,

但是等你到了 14 或 15 岁，

you can feel like you've experienced

你就会感觉你已经经历过

all the powerful first experiences in that environment.

这个环境中所有震撼的第一次了。

And so I became obsessed with figuring out

我很想知道

how to give more powerful first experiences to others.

如何为他人带来更多的 震撼的第一次。

My organization, Gentlemen's Retreat,

我的组织“绅士的静修” （Gentlemen’s Retreat）

focuses on young men of color from the inner city

主要关注内陆城市的有色人种，

who end up going to top colleges and universities,

他们最终在顶尖大学院校就读，

such as Brown University.

如布朗大学。

These young men are gifted and they're special.

这些年轻人很有天赋， 他们是独特的。

They just felt they experienced everything their community had to offer.

他们感觉自己已经经历过 他们的社区可以提供的所有事了。

We call these young men Gs for gentlemen.

我们称这些年轻人为“G”， 代表“绅士”（Gentlemen）。

And while working with these gentlemen

和这些绅士合作，

and giving them powerful first experiences,

给他们带来震撼的第一次，

I realized it was shaping their identities in a positive way,

我发现这种方式正以 积极的方式塑造着他们的身份，

but it was also increasing their cultural and their social capital.

同时也在增加 他们的文化和社会资本。

An individual has cultural capital

人们的文化资本

because of the environment that they come from.

来源于他们出身的环境。

The knowledge, skills and belief of that environment

关于这个环境的知识、 技能和信仰

can be seen as capital or an asset.

都可以被视为资本或资产。

And having the combination

有了这些，

allows an individual to have economic advantages

这个人就有了经济上的优势

and other advantages.

和其他优势。

And when you collect powerful first experiences,

如果你去积累震撼的第一次，

you're collecting cultural capital from different environments.

你就积累了 来自不同环境的文化资本。

Social capital is a set of shared values and resources

社会资本指的是一些 共享的价值和资源，

that allows individuals to come together

让人们可以齐心协力

to achieve a common goal.

达成一个共同的目标。

It can also be thought of as the ability to access resources and favors

也可以将其想象成从你的 社交网络中获取资源、帮助

and information from your network.

和信息的能力。

Countless connections are fostered

随着这些绅士在巴黎、伦敦， 甚至是蒙大拿

when the gentlemen develop intimate relationships

发展了亲密关系，

in places such as Paris, London and even Montana.

就建立起了无数联结。

As they spend time with locals, entrepreneurs

他们和当地人、企业家，

and even venture capitalists.

甚至是风投共度了时光。

They develop a more expansive network and idea of the world.

他们形成了更宽广的 世界网络和全球视野。

And increasing cultural and social capital doesn’t just benefit the gentlemen,

增加文化和社会资本 不仅仅会为绅士们带来好处，

it also benefits the communities that they bless with their presence.

还会让他们出身的社区受益。

And a powerful first experience changes the way you see yourself

震撼的第一次 会改变你看待自己

and the way you see the world.

和世界的方式。

Going to Big sky changed the way that I saw the world,

前往大天空的旅途 改变了我看待世界的方式、

the way that I saw myself and what I wanted to do in the world.

我看待自己的方式 和我想在这世上做些什么事。

Instead of waiting for my cycle of experiences to repeat themselves,

我没有坐等我的人生循环 一次又一次地上演，

doing the same things over and over,

一遍又一遍地做同样的事情，

I decided to go out into the world and collect powerful first experiences.

而是走向世界， 积累震撼的第一次。

And a powerful first experience can be anything.

震撼的第一次可以是任何事。

It's all about intention.

你的意愿才是最重要的。

The most important part of a powerful first experience or a PFE,

震撼的第一次， 或 PFE 最重要的部分

is intention.

就是意愿。

Anyone can have them.

每个人都可以有，

You don't have to have capital or have started an organization.

你不必拥有资本或开了一家公司。

You don't even have to be a G.

你都不需要是个“高手”。

You just have to be thoughtful about two things.

只要你认真思考过了这两件事。

One, do something you haven't done

第一，做你没做过，

but have always wanted to do.

但一直想做的事。

And what’s important here, no matter what you choose to do --

关键是无论你选择要做什么事——

skydiving out of a plane,

极限跳伞、

learning a new language, switching your wardrobe --

学习一门新语言、 把衣柜里的衣服都换掉，

whatever you decide to do,

无论你想做什么，

has to have a certain level of risk in it for you.

都得对你来说有一定的风险。

It's about courage.

这和你的勇气有关。

The courage to get on a plane

踏上飞机的勇气，

and go to a state where most people don't look like me

前往一个大家都和我 长得不一样的地区的勇气，

in order to experience something as simple as making a snow angel.

只是为了体验 做雪天使这么简单的事。

Second thing, switch up your environment,

第二，换一个环境，

change the stimuli and please try to be bold.

换一个让你感到刺激的东西， 大胆去做吧。

So you may be a singer,

也许你是个歌手，

but maybe you sing on a crowded train in New York City

你可以在纽约 拥挤的地铁上歌唱，

or in the beautiful streets of Venice, Italy.

也可以在意大利威尼斯 美丽的街道上歌唱。

Imagine what the world would be like

想象一下这样的世界，

if we decided to share and exchange in more powerful first experiences.

我们都愿意分享、交换 更多震撼的第一次。

Would we feel more loved?

我们会感到更友爱吗？

Would we feel more connected?

我们会感到更相连吗？

Would we feel more brave?

我们会感到更勇敢吗？

Most importantly, would we feel more human?

最重要的是， 我们会感到更像个人吗？

Each and every one of us has so much to experience

我们每个人，都有那么多 等待我们去尝试的经历，

if we allow ourselves the gift of another powerful first experience.

只要我们愿意给自己一个机会 体验另一个震撼的第一次。

My only ask,

我唯一的请求就是，

if you decide to go to Montana for the first time,

如果你是第一次前往蒙大拿，

please don't forget your horse.

别忘了带上你的马。

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause)

（掌声）