Why bother leaving the house? | Ben Saunders

Translator: Joseph Geni Reviewer: Thu-Huong Ha

譯者: Regina Chu 審譯者: Hsin Wei Tseng

I essentially drag sledges for a living,

基本上我拉雪橇為生

so it doesn't take an awful lot to flummox me intellectually,

所以不需太費心就可以考倒我

but I'm going to read this question

但我還是要念出

from an interview earlier this year:

今年早些時後的訪談問題

"Philosophically, does the constant supply of information

「從哲學角度看，源源不絕的資訊

steal our ability to imagine

會不會偷走我們想像的能力

or replace our dreams of achieving?

或者取代實現夢想的意願？

After all, if it is being done somewhere by someone,

畢竟，如果有人已完成對某處的探險

and we can participate virtually,

而且我們能虛擬參與

then why bother leaving the house?"

那何必還要離家探險？」

I'm usually introduced as a polar explorer.

通常人們介紹我是極地探險家

I'm not sure that's the most progressive or 21st-century

我不知道這算不算是最先進、最符合21世紀的

of job titles, but I've spent more than two percent now

工作職稱，但我的確已花了超過

of my entire life living in a tent inside the Arctic Circle,

百分之二的人生住在北極圈的帳篷裡

so I get out of the house a fair bit.

也就是說我常常離家探險

And in my nature, I guess, I am a doer of things

而我猜我的本性是比較偏向做事的人

more than I am a spectator or a contemplator of things,

而不是一個旁觀者或是沈思者

and it's that dichotomy, the gulf between ideas and action

我想要簡單試著解釋、探索的

that I'm going to try and explore briefly.

就是這個把想法與行動分開的隔閡 這個二分法

The pithiest answer to the question "why?"

過去12年，「為什麼要離家探險」這個問題

that's been dogging me for the last 12 years

一直不斷困擾著我 而我能得到的最精闢解答

was credited certainly to this chap, the rakish-looking gentleman

絕對要歸功於這個傢伙 這個看起來流裡流氣的紳士

standing at the back, second from the left,

站在後排左數第二的那位

George Lee Mallory. Many of you will know his name.

喬治·馬洛里（George Mallory） 各位馬上就會知道他是誰

In 1924 he was last seen disappearing into the clouds

1924年他最後被人目睹消失在

near the summit of Mt. Everest.

靠近聖母峰（珠穆朗瑪峰）峰頂的雲裡

He may or may not have been the first person to climb Everest,

很難說他是不是第一個登上聖母峰的人

more than 30 years before Edmund Hillary.

比愛德蒙·希拉瑞（史上記錄第一人）攻頂還早30年

No one knows if he got to the top. It's still a mystery.

沒有人知道他是否登上山頂。這仍是個謎

But he was credited with coining the phrase, "Because it's there."

但他的確是說出「因為山就在那裡」這句名言的人

Now I'm not actually sure that he did say that.

我現在也不確定他是否真的說了那句話

There's very little evidence to suggest it, but what he did say

幾乎沒有什麼證據能證明，但他確實說過的話

is actually far nicer,

比那句其實還更好

and again, I've printed this. I'm going to read it out.

所以又來了，我把它印下來了，所以我要把它念出來

"The first question which you will ask

「你會問的第一個問題

and which I must try to answer is this:

而我一定要試著回答的，是這個：

What is the use of climbing Mt. Everest?

登上聖母峰有什麼好處？

And my answer must at once be, it is no use.

而我當下的回答則是，沒有任何好處

There is not the slightest prospect of any gain whatsoever.

這件事沒有任何一點得到好處的展望

Oh, we may learn a little about the behavior

噢，我們可能會對人體在那樣的高度

of the human body at high altitudes,

有什麼反應多一點點瞭解

and possibly medical men may turn our observation

也有可能醫療人員會把我們的觀察

to some account for the purposes of aviation,

轉成對航空有實際價值的東西

but otherwise nothing will come of it.

但在其他方面一點用處也沒有

We shall not bring back a single bit of gold or silver,

我們不會帶一丁點兒的金或銀回來

and not a gem, nor any coal or iron.

也不會帶回任何寶石、煤礦或鐵礦

We shall not find a single foot of earth that can be planted

我們也不會找到任何一吋土地

with crops to raise food. So it is no use.

能種作物以增加糧食。所以這沒有任何好處

If you cannot understand that there is something in man

如果你不能明白人的內心有某種東西

which responds to the challenge of this mountain

會回應這座山的挑戰

and goes out to meet it, that the struggle

並且走出去面對它，而這種奮鬥

is the struggle of life itself upward and forever upward,

是促使生命永遠不斷向上的奮鬥

then you won't see why we go.

那麼你不會明白為什麼我們要去

What we get from this adventure is just sheer joy,

我們從這個冒險所能得到的僅是純粹的喜悅

and joy, after all, is the end of life.

而喜悅終究是生命的最終目的

We don't live to eat and make money.

我們不是為了吃喝及賺錢活著

We eat and make money to be able to enjoy life.

我們吃喝及賺錢是為了享受生命

That is what life means, and that is what life is for."

那是生命的意義，也是生命的目的。」

Mallory's argument that leaving the house,

馬洛里對離家探險的論點是

embarking on these grand adventures is joyful and fun,

從事這些偉大的冒險既喜悅又有趣

however, doesn't tally that neatly with my own experience.

但是，這並不完全符合我自己的經驗

The furthest I've ever got away from my front door

我離家到過最遠的地方

was in the spring of 2004. I still don't know exactly

發生在2004年春天。我仍然不明瞭

what came over me, but my plan was to make

是什麼原因讓我這麼做，但我的計劃是要

a solo and unsupported crossing of the Arctic Ocean.

獨自且不受支援地跨越北冰洋

I planned essentially to walk from the north coast of Russia

基本上我計劃要徒步從俄羅斯的北海岸

to the North Pole, and then to carry on to the north coast of Canada.

走到北極，然後繼續往加拿大北海岸過去

No one had ever done this. I was 26 at the time.

從來沒人做過這個。我那時26歲

A lot of experts were saying it was impossible,

許多專家都說這是不可能的

and my mum certainly wasn't very keen on the idea.

我媽媽當然對這個想法一點也不熱衷

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

The journey from a small weather station on the north coast

這段從西伯利亞北海岸小氣象站

of Siberia up to my final starting point,

到我最後的出發點的旅程

the edge of the pack ice, the coast of the Arctic Ocean,

也就是浮冰的邊緣，北冰洋的海岸

took about five hours, and if anyone watched fearless

花了我大約五小時。如果有人看過不怕死的

Felix Baumgartner going up, rather than just coming down,

菲利克斯·保加拿（高空跳傘專家） 向高空飛升而不是向下跳

you'll appreciate the sense of apprehension,

你就能領悟當我坐在直升機上，向北呼嘯而去時

as I sat in a helicopter thundering north,

那種憂慮的感覺

and the sense, I think if anything, of impending doom.

如果我還能想出什麼好形容，那就是末日臨頭的感覺

I sat there wondering what on Earth I had gotten myself into.

我坐在那想著，我到底在搞什麼

There was a bit of fun, a bit of joy.

的確是有一點好玩，是有一點快樂

I was 26. I remember sitting there

我26歲。我記得我坐在那裡

looking down at my sledge. I had my skis ready to go,

低頭看著我的雪橇。我已經準備好了滑雪板

I had a satellite phone, a pump-action shotgun

我有一只衛星電話，一把滑桿式散彈槍

in case I was attacked by a polar bear.

以防萬一我被北極熊攻擊

I remember looking out of the window and seeing the second helicopter.

我還記得從窗戶往外看著第二架直升機

We were both thundering through this incredible Siberian dawn,

我們兩架轟隆隆地飛過 這奇妙無比的西伯利亞黎明

and part of me felt a bit like a cross between Jason Bourne

我覺得自己有個部分好像 神鬼認證的傑森·包恩

and Wilfred Thesiger. Part of me

及英國探險家威福瑞·塞西格的合體

felt quite proud of myself, but mostly I was just utterly terrified.

是有一點覺得自傲，但其實我是怕得不得了

And that journey lasted 10 weeks, 72 days.

那段旅程歷時10週，72天

I didn't see anyone else. We took this photo next to the helicopter.

之間我沒有看過任何人。我們在直升機旁照了這張相片

Beyond that, I didn't see anyone for 10 weeks.

除此之外，這10週我沒看到任何人

The North Pole is slap bang in the middle of the sea,

北極就坐落在海洋中間

so I'm traveling over the frozen surface of the Arctic Ocean.

所以我走在表層冰凍的北冰洋上

NASA described conditions that year as the worst since records began.

美國國家航空暨太空總署形容 那年的天候是有史以來最糟

I was dragging 180 kilos of food and fuel and supplies,

我拖著180公斤的食物、燃油及補給品

about 400 pounds. The average temperature for the 10 weeks

大約是400磅。那十週的平均溫度

was minus 35. Minus 50 was the coldest.

是零下35度，最冷的時候是零下50度

So again, there wasn't an awful lot of joy or fun to be had.

所以再說一次，這真的沒甚麼喜悅，也不怎麼好玩

One of the magical things about this journey, however,

但在這旅程中最令人驚奇的

is that because I'm walking over the sea,

就是因為我是走在海上

over this floating, drifting, shifting crust of ice

走在漂搖不定、處處移動的大冰塊上

that's floating on top of the Arctic Ocean is

漂浮在北冰洋面上的冰

it's an environment that's in a constant state of flux.

是不穩定狀態的環境

The ice is always moving, breaking up, drifting around,

冰塊永遠在移動、破裂、四處漂流

refreezing, so the scenery that I saw for nearly 3 months

再結凍，所以我在這近3個月所看到的景象

was unique to me. No one else will ever, could ever,

對我是非常特別的。再沒有人

possibly see the views, the vistas, that I saw for 10 weeks.

能有機會看到我在這10週內看到的風景、景色

And that, I guess, is probably the finest argument for leaving the house.

而我猜這可能是離家探險最有力的論點

I can try to tell you what it was like,

我可以試著描述它像什麼

but you'll never know what it was like,

但你永遠不會真正明白那到底是什麼樣子

and the more I try to explain that I felt lonely,

而且我愈試著解釋當時的孤獨

I was the only human being in 5.4 million square-miles,

540萬平方英哩只有我一個人

it was cold, nearly minus 75 with windchill on a bad day,

真的好冷，很慘的日子裡風寒指數是零下75度

the more words fall short, and I'm unable to do it justice.

就愈發現再多的言語也不能形容， 而我也不知道該如何說的明白

And it seems to me, therefore, that the doing,

因此我是這樣看的，身體力行

you know, to try to experience, to engage, to endeavor,

你知道的，去試著體驗、參與冒險

rather than to watch and to wonder, that's where

而不只是旁觀及猜想，才是

the real meat of life is to be found,

找到生命的重點的方法

the juice that we can suck out of our hours and days.

從漫漫人生中榨出的精華

And I would add a cautionary note here, however.

不過我還是要在這裡加上幾點注意事項

In my experience, there is something addictive

依我的經驗，去嘗試人力所能及的極限

about tasting life at the very edge of what's humanly possible.

存在着一些非常容易上癮的東西

Now I don't just mean in the field of

我不單指那種愛德華時代風

daft macho Edwardian style derring-do,

充滿男子氣概又有點蠢的非凡大冒險

but also in the fields of pancreatic cancer,

同時也指像是得了胰腺癌那樣

there is something addictive about this, and in my case,

這裡面的確有些東西會使人上癮，以我為例

I think polar expeditions are perhaps not that far removed

我認為極地探險跟毒癮

from having a crack habit.

也相差不遠

I can't explain quite how good it is until you've tried it,

我無法解釋這有多美好，直到你親自嘗試

but it has the capacity to burn up all the money I can get my hands on,

而它也有辦法燒掉你手上所有的錢

to ruin every relationship I've ever had,

破壞你所有的人際關係

so be careful what you wish for.

所以許願要小心

Mallory postulated that there is something in man

馬洛里認為在人的內心

that responds to the challenge of the mountain,

有些東西會回應山峰發出的挑戰

and I wonder if that's the case whether there's something

而我不知道是否真的有東西在

in the challenge itself, in the endeavor, and particularly

挑戰本身裡、在冒險裡呼喚著我們，特別是在那些

in the big, unfinished, chunky challenges that face humanity

很大、尚未完成、非常困難，迫使我們面對人性的挑戰裡。

that call out to us, and in my experience that's certainly the case.

而以我的經驗那的確是如此

There is one unfinished challenge

我有一件尚未完成的挑戰

that's been calling out to me for most of my adult life.

在我大部份的成人歲月裡呼喚著我

Many of you will know the story.

在座各位很快會知道這個故事

This is a photo of Captain Scott and his team.

這是英國極地探險家斯科特隊長及其隊員的照片

Scott set out just over a hundred years ago to try

斯科特在一百多年前出發，嘗試

to become the first person to reach the South Pole.

要成為第一個抵達南極的人

No one knew what was there. It was utterly unmapped

沒有人知道那裡有什麼。那時地圖上完全

at the time. We knew more about the surface of the moon

沒有這個點。我們對月球表面的瞭解

than we did about the heart of Antarctica.

多過我們對南極洲的瞭解

Scott, as many of you will know, was beaten to it

很多人都知道，斯科特其實是被

by Roald Amundsen and his Norwegian team,

挪威人羅爾德·亞孟及其團隊打敗

who used dogs and dogsleds. Scott's team were on foot,

亞孟一行人使用雪橇犬及狗用雪橇 斯科特的團隊採用步行

all five of them wearing harnesses and dragging around sledges,

這五人隊伍全副武裝以人力拉雪橇

and they arrived at the pole to find the Norwegian flag already there,

當他們到達南極時，發現挪威旗已經插在那兒

I'd imagine pretty bitter and demoralized.

我可以想像那種苦澀與沮喪

All five of them turned and started walking back to the coast

這五人團隊於是回頭開始走回海岸營地

and all five died on that return journey.

而這五人在回程中全部喪生

There is a sort of misconception nowadays that

現今人們有種誤解，就是

it's all been done in the fields of exploration and adventure.

在探索及冒險這個領域，該做的都做完了

When I talk about Antarctica, people often say,

當我講起南極洲，大家都說

"Hasn't, you know, that's interesting,

「你知道，是很有趣，但是

hasn't that Blue Peter presenter just done it on a bike?"

那個藍色彼得（英國兒童節目）主持人 不是已經騎單車完成了嗎？」

Or, "That's nice. You know, my grandmother's going

或說「很好，很好，你知道我祖母明年

on a cruise to Antarctica next year. You know.

要搭郵輪去南極，你知道的。

Is there a chance you'll see her there?"

你有機會在那邊見見她嗎？」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

But Scott's journey remains unfinished.

但斯科特的旅程依然未完成

No one has ever walked from the very coast of Antarctica

沒有人真正全程走完從南極洲海岸

to the South Pole and back again.

到南極再返回的路程

It is, arguably, the most audacious endeavor

這真可說是，最具愛德華時代

of that Edwardian golden age of exploration,

探險金色年華風格的大膽奮進冒險

and it seemed to me high time, given everything

對我而言這也是最佳時期，想想

we have figured out in the century since

在過去這個世紀我們已經搞懂的一切

from scurvy to solar panels, that it was high time

從壞血病治療到太陽能板。的確時機已經成熟

someone had a go at finishing the job.

該是有人去完成這項工作的時候

So that's precisely what I'm setting out to do.

所以這就是我要出發去做的事

This time next year, in October, I'm leading a team of three.

明年這個時候，十月份，我要帶一個三人團隊

It will take us about four months to make this return journey.

我們這會花大約四個月的時間來完成這項旅程

That's the scale. The red line is obviously halfway to the pole.

那是探險圖。紅色線很明顯就是到南極的半程

We have to turn around and come back again.

我們到達後必須回轉再返回出發地

I'm well aware of the irony of telling you that we will be

我很瞭解，說我們會寫部落格及推文

blogging and tweeting. You'll be able to live

聽起來非常諷刺。你們可以

vicariously and virtually through this journey

用前所未有的方式間接、虛擬

in a way that no one has ever before.

參與這次冒險旅程

And it'll also be a four-month chance for me to finally

這也給我四個月的機會，能敲定

come up with a pithy answer to the question, "Why?"

一個精闢的答案來回答那個「為什麼」

And our lives today are safer and more comfortable

我們今日的生活比起以前

than they have ever been. There certainly isn't much call

更安全更舒適。已經沒有太多地方

for explorers nowadays. My career advisor at school

呼喚我們去探險了。我學校裡的職業顧問

never mentioned it as an option.

從來也沒提過這個選擇

If I wanted to know, for example,

假使我想知道，舉個例子

how many stars were in the Milky Way,

在銀河裡有多少星星

how old those giant heads on Easter Island were,

復活節島上的巨石像有多古老

most of you could find that out right now

在座的多數可以現在就找到答案

without even standing up.

甚至不用站起來

And yet, if I've learned anything in nearly 12 years now

但是，如果說我在過去12年裡

of dragging heavy things around cold places,

從在寒冷的地方拉重物學到了什麼

it is that true, real inspiration and growth

那就是又真又活的啟示及成長

only comes from adversity and from challenge,

只能從逆境及挑戰中獲得

from stepping away from what's comfortable and familiar

要離開自己舒適又熟悉的空間

and stepping out into the unknown.

進入未知的領域才能獲得

In life, we all have tempests to ride and poles to walk to,

我們的生命裡都有必須克服的風暴及要到達的目標

and I think metaphorically speaking, at least,

而我想，象徵性地說，至少

we could all benefit from getting outside the house

我們大家都能從多一點的離家冒險得到好處

a little more often, if only we could summon up the courage.

只要我們能鼓起一點勇氣

I certainly would implore you to open the door just a little bit

我當然會懇請各位把大門打開一點點

and take a look at what's outside.

看看外面的世界有什麼

Thank you very much.

謝謝

(Applause)

（掌聲）