Let Curiosity Lead | Yara Shahidi | TED

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Shelley Tsang 曾雯海

Do you remember how big the world felt when we were younger?

各位還記得嗎？ 我們年輕時覺得世界好大？

Because my childhood was filled with time travel and adventures.

因為我的童年充滿了 時光旅行和冒險。

I sat in awe of how flowers grew from a simple seed.

一顆簡單的種子就能長成 一朵花，這讓我驚嘆。

I remember looking up at the sky and wondering:

我記得我抬頭看著天空，心想： 是地球在動嗎？是太陽在動嗎？

Was the Earth moving? Was the sun moving? Or was I moving?

還是我在動？

And I filled the rest of the time by reading books about fantasy lands.

其他的時間，我則用來閱讀 關於奇幻之地的書籍。

But slowly, the time travel and adventures of my youth

但，慢慢地，我年輕時的 時光旅行和冒險

became using my GPS

變成了使用我的全球定位系統 來計算我躲不掉的塞車時間。

to figure out how much traffic I'd inevitably be sitting in.

The flowers became the screen saver to my laptop I spent way too much time on.

花朵變成了我花太多時間 使用的筆電上面的螢幕保護程式。

I only saw the sunrise when pulling all-nighters to get work done.

我只有在熬夜完成工作時 才會看到日出。

And those fantasy lands, well,

至於那些奇幻之地，嗯，

those became essays and articles from underfunded newspapers.

它們變成了資金不足的 報紙上的短文和文章。

And yes, some of this is just a part of growing up, necessary even.

是的，這有些的確是成長的一部分，

甚至是必要的，但我發現，

But I realized the imaginative and creative forces that drove me

驅動我的想像力和創造力 越來越找不到空間擠進

had less and less space to thrive in my young adult life.

我的年輕人生活。

And in being forced to look at the world as it is,

在被迫去看世界真實的樣貌時，

I was missing out on the opportunity to look at the world as it could be.

我失去了去看世界 可能有什麼樣貌的機會。

Now more than ever,

現在比以往更是如此。

we live in a world that requires of us an imagination

我們所處的世界需要我們運用 想像力，這樣我們才能想像

so that we can envision what could be different.

哪些地方可以有所不同。

And while I didn't come prepared today to answer the world's largest problems,

雖然今天我來這裡，沒有準備 要回答世界的大哉問。

I would like to make a case

但我想要據理說明一項工具 如何能協助我們持續建造新世界，

for how one tool can help us continue to build new worlds

並找到我們在其中的位置。

and find our place in it.

這項工具是：好奇心。

Curiosity.

I don't have any fancy graphs to show you all today,

我今天沒有很炫的圖 可以展示給各位看，

but I would like to think that I'm sort of an expert in the field

但我認為我算是這個領域的專家，

as my entire life has been a case study in following my curiosities.

因為我的一生就是個關於 追求好奇心的個案研究。

It started super simple.

一開始非常簡單，我和我祖父

My grampy and I would reimagine and act out

會重新想像《奧德賽》並用 我的芭莉口袋娃娃來演出，

the entire saga of The Odyssey with my Polly Pocket dolls,

as one does at the age of four.

就像四歲小孩會做的事。

And around the age of five,

大約五歲時，

I asked for every religious book, I mean every religious book.

我想要所有的宗教書籍， 真的是所有的。

Fast forwarding to 13, I read my first short story

快轉到十三歲，我初次讀到 偉大詹姆士‧鮑德溫寫的短篇故事，

from the formidable James Baldwin,

and my life was forever changed.

我的人生永遠改變了。

Needless to say, I was grateful to be surrounded

不用說，我很感謝我周遭的人 能夠尊重我的興趣。

by a community of people that honored my interests.

But as I got older, I began to get confronted

但隨著我年紀更長， 我開始面對一個大問題：

by a big question:

Are you sure about that?

你確定要那樣嗎？

Now this was a question I really could not escape.

這是個我擺脫不了的問題。

In August of 2018, right as I was embarking on my next adventure.

2018 年八月，就在我 展開我的下一段冒險時，

I was beginning my freshman year at Harvard

那時我進入哈佛，就讀一年級，

right as my television show “Grown-ish” began filming season two.

我的電視劇《成長不容易》 同時也開始拍攝第二季。

And I was at a crossroads, because acting for me has been more than a career.

我走到人生的十字路口， 因為演戲對我而言

不只是個職涯，演戲 讓我可以探索我的幻想。

It's given me permission to explore my fantasies.

I feel like I gain another level of empathy

每當我站在不同角色的立場上， 我就覺得我得到了另一層同理心。

every time I step into a different character's shoes.

But my education has been equally as pivotal.

但我的教育也同樣重要。

Because my education has fulfilled my endless desire to know:

因為我的教育滿足了 我對知識的無盡渴望。

to know places, to know the events that have shaped us,

我想認識不同地方， 了解形塑我們的不同事件、

the communities that have built us,

塑造我們的社群、

the obstacles that have tried to stop us,

試圖阻擋我們的障礙、 我們無法忘懷的錯誤。

the mistakes that haunt us.

But selfishly, to know about myself and my place in the world.

但我也很自私地想要了解 我自己以及我在世界上的位置。

So my two lifelong passions were colliding,

所以我這兩個終生 熱愛的興趣發生了衝突，

and I was being told by academic advisers and entertainment folk alike --

且學術顧問和娛樂界人士告訴我——

雖然他們都不是站在我這一邊——

although no one on my team --

that there was no symbiotic relationship between the two worlds.

這兩個世界之間沒有共生關係存在。

I was searching for an "and,"

我在尋找「與」，但我 得到的都是「或」。

but I kept getting presented an "either-or."

And I almost let those five words -- “Are you sure about that?” -- stop me.

我幾乎讓那七個字——你確定 要那樣嗎？——阻止了我。

But let me cut to the chase.

但，讓我切入正題，我現在 以哈佛校友的身份在這裡演說，

I'm speaking to you now as a Harvard alum

with a television show going into its sixth season.

電視劇也要邁入第六季。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

It's cool.

沒問題。

And while my college predicament may have been unusual,

雖然我在大學的處境可能不太尋常，

I do think this experience is quite universal.

但我真的認為這種經歷是很普遍的。

Because, one, I’m far from the first person

因為，第一，我絕對不是 第一個邊工作邊上學的人。

to go to school while working.

但我也甚至會說，我們 每個人都在平衡多個興趣、

But also I'd go so far as to say all of us juggle multiple interests,

passions and jobs.

熱情，和工作。

Yet there comes a moment on our paths

但在這過程中會有個時點，

大家會期望我們認真起來，

where we're expected to get serious,

to find our one thing, stick to it.

去找到我們想做的 一件事，堅持下去。

We're told that our multiple areas of interest

別人告訴我們，我們同等喜愛的 多個興趣領域並不相容。

that we are equally drawn to are incompatible.

And hit with that all-too-familiar “Are you sure about that?”

並會被問到這個太熟悉的問題： 「你確定要那樣嗎？」

Suddenly we go from being expected to know math and a language,

突然，我們從被期望能了解 數學、一種語言、科學，和歷史，

science and history,

to operating in this narrow silo

變成在狹隘的範疇內運作， 只為了要變成專家，

for the sake of becoming an expert or really good at one thing.

或非常擅長一件事。

I mean, think about how many times we ask each other the question,

想想我們有多常問彼此 這個問題：「你是做什麼的？」

"What do you do?"

Which is really a proxy in my mind for a much more pressing question,

在我看來，這背後其實 就是一個更迫切的問題：

"Who are you right now?"

「你現在是什麼人？」

Because what we do is only a fraction of who we are.

因為「我們是做什麼的」只是 「我們是什麼人」的一小部分。

And this culture of heralding expertise

而這種宣告專長的文化意味著

means that our curiosities are often mislabeled as distractions.

我們的好奇常常被貼上 「分心的事物」的標籤。

I would love to think through what we could be missing out on

我想要好好思考

若我們沒有主動把我們的好奇心 放在優先，會錯失掉什麼。

by not actively prioritizing our curiosity.

Here, let me put it this way.

讓我換個說法：

Curiosity has been a lifeline for me.

好奇心是我的生命線。

It's really easy to be 23 and a pessimist.

在二十三歲時很容易 就會成為悲觀主義者。

It doesn't take many observational skills

不用什麼觀察技能就能看到 我們的世界有深刻的瑕疵與分裂，

to see the deep flaws and fissures of our world,

to see how close we remain to these systems of oppression

看到我們仍然如此接近我們 發誓已經擺脫的壓迫體制。

we swear are behind us.

And when I say I feel affected by these flaws,

當我說我覺得這些瑕疵會影響我，

I'm not just talking about

我不只是在說存在主義的那種 「我有社會科學學位」的方式，

some existential "I have a degree in a social science" kind of way,

but in the very real way that it affects me and my family

而是非常實在地每天影響到 我、我的家人、我的社群。

and my community every day.

It's also easy to be 23 and struggle to find your place.

二十三歲時也很容易 苦於尋找自己的位置。

I remember so vividly being 16

我還很清楚記得，我十六歲時 認為我能改變世界。

and thinking that I could change the world.

I was certain of it. I was one voting initiative away.

我很肯定。

我只差一個投票倡議，

我只差一次遊行，我只差一場 座談會就能帶來真正的改變，

I was one march away,

I was one panel away from real change,

能持續的改變。

the kind that lasts.

And I remember when that assuredness was replaced by quicksand.

我也記得那種肯定感被流沙取代。

It felt as though the more I moved and the more I struggled,

感覺就像，我越移動、越掙扎，

the more I sank into the overwhelm.

我就越陷入這種壓倒性當中。

And I responded to feeling lost by finding comfort in my expertise,

我因應這種失去感的方式， 是在我的專長中尋求慰藉，

hiding behind this false sense of certainty,

躲在這種虛假的肯定感 後面，我表現得就像

I really acted like I knew everything there was to know.

我知道該知道的一切了。

I was suppressing my curiosity,

我在壓抑我的好奇心， 但我發現更輕鬆的方式是挑剔

but I realized that made it so much easier

to pick apart every potential decision rather than take action.

每個可能的決定，

而不要採取行動。

Now while I can't speak for everyone's experiences,

雖然我不敢說大家的經歷都是這樣，

from conversations I've had with my peers and my mentors,

但根據我和我的同儕及導師的 談話，我知道這種感覺

I know this feeling isn't relegated to being 23.

並不只是二十三歲的人才有。

Choosing to take on both college and entertainment at the same time,

選擇同時讀大學和從事娛樂事業，

blending my two worlds,

混合我的兩個世界，

was a necessary recommitment to my curiosity.

是必要的承諾，重新投入我的好奇心。

I found such a joy in discovering just how much I didn't know.

發現有太多我都還 不知道的，讓我很喜悅。

Lessons came from everywhere:

從哪裡都能學習：

classes like hip-hop sampling,

像嘻哈取樣這種課程

on how neo soul and blues became the basis to a new sound

談到新靈魂和藍調 如何成為新聲音的基礎，

taught me how media can be used as a way of preserving legacy,

我從中學到如何能 運用媒體來保存遺產，

as a way of bringing past cultures into the present.

運用媒體來將過去的文化帶到現在。

Playing Tinker Bell gave me permission to reignite my imagination.

飾演奇妙仙子讓我能 重新燃起我的想像力。

My class on W.E.B. Du Bois

我上了關於杜波依斯的課，

is where I discovered the name for our television production company,

因而幫我們的電視 製片公司想出了名字：

7th Sun.

第七個太陽。

And building a television set and writers’ room

搭建電視片場和編劇室

gave me the ability to practice equitable hiring

讓我能夠即時在一個古老的系統中

within an archaic system in real time.

去實做公平聘僱。

從康乃爾‧魏斯特博士 所做的一項獨立研究中，

And in an independent study created by Dr. Cornel West,

我學到最重要的一課。

I learned my biggest lesson of all.

See, there are certain elements of our society

我們的社會中有某些元素，

that we deem as universal, immovable truths,

被我們視為是普遍、不變的真理，

when they're, in fact, subjective.

但事實上它們是主觀的。

Not only are they subjective,

它們不僅是主觀的， 它們通常還會促成

they're oftentimes responsible for these systems of oppression,

壓迫的體制、

for these dangerous misconceptions about people,

對於人的危險誤解、

for this feeling of stuckness, this feeling like nothing can change.

被困住的感覺、

什麼都不會改變的感覺。

And to me, these universal truths can range from everything

對我而言，這些普遍的 真理通通可以改變，

as big as socioeconomic exploitation

從社會經濟剝削這麼大的議題，

to that "Are you sure about that?"

到「你確定要那樣嗎？」

that stops you from going off on your own and exploring.

這個阻止你自主去探索的問題。

相反的，這意味著 學術界和娛樂界最能夠

Conversely, this means academics and entertainment are most potent

in their abilities to demonstrate alternate realities.

去展示替代現實。

This lesson reinvigorated my love for these two spaces

這一課重新激發了 我對這兩個領域的熱愛，

because I realized they'd always been primed for imagination and exploration

因為我了解到，它們一直 很適合想像與探索，

and gave us the ability to explore what can blossom from curiosity.

並賦予我們能力，去探索 好奇心能發展出來什麼。

This perspective shift taught me that I was thinking too small

這種觀點轉換讓我學到， 我想得太小了，因為，

because I thought the task at hand was to merely alter these systems at play

我以為眼前的任務就只是 要改變這些在運作中的體制，

rather than to imagine entirely new ways of being.

而不是去想像全新的存在方式。

Because the results of curiosity are immeasurable.

因為好奇心的結果是無法測量的。

From Galileo's reordering of the universe

從伽俐略重組宇宙，

to how the musician Prince undefined masculinity for generations.

到音樂家「王子」如何 為數個世代重新定義男子氣概。

And oftentimes these discoveries can jeopardize past ways of thinking.

通常，這些發現會危害到 過去的思考方式。

I like to call the change that emerges from blossomed curiosities rupture.

我喜歡把好奇心發展出來的 改變稱為「破裂」。

If tradition is this result of repetition,

如果傳統是不斷重複的結果，

then rupture is the introduction of something fresh.

那麼破裂就是引入新鮮的事物。

It's bridging together two spaces often kept separate

它會將兩個被分開的領域 橋接在一起，目的是

for the sake of achieving new ends,

實現新的目標，

and it's of insisting that there are possibilities

並堅持還有我們沒有 看到的可能性存在。

outside of the ones we've been presented with.

But too often dreaming is relegated to the academy

但通常，

夢想被限制在學術界、矽谷，

and to Silicon Valley, and to all of these exclusive institutions.

以及所有這些排外的機構裡。

When it is in fact the daily curiosities

但事實上，是我們 每個人日常的好奇心

of every one of us

that holds the most potential for rupture.

最有可能帶來破裂。

Now if you aren't convinced just yet that you are

如果你還沒被說服你可以改變宇宙，

a universe-shifting change maker,

then it is my duty as a history nerd to remind you

那麼我這個歷史宅女 就有責任要提醒你，

that most of these leaders of these social change movements

大部分社會變革運動的這些領袖，

that we credit with giving us the world that we live in today,

雖然我們把創造現今 這個世界的功勞歸給他們，

change was not their day job.

但變革不是他們的正職工作。

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr was a preacher

馬丁‧路德‧金恩博士是牧師，

paying attention to the works of Gandhi across the ocean while reading Tolstoy.

他關注海洋彼岸甘地的作品， 同時閱讀托爾斯泰的著作。

But I also think of my own papa, who used his position within education

但我也會想到我自己的爸爸， 他用他在教育圈的職位，

to enfranchise Black children in Madison, Wisconsin.

幫威斯康辛州麥迪遜市的 黑人兒童爭取權益。

I think of my cousin, Anousheh Ansari,

我也想到我的表姐，

安努謝赫‧安薩里， 她從在伊朗抬頭看繁星，

who went from looking up at the stars in Iran

to flying to the space station.

變成親自飛向太空站。

I think about the protesters in Iran led by women and children,

我會想到伊朗的抗議者，

由婦女和孩童領導， 他們冒著生命危險，

putting their lives on the line

because they're curious about what a society looks like

因為他們好奇想要知道重視女性、

that values women, life and freedom.

生命，和自由的社會 會是什麼樣子的。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

Now if it isn't clear,

如果這樣還不清楚，

do you know what the byproduct of curiosity is?

各位知道好奇心的副產品是什麼嗎？

Possibility, surprise!

是可能性，驚訝吧！

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Now I’ve graduated from Harvard, and my television show is ending.

現在我已經從哈佛畢業，

我的電視節目也結束了。

And a couple of years ago, this really would have terrified me

幾年前，這種狀況會嚇死我，

因為要離開兩個我如此熟知的領域。

to leave two spaces that I know so well.

But because I've built a life centered on honoring my interests,

但因為我所建立的生活， 其核心是尊重我的興趣，

everything from the glockenspiel to Octavia Butler,

從古典鐵琴到奧克塔維亞‧巴特勒，

我興奮地朝下一個階段前進，

I walk excitedly towards what's next

因為我知道，我的下一場冒險 就在這兩者之間的某處。

because I know somewhere between the two lies my next adventure.

Chasing curiosity means that my purpose is constantly unfolding in front of me.

追逐好奇心意味著我的使命 不斷在我面前展開。

All I have to do is pay attention.

我需要做的就只有多留心。

And similarly, each and every one of us have a special set of interests

同樣的，

我們每個人都有一組特別的興趣， 像指紋一樣獨一無二。

that are totally unique to us, like a thumbprint.

So please join me in recommitting to curiosity.

因此，請加入我， 重新投入追求好奇心。

因為尊重所謂讓你「分心的事物」

Because honoring your so-called distractions is an act of creating.

其實是種創造的行為。

It's to sit in the grandeur of all of our options.

是去沉浸在我們 所有選項的宏偉當中。

It's to acknowledge our infinite possibilities

是承認我們無限的可能性，

when the world tries to convince us it is indeed finite.

即使世界試圖說服我們 可能性是有限的。

So refuse to let your world get smaller, and let’s build new futures together.

所以，拒絕讓你的世界變得更小，

咱們一起打造新的未來。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）