How to recover from activism burnout | Yana Buhrer Tavanier

譯者: 豪 袞桑 審譯者: 易帆 余

In the summer of 2017,

2017 年夏天，

a woman was murdered by her partner in Sofia.

在索非亞，一名女子 被她的另一半謀殺。

The woman, let's call her "V,"

我們就稱這位女子為「V」，

was beaten for over 50 minutes

她遭到毒打超過五十分鐘，

before she died.

然後才死亡。

The morning after,

隔天早上，

her neighbors told the press that they heard her screams,

她的鄰居告訴新聞媒體， 他們有聽見她尖叫，

but they didn't intervene.

但他們並沒有干涉。

You see, in Bulgaria and many other societies,

要知道，在保加利亞 以及許多其他社會中，

domestic violence is typically seen as a private matter.

家庭暴力通常會被視為是私事。

Neighbors, however, are quick to react to any other kind of noise.

然而，鄰居對於其它種類的噪音 卻會非常快速做出反應。

We wanted to expose and affect the absurdity of this.

我們想要將如此荒唐的 現象揭露出來。

So we designed an experiment.

所以，我們設計了一個實驗。

We rented the apartment just below V's for one night.

我們租下一間公寓一晚， 正好在 V 的家樓下。

And at 10pm,

在晚上十點時，

Maksim, the artist in our group,

我們團體中的藝術家 Maksim

sat on the drum set we had assembled in the living room

我們在客廳裡架起了一組打擊樂器，

and started beating it.

並開始敲擊。

Ten seconds.

十秒......

Thirty seconds.

三十秒......

Fifty seconds.

五十秒......

A minute.

一分鐘......

A light came on in the hallway.

走廊出現了一道光。

One minute and 20 seconds.

一分二十秒。

A man was standing at the door, hesitant to press the bell.

有一名男子站在門口， 猶豫著要不要按門鈴。

One minute and 52 seconds.

一分五十二秒。

The doorbell rang,

門鈴響了，

a ring that could have saved a life.

這個鈴聲原本可以拯救一條性命。

"Beat." is our project exploring the ominous silence

我們的計畫叫做「戰鼓」， 是為了探究被不祥沉默

surrounding domestic violence.

所圍繞著的家庭暴力。

We filmed the experiment, and it became instantly viral.

我們錄下了這個實驗， 影片馬上被瘋傳。

Our campaign amplified the voices of survivors

我們的活動放大了

在網路上分享類似故事的倖存者聲音。

who shared similar stories online.

It equipped neighbors with specific advice,

這個活動讓鄰居 得到了明確的建議，

and many committed to taking action.

其中有許多人也承諾會採取行動。

In a country where every other week,

在這個國家，每兩週，

the ground quietly embraces the body of a woman

大地會默默地收回

被另一半或親人所謀殺的女性屍體。

murdered by a partner or a relative,

we were loud,

我們的聲音很大，

and we were heard.

並且被聽見了。

I am an activist,

我是社會運動家，

passionate about human rights innovation.

對人權改革充滿熱忱。

I lead a global organization for socially engaged creative solutions.

我領導一個國際組織 提供創意的社會參與解決方案。

In my work, I think about how to make people care and act.

我的工作是在思考 要如何讓大家關心並採取行動。

I am here to tell you that creative actions can save the world,

我告訴各位，創意行動能拯救世界，

creative actions and play.

創意的行動和玩樂。

I know it is weird to talk about play and human rights in the same sentence,

我知道在一個句子裡 同時談到玩樂和人權很奇怪，

but here is why it's important.

但以下就是它如此重要的原因。

More and more, we fear that we can't win this.

我們越來越害怕無法打贏這場仗。

Campaigns feel dull,

活動讓人枯燥，

messages drown,

訊息被淹沒，

people break.

大家都累垮了。

Numerous studies, including a recent one published by Columbia University,

無數的研究，包括哥倫比亞大學 近期刊出的一篇研究，

show that burnout and depression are widespread amongst activists.

指出過去的社會運動家 大多已經精疲力竭且沮喪萬分。

Years ago, I myself was burned out.

幾年前，我自己也曾精疲力竭。

In a world of endless ways forward, I felt at my final stop.

在這個前路似乎無止盡的世界， 我感覺到我的終點站了

So what melts fear or dullness or gloom?

那麼如何能夠融化恐懼、 枯燥，或陰沉？

Play.

玩樂。

From this very stage, psychiatrist and play researcher Dr. Stuart Brown

就在這個講台上，精神病學家 及玩樂研究者 Stuart Brown 博士

said that nothing lights up the brain like play,

說過，沒有什麼能夠 像玩樂能夠這樣啟發大腦，

and that the opposite of play is not work,

且玩樂的相反詞並不是工作，

it's depression.

而是沮喪。

So to pull out of my own burnout,

所以，為了讓自己 擺脫精疲力竭的狀態，

I decided to turn my activism into what I call today "play-tivism."

我決定將我的社會運動家這個身分

轉變成如今我所說的 : 「玩樂社會運動家」。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

When we play, others want to join.

當我們在玩樂， 其他人就會想要加入。

Today, my playground is filled with artists,

現在，我的遊樂場上滿是藝術家、

techies and scientists.

高科技專家和科學家。

We fuse disciplines in radical collaboration.

我們將紀律融合到 激進的合作當中。

Together, we seek new ways to empower activism.

我們同心協力尋求新方法 讓社會運動更有影響力。

Our outcomes are not meant to be playful,

我們的結果不是為了好玩的，

but our process is.

但我們的過程是。

To us, play is an act of resistance.

對我們來說，玩樂就是 一種反抗的舉動。

For example, "Beat.," the project I talked about earlier,

比如，我剛才談到的 「戰鼓」計畫，

is a concept developed by a drummer and a software engineer

是由一位鼓手和一位軟體工程師

所構思而來

who didn't know each other two days before they pitched the idea.

他們直到要為這個點子 提案的前兩天才認識了彼此。

"Beat." is the first winner in our lab series

「戰鼓」是我們的實驗室 系列的第一個勝利的計畫，

where we pair artists and technologists to work on human rights issues.

我們讓藝術家和科技人員配合 來處理人權議題。

Other winning concepts include a pop-up bakery

其它勝出的概念包括了 一個快閃麵包店，

that teaches about fake news through beautiful but horrible-tasting cupcakes --

能夠透過外表好看但口味恐怖的 杯子蛋糕來教導假新聞的議題——

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

or a board game that puts you in the shoes of a dictator

或是透過桌上遊戲， 讓你扮演獨裁者的角色，

so you get to really grasp the range of tools and tactics of oppression.

實際體驗使用壓迫手法 和戰略的罪惡感。

We did our first lab just to test the idea,

我們做第一個實驗室時 只是為了測試這個想法，

to see where it cracks and if we can make it better.

想看看有什麼不足， 及是否能把它做得更好。

Today, we are so in love with the format that we put it all online

現今，我們實在太愛這個形式， 所以我們把它放上網，

for anyone to implement.

讓任何人都能運用。

I cannot overstate the value of experimentation in activism.

我不會誇飾實驗性質的 社會運動所帶來的價值。

We can only win if we are not afraid to lose.

如果我們不怕輸，最後就會贏。

When we play, we learn.

我們可以從玩樂中學到教訓。

A recent study published by Stanford University

有一篇近期出版的史丹佛大學研究

about the science of what makes people care

旨在探究什麼因素會讓人在乎，

reconfirms what we have been hearing for years:

結果再次證實了我們 多年來聽到的說法：

opinions are changed not from more information

觀念的改變並不是靠大量的資訊，

but through empathy-inducing experiences.

而是透過親身經歷 進而產生同理心來改變。

So learning from science and art,

我們從科學和藝術學習，

we saw that we can talk about global armed conflict through light bulbs,

我們了解到，我們可以用燈泡 來談論全球的武裝衝突，

or address racial inequality in the US

或是透過明信片， 來說明美國的種族不平等

through postcards,

or tackle the lack of even one single monument of a woman in Sofia

抑或，當索非亞少了一名女子的 紀念碑時，我們的處理方式是

by flooding the city with them,

用一大堆紀念碑把城市淹沒，

and, with all these works,

而這些方式

to trigger dialogue, understanding and direct action.

都促成了對話、了解， 以及直接的行動。

Sometimes, when I talk about taking risks and trying and failing

每當我在人權運動中談論到 我們所經歷的風險、努力、失敗時，

in the context of human rights,

I meet raised eyebrows,

我都能從人們的眉眼之間裡看到，

eyebrows that say, "How irresponsible,"

「真不負責任」的政府

or, "How insensitive."

或「真沒同理心」的罪犯。

People often mistake play for negligence.

大家通常會誤把玩樂當作不正經。

It is not.

然而並不是。

Play doesn't just grow our armies stronger or spark better ideas.

玩樂不僅讓我們的軍隊成長茁壯， 為更棒的點子擦出火花。

In times of painful injustice,

在不公正的痛苦時刻，

play brings the levity we need to be able to breathe.

玩樂能帶給我們輕鬆， 讓我們能夠呼吸。

When we play, we live.

當我們玩樂時，我們是在過生活。

I grew up in a time

在我成長的時代，

when all play was forbidden.

所有玩樂都是被禁止的。

My family's lives were crushed by a communist dictatorship.

共產主義的獨裁， 奪走了我家人的性命。

For my aunt, my grandfather, my father,

對於我的姑姑、 我的祖父、我的父親，

we always held two funerals:

我們都會辦兩場喪禮： 一場是為他們逝世而辦，

one for their bodies,

but, years before that,

但去世之前的數年， 還為他們的夢辦了另一場。

one for their dreams.

Some of my biggest dreams are nightmares.

我最大的那些夢當中，有許多是惡夢。

I have a nightmare that one day all the past will be forgotten

我有個惡夢，害怕有一天 所有的過去會被遺忘，

and new clothes will be dripping the blood of past mistakes.

新衣裳會再次染上過去之血。

I have a nightmare

我有個惡夢，

that one day the lighthouses of our humanity will crumble,

某天人性的燈塔會粉碎，

corroded by acid waves of hate.

被一波又一波的仇恨給侵蝕了。

But way more than that,

但更多的是

I have hope.

我仍抱著希望。

In our fights for justice and freedom,

在我們為正義和自由而打的仗中，

I hope that we play,

我希望我們能玩樂，

and that we see the joy and beauty of us playing together.

希望我們能看到我們 一同玩樂的喜悅和美麗。

That's how we win.

那是我們獲得勝仗的方式。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）