Faith Jegede: What I've learned from my autistic brothers | TED

Translator: Joseph Geni Reviewer: Morton Bast

譯者: Geoff Chen 審譯者: Mei Lien Lin

Today I have just one request.

今天，我只有一個請求：

Please don't tell me I'm normal.

請不要告訴我，我很正常。

Now I'd like to introduce you to my brothers.

現在，我想介紹我的弟弟們。

Remi is 22,

Remi 今年 22 歲，

tall and very handsome.

他個子很高，也非常帥，

He's speechless, but he communicates joy

他不能說話，但他能傳達喜樂，

in a way that some of the best orators cannot.

就算是最佳的辯才也無法做到。

Remi knows what love is.

Remi 知道什麼是愛，

He shares it unconditionally and he shares it regardless.

他無條件地分享它，不顧一切地分享它。

He's not greedy. He doesn't see skin color.

他不貪婪，他無視膚色，

He doesn't care about religious differences, and get this:

他不關心宗教差異，還有，聽聽這：

He has never told a lie.

他從未說過謊。

When he sings songs from our childhood,

當他唱我們童年的歌，

attempting words that not even I could remember,

唱著我甚至無法憶起的語句，

he reminds me of one thing:

他使我想起一件事:

how little we know about the mind, and how wonderful

我們對心靈所知甚少，

the unknown must be.

而這未知的領域是多麼美好。

Samuel is 16. He's tall. He's very handsome.

Samuel 今年 16 歲，他個子很高，也非常帥，

He has the most impeccable memory.

他有絕佳的記憶力，

He has a selective one, though.

儘管他選擇性地記憶。

He doesn't remember if he stole my chocolate bar,

他不記得他是否偷過我的巧克力棒，

but he remembers the year of release for every song on my iPod,

但他記得我 iPod 裡每一首歌發行的年份，

conversations we had when he was four,

他記得我們在他 4 歲時的談話內容，

weeing on my arm on the first ever episode of Teletubbies,

記得蜷在我臂彎裡看第一集的天線寶寶，

and Lady Gaga's birthday.

也記得 Lady Gaga 的生日。

Don't they sound incredible?

這些聽起來難以置信吧？

But most people don't agree.

但大多數人不同意。

And in fact, because their minds don't fit

事實上，因為他們的心靈

into society's version of normal,

與社會所定義的正常格格不入，

they're often bypassed and misunderstood.

所以他們往往被忽略與誤解。

But what lifted my heart and strengthened my soul

但，那使我心志強大的是，

was that even though this was the case,

就算如此，

although they were not seen as ordinary,

就算他們不被看成正常人，

this could only mean one thing:

這只能代表說：

that they were extraordinary --

他們是出眾的 － －

autistic and extraordinary.

自閉症與出眾的。

Now, for you who may be less familiar with the term "autism,"

有些人可能不太熟悉「自閉症」這詞，

it's a complex brain disorder that affects social communication,

自閉症是複雜的大腦失調，影響患者社會溝通、

learning and sometimes physical skills.

學習、以及偶爾影響技能的一種疾病。

It manifests in each individual differently,

它在每個人身上以不同的方式呈現，

hence why Remi is so different from Sam.

因此，這就是為什麼 Remi 和 Sam 是如此不同。

And across the world, every 20 minutes, one new person

全世界，每隔 20 分鐘，會有一個新的人

is diagnosed with autism, and although it's one of

被診斷為自閉症患者。而且，儘管它是

the fastest-growing developmental disorders in the world,

世上增加速度最快的發育障礙，

there is no known cause or cure.

目前醫學界尚未發現這個疾病的原因或治癒療程。

And I cannot remember the first moment I encountered autism,

我記不起自己第一次面對自閉症的時刻，

but I cannot recall a day without it.

然而，我卻無法記得自己哪一天沒經歷它。

I was just three years old when my brother came along,

在我只有三歲時，我弟弟來到這世上，

and I was so excited that

當時我很興奮地

I had a new being in my life.

得知有一個新的生命在我面前。

And after a few months went by,

而後，幾個月過去了，

I realized that he was different.

我意識到他是不同的。

He screamed a lot.

他經常尖叫，

He didn't want to play like the other babies did,

他不想像其他嬰兒一樣玩耍，

and in fact, he didn't seem

事實上，他似乎也

very interested in me whatsoever.

不怎麼對我感興趣。

Remi lived and reigned in his own world, with his own rules,

Remi 居住、統領他自己的世界，用他自己的規則；

and he found pleasure in the smallest things,

他在最小的事物中發掘樂趣，

like lining up cars around the room

比如在房裡排列車子、

and staring at the washing machine

盯著洗衣機、

and eating anything that came in between.

和吃下任何出現在他面前的東西。

And as he grew older, he grew more different,

隨著他長大，他變得更不同了，

and the differences became more obvious.

差異變得更加明顯。

Yet beyond the tantrums and the frustration

在壞脾氣、沮喪、

and the never-ending hyperactivity

和無止境的好動之外，

was something really unique:

他有獨特的特質：

a pure and innocent nature, a boy who saw the world

一個純脆、天真的個性。他是一個對世界

without prejudice, a human who had never lied.

毫無偏見的男孩，一個永遠不會說謊的人。

Extraordinary.

這很出眾。

Now, I cannot deny that there have been

我不能否認的是，在我家

some challenging moments in my family,

曾經有過艱難的時刻，

moments where I've wished that they were just like me.

在那些時刻，我曾希望他們就只是和我一樣。

But I cast my mind back to the things that they've taught me

但我改變了想法，他們教會了我

about individuality and communication and love,

成為一個個體、溝通、與愛。

and I realize that these are things that

我意識到了這些東西是

I wouldn't want to change with normality.

我不想從俗改變的。

Normality overlooks the beauty that differences give us,

所謂的正常忽視了差異帶給我們的美麗，

and the fact that we are different doesn't mean that one of us is wrong.

我們之間之所以不同，並不代表我們其中某人是錯的，

It just means that there's a different kind of right.

而是意味著，有一種不同的正確存在著。

And if I could communicate just one thing to Remi

如果我只有一個想法可以告訴 Remi、

and to Sam

Sam、

and to you,

和你們，

it would be that you don't have to be normal.

那就是，你不須要是正常的。

You can be extraordinary.

你可以做非比尋常的人。

Because autistic or not,

因為無論自閉症與否，

the differences that we have --

我們擁有的差異是：

We've got a gift! Everyone's got a gift inside of us,

我們有天賦！我們每個人都有天賦、

and in all honesty, the pursuit of normality

和完全的誠實；

is the ultimate sacrifice of potential.

追求正常最終犧牲了自身的潛質。

The chance for greatness, for progress and for change

追求偉大、 進步、和改變的時機

dies the moment we try to be like someone else.

在我們嘗試扮演其他人時便已消失殆盡。

Please -- don't tell me I'm normal.

請別告訴我，我很正常。

Thank you. (Applause)

謝謝。（掌聲）

(Applause)

（掌聲）