John Francis: Walk the earth ... my 17-year vow of silence | TED

譯者: Leslie Liu 審譯者: Adrienne Lin

(Music)

(音樂)

(Applause)

(鼓掌)

Thank you for being here.

謝謝大家今天來到這裡

And I say "thank you for being here" because I was silent for 17 years.

謝謝你們，因為我已經17年沒開口說話

And the first words that I spoke were in Washington, D.C.,

我開口說的第一個字是在華盛頓特區

on the 20th anniversary of Earth Day.

二十週年的地球日時

And my family and friends had gathered there to hear me speak.

我的家人及朋友們，全都聚在一起聽我說話

And I said, "Thank you for being here."

然後我說"謝謝你們在這裡"

My mother, out in the audience, she jumped up,

我母親，在人群中跳起來說

"Hallelujah, Johnny’s talking!"

"哈雷路亞, Johnny說話了"

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

Imagine if you were quiet for 17 years

想像一下假設你沉默了17年

and your mother was out in the audience, say.

然後你母親在人群中說

My dad said to me, "That’s one" --

我父親對我說"就是這裡了"

I’ll explain that.

我稍後在解釋

But I turned around because I didn’t recognize where my voice was coming from.

但我轉過頭，因為我不知道我的聲音是從哪來傳出來的

I hadn’t heard my voice in 17 years,

我已經17年沒聽過我自己的聲音了

so I turned around and I looked and I said,

所以我環顧四周然後說

"God, who's saying what I’m thinking?"

天啊！是誰正在把我的想法說出來？

And then I realized it was me, you know, and I kind of laughed.

然後我知道了，是我自己阿，然後我笑了。

And I could see my father: "Yeah, he really is crazy."

然後我可以想像我父親說 "是的，他真的瘋了"

Well, I want to take you on this journey.

我想與你分享這段旅程

And the journey, I believe, is a metaphor for all of our journeys.

這段旅程我相信是所有人歷程的一個隱喻

Even though this one is kind of unusual,

即使這是段不尋常的經歷

I want you to think about your own journey.

我要你們也思考一下你們的經歷

My journey began in 1971

我的旅程從1971年開始

when I witnessed two oil tankers collide beneath the Golden Gate,

當我目睹兩艘油輪在金色大橋下相撞時

and a half a million gallons of oil spilled into the bay.

50多萬加崙的油流進海灣

It disturbed me so much

這畫面這讓我非常不安

that I decided that I was going to give up riding and driving in motorized vehicles.

所以我決定放棄駕駛機動型的運輸工具

That’s a big thing in California.

這在加州來講可是一件大事

And it was a big thing in my little community of Point Reyes Station

這對我的小社區來講更是一件大事

in Inverness, California, because there were only

我的小社區位在加州印威內斯的波印雷站

about 350 people there in the winter – this was back in '71 now.

因為在1971年的冬天，那裡大約只有350人。

And so when I came in and I started walking around, people --

所以當我進到當地時，然後我開始步行，人們

they just knew what was going on.

他們才剛知道這件事時

And people would drive up next to me

他們會開車到我身旁

and say, "John, what are you doing?"

然後說"約翰，你在幹嘛"

And I’d say, "Well, I’m walking for the environment."

然後我會說，"我為保護環境而行走"

And they said, "No, you’re walking to make us look bad, right?

然後他們說"不，你是為了讓我們難堪而走對吧？"

You’re walking to make us feel bad."

你步行是為了讓我們覺得難受

And maybe there was some truth to that,

或許有部分是真的

because I thought that if I started walking, everyone would follow.

因為我想如果我開始步行，或許其他人也會跟進

Because of the oil, everybody talked about the polllution.

因為漏油事件，大家開始談論污染

And so I argued with people about that, I argued and I argued.

所以我開始不停的說服人們。

I called my parents up.

我打給我父母

I said, "I’ve given up riding and driving in cars."

我說"我已經放棄開車了"

My dad said, "Why didn’t you do that when you were 16?"

我父親說"為什麼你不在十六歲時就這麼做？"

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

I didn’t know about the environment then.

我那時候不知道這些環境問題

They’re back in Philadelphia.

問題都在費城

And so I told my mother, "I’m happy though, I’m really happy."

然後我告訴我母親"我很開心，我真的很開心"

She said, "If you were happy, son, you wouldn’t have to say it."

她說"如果你真的開心，你才不會說出來"

Mothers are like that.

母親都這樣

And so, on my 27th birthday I decided, because I argued so much

因此，我27歲生日那天我決定，因為我爭論太多

and I talk so much, that I was going to stop speaking

而且我說太多，所以，我決定不要開口說話

for just one day -- one day -- to give it a rest.

一天就好，僅僅一天，讓嘴巴休息一下。

And so I did.

所以就這樣

I got up in the morning and I didn’t say a word.

我起床後就沒說過一句話

And I have to tell you, it was a very moving experience,

我必須告訴你，這是個非常難忘的經驗

because for the first time, I began listening -- in a long time.

因為第一次在這麼長的時間裡，我開始去聆聽

And what I heard, it kind of disturbed me.

然而我所聽見的，卻又有些困擾我

Because what I used to do, when I thought I was listening,

因為我聆聽時會習慣

was I would listen just enough to hear what people had to say

只聽到對方講完該說的話為止

and think that I could -- I knew what they were going to say,

我就會自認為已經知道他們要說什麼

and so I stopped listening.

便停止傾聽

And in my mind, I just kind of raced ahead

在我腦子裏，我會有些超前

and thought of what I was going to say back,

當他們還在做總結時

while they were still finishing up.

就想著我要怎麼回答

And then I would launch in.

然後我就會介入

Well, that just ended communication.

並結束那次的溝通

So on this first day I actually listened.

所以在那天，我認真聆聽

And it was very sad for me,

但這對我來說是非常難過的事

because I realized that for those many years I had not been learning.

因為我了解這麼多年來我沒有成長

I was 27. I thought I knew everything.

當我27歲時，我自認無所不知

I didn’t.

但其實不然

And so I decided I’d better do this for another day,

所以我決定我要在做一次這件事

and another day, and another day until finally,

日復一日直到最後

I promised myself for a year I would keep quiet

我向自己保證，保持沉默一年

because I started learning more and more and I needed to learn more.

因為我開始逐漸成長，我覺得我需要學習更多

So for a year I said I would keep quiet,

所以，某年，我說我要保持沉默。

and then on my birthday I would reassess what I had learned

然後我會在我生日那天分享我學到了什麼

and maybe I would talk again.

或許我就會在度開口

Well, that lasted 17 years.

我安靜了17年

Now during that time -- those 17 years -- I walked and I played the banjo

在這17年裡，我行走，並且彈奏班卓琴

and I painted and I wrote in my journal, and

我作畫並且寫下我的歷程

I tried to study the environment by reading books.

然後我經由閱讀來研究環境生態

And I decided that I was going to go to school. So I did.

之後我決定進修，然後我就去做了

I walked up to Ashland, Oregon,

我走到奧勒岡州的奧許蘭市

where they were offering an environmental studies degree.

那裡提供環境研究的學位

It’s only 500 miles.

這僅僅只有500哩

And I went into the Registrar’s office and --

我走到學校的註冊處

"What, what, what?"

什麼？

I had a newspaper clipping.

我有某份報紙

"Oh, so you really want to go to school here?

所以你真的要來這裡念書？

You don’t …?

你不會...？

We have a special program for you." They did.

我們有個特別的計畫適合你，是真的

And in those two years, I graduated with my first degree -- a bachelor’s degree.

所以在這兩年裡，我拿到了我第一個學士學位。

And my father came out, he was so proud.

然後我父親來了，他非常驕傲

He said, "Listen, we’re really proud of you son,

他說"兒子，我們都以你為傲"

but what are you going to do with a bachelor’s degree?

但你拿個學士學位要幹麻？

You don’t ride in cars, you don’t talk --

你又不開車，不講話

you’re going to have to do those things."

拿了學位就得做這些事阿

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

I hunched my shoulder, I picked my backpack up again

我聳聳肩，然後再次背起背包

and I started walking.

然後我又開始步行

I walked all the way up to Port Townsend, Washington, where I built a wooden boat,

我走到華盛頓Townsend港口，我在那裡造了一艘木船

rode it across Puget Sound

然後靠著它穿越了普及桑(地名)

and walked across Washington [to] Idaho and down to Missoula, Montana.

愛達荷州--走路穿越華盛頓，愛達荷然後往下到蒙大拿的冰河湖

I had written the University of Montana two years earlier

當時的兩年前我就已經寫信給蒙大拿大學

and said I'd like to go to school there.

然後說我想要去那裏進修

I said I'd be there in about two years.

我說我大概會在兩年後抵達

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

And I was there. I showed up in two years and they --

然後我到了，我在兩年內到了，然後他們

I tell this story because they really helped me.

我提及這段經歷，是因為他們真的幫助過我

There are two stories in Montana.

在蒙大拿有兩個故事

The first story is I didn’t have any money -- that’s a sign I used a lot.

第一個是我當時身無分文，這表示我花太多錢了

And they said,"Don't worry about that."

然後他們說"你不需要擔心這個"

The director of the program said, "Come back tomorrow."

這個計畫的負責人說"你明天再過來吧"

He gave me 150 dollars,

他給了我150美元

and he said, "Register for one credit.

然後他說，去註冊一學分吧。

You’re going to go to South America, aren’t you?"

你要前往南非，對吧？

And I said --

然後我回答

Rivers and lakes, the hydrological systems, South America.

河流和湖水，水利系統，南非。

So I did that.

然後我就這樣做了

He came back; he said to me,

他回來，然後對我說

"OK John, now that you've registered for that one credit,

好的，約翰，你已經註冊了這個學分。

you can have a key to an office, you can matriculate --

你可以擁有辦公室的鑰匙

you’re matriculating, so you can use the library.

你被錄取了，所以你可以使用圖書館

And what we’re going to do

我們接著

is, we’re going to have all of the professors allow you to go to class.

要讓所有的教授允許你可以上課

They’re going to save your grade,

他們會替你保留分數

and when we figure out how to get you the rest of the money,

當我們想辦法幫你籌到剩下的錢

then you can register for that class and they’ll give you the grade."

你就可以補註冊，他們就會給你成績了。

Wow, they don’t do that in graduate schools, I don’t think.

哇，他們研究所並不這樣做。我不這樣覺得

But I use that story because they really wanted to help me.

我分享這故事是因為他們真心想幫我

They saw that I was really interested in the environment,

他們覺得我真的對環境生態很有興趣

and they really wanted to help me along the way.

他們想要再這方面給我幫助

And during that time, I actually taught classes without speaking.

在這段時間，我開始授課了，但依舊沒開口說話

I had 13 students when I first walked into the class.

一開始我有13個學生

I explained, with a friend who could interpret my sign language,

我請一個朋友來解釋我的手勢

that I was John Francis, I was walking around the world,

表示我是約翰法蘭西斯, 我在世界上四處行走

I didn’t talk and this was the last time

我沒說話，而這位朋友

this person’s going to be here interpreting for me.

之後不會在這裡替我解譯手勢

All the students sat around and they went ...

所有的學生散坐四周並且他們開始...

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

I could see they were looking for the schedule,

我知道他們正在看時間表

to see when they could get out.

看看他們何時可以離開

They had to take that class with me.

但他們必須和我一起共渡這堂課

Two weeks later, everyone was trying to get into our class.

兩週後，大家都想要參與我們的課程

And I learned in that class -- because I would do things like this ...

在這堂課裡我學到了，因為我做了一些這樣的事

and they were all gathered around, going, "What's he trying to say?"

而讓他們全都聚集在這裡，他即將要說些什麼呢

"I don't know, I think he's talking about clear cutting." "Yeah, clear cutting."

不知道，我想他或許想要說伐木，是的，伐木

"No, no, no, that's not clear cutting, that’s -- he's using a handsaw."

不，不是伐木，他剛比了手鋸

"Well, you can’t clearcut with a ..."

不，你不可能用它來伐木

"Yes, you can clear cut ..."

你當然可以

"No, I think he’s talking about selective forestry."

不，我想他是在講選擇性林業

Now this was a discussion class and we were having a discussion.

現在這成了一個討論課，並且我們正在談論著

I just backed out of that, you know, and I just kind of kept the fists from flying.

我暫不參與這個，我只是讓我的拳頭停止飛舞

But what I learned was that sometimes I would make a sign

但我知道有時候我會做個手勢

and they said things that I absolutely did not mean,

他們就會開始談起一些我從未想過的事

but I should have.

而我應該要想到的

And so what came to me is, if you were a teacher

因此，我知道了如果你是一個老師

and you were teaching, if you weren’t learning

你在授課，如果你不學習

you probably weren’t teaching very well.

你可能沒辦法教的很好

And so I went on.

因此我持續著

My dad came out to see me graduate

我父親來參加我的畢業典禮

and, you know, I did the deal,

碩士帽的穗也撥了

and my father said, "We’re really proud of you son, but ... "

我父親說"我們真的很以你為傲，但是..."

You know what went on,

你知道是怎麼一回事

he said, "You’ve got to start riding and driving and start talking.

他說"你必須要開始開車並且與人交談，"

What are you going to do with a master’s degree?"

不然你拿了碩士學位又有何用?"

I hunched my shoulder, I got my backpack

我聳了聳肩，我又拿起我的背包

and I went on to the University of Wisconsin.

然後我去了威士康辛大學

I spent two years there writing on oil spills.

我在那裡花了兩年的時間寫有關漏油的議題

No one was interested in oil spills.

但沒人有興趣

But something happened --

但突然間，發生了一些事

Exxon Valdez.

Exxon Valdez(1989年一艘漏油的油輪名字)

And I was the only one in the United States writing on oil spills.

那時在美國我是唯一撰寫有關漏油議題的人

My dad came out again.

我父親再次造訪

He said, "I don't know how you do this, son --

他說"兒子，我不知道你是怎麼辦到的"

I mean, you don't ride in cars, you don’t talk.

我是說你既不開車也不說話

My sister said maybe I should leave you alone,

你姑姑說或許我不該給你太多壓力

because you seem to be doing a lot better

因為當你一句話都不說時

when you’re not saying anything."

你愈做愈好了

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

Well, I put on my backpack again.

很好，我又再次背起了背包

I put my banjo on and I walked all the way to the East Coast,

與我的班卓琴，我走到了東岸

put my foot in the Atlantic Ocean --

讓我的雙腳泡進大西洋

it was seven years and one day it took me to walk across the United States.

七年又一天，我穿越了整個美國

And on Earth Day, 1990 --

在1990年的地球日

the 20th anniversary of Earth Day -- that’s when I began to speak.

地球日二十週年紀念日，也就是我決定開口的日子

And that’s why I said, "Thank you for being here."

這就是為何我說"謝謝你們來到這裡"

Because it's sort of like that tree in the forest falling;

因為這有點像森林裡砍樹

and if there's no one there to hear, does it really make a sound?

如果沒有人在這裡聆聽，它真的會有聲音嗎

And I’m thanking you, and I'm thanking my family

所以我謝謝你們，也謝謝我的家人

because they had come to hear me speak.

因為他們特別到場聽我說話

And that’s communication.

這就是交流

And they also taught me about listening -- that they listened to me.

並且他們教會我聆聽，他們傾聽我

And it’s one of those things that came out of the silence,

這是在寂靜中很重要的一件事

the listening to each other.

那就是互相傾聽

Really, very important --

真的，很重要

we need to listen to each other.

我們必須互相傾聽

Well, my journey kept going on.

我的旅程持續著

My dad said, "That’s one,"

我父親說"就是這裡了"

and I still didn’t let that go.

但我並不想要到此為止

I worked for the Coastguard, was made a U.N. Goodwill Ambassador.

我成為海巡隊的聯合國親善大使

I wrote regulations for the United States --

我替美國寫一些條文

I mean, I wrote oil spill regulations.

我指，關於漏油方面的條文

20 years ago, if someone had said to me,

我指，20年前如果有人告訴過我

"John, do you really want to make a difference?"

約翰，你真的想要做些什麼嗎？

"Yeah, I want to make a difference."

是的，我想要有所作為

He said, "You just start walking east;

他說"你只需要開始往東走"

get out of your car and just start walking east."

下車然後開始往東走

And as I walked off a little bit, they'd say, "Yeah, and shut up, too."

然後我要離去時，他們接著說"還有！順便閉嘴"

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

"You’re going to make a difference, buddy."

你將大有作為的，兄弟"

How could that be, how could that be?

這怎麼可能，怎麼會？

How could doing such a simple thing like walking and not talking

怎麼可能僅僅不說話或者走路這麼簡單的事情

make a difference?

就可以大有作為

Well, my time at the Coast Guard was a really good time.

我在海岸警衛隊的日子是美好的

And after that -- I only worked one year --

之後，我只有工作一年

I said, "That's enough. One year's enough for me to do that."

我說"夠了，一年已經夠了"

I got on a sailboat and I sailed down to the Caribbean,

我搭乘帆船航向加勒比海

and walked through all of the islands, and to Venezuela.

並且造訪每個小島，然後到了委內瑞拉

And you know, I forgot the most important thing,

然後，我忘了最重要的事

which is why I started talking, which I have to tell you.

為什麼我開始講話，這是我要告訴你們的

I started talking because I had studied environment.

我開口說話是因為我研究環境生態

I’d studied environment at this formal level,

在這個形式上的階段研究

but there was this informal level.

但還有是非形式上的

And the informal level --

這個階段是

I learned about people, and what we do and how we are.

我從人身上學，我們做什麼，我們如何

And environment changed from just being about trees and birds

環境生態從樹和鳥開始產生變化

and endangered species to being about how we treated each other.

瀕臨絕種的物種讓我們了解，我們是怎麼對待彼此的

Because if we are the environment,

因為如果我們是環境

then all we need to do is look around us

我們只需要環顧彼此

and see how we treat ourselves and how we treat each other.

看看我們是怎麼對待自己與對待彼此的

And so that’s the message that I had.

這就是我想說的事

And I said, "Well, I'm going to have to spread that message."

並且我說"我將要傳遞這個訊息"

And I got in my sailboat, sailed all the way through the Caribbean --

所以我又搭上了帆船，穿越加勒比海

it wasn't really my sailboat, I kind of worked on that boat --

它其實並不是我的帆船，我是船員

got to Venezuela and I started walking.

到了委內瑞拉我又開始走路

This is the last part of this story, because it’s how I got here,

這是故事的尾端，因為這告訴各位，我是怎麼開口的

because I still didn't ride in motorized vehicles.

因為我仍舊沒有使用機動的交通工具

I was walking through El Dorado -- it's a prison town, famous prison,

我穿越了多拉多，它是一個在委內瑞拉的監獄小鎮，

or infamous prison -- in Venezuela, and I don’t know what possessed me,

有名或臭名昭彰的監獄都在這裡，我不知道哪裡吸引我

because this was not like me.

因為這一點都不像我

There I am, walking past the guard gate and the guard stops and says,

我在那，穿越大門，然後警衛拿著一支M16槍指著我說

"Pasaporte, pasaporte," and with an M16 pointed at me.

護照！護照(西班牙語)

And I looked at him and I said, "Passport, huh?

然後我看著他，我說"護照是吧"

I don't need to show you my passport. It’s in the back of my pack.

我不需要給你看，就放在我後背包裡

I'm Dr. Francis; I'm a U.N. Ambassador and I'm walking around the world."

我是法蘭西斯博士，我是聯合國親善大使，我走遍世界各地

And I started walking off.

然後我就走開了

What possessed me to say this thing?

為什麼我想說這件事

The road turned into the jungle.

是因為路一轉，通往叢林去了

I didn’t get shot.

警衛並沒開槍

And I got to -- I start saying, "Free at last --

然後我開始說，終於自由了

thank God Almighty, I’m free at last."

謝謝老天爺，我終於自由了

"What was that about," I’m saying. What was that about?

這代表什麼呢，我指這代表什麼

It took me 100 miles to figure out that, in my heart, in me,

我花了100公哩去理解我的內心

I had become a prisoner.

我成為一個囚犯

I was a prisoner and I needed to escape.

我是一個囚犯而我必須要逃離

The prison that I was in was the fact that I did not drive

這種囚禁是我沒有駕駛

or use motorized vehicles.

或使用機動型交通工具這件事

Now how could that be?

這怎麼可能

Because when I started, it seemed very appropriate to me

因為我開始做了，所以對我來講不使用機動型交通工具是

not to use motorized vehicles.

理所當然的一件事

But the thing that was different

但這是不同的

was that every birthday, I asked myself about silence,

每逢生日，我問自己有關沉默這件事

but I never asked myself about my decision to just use my feet.

但我從未問過自己使用雙腳的這個決定

I had no idea I was going to become a U.N. Ambassador.

我從沒想到自己會成為聯合國大使

I had no idea I would have a Ph.D.

也沒想到會有一個博士學位

And so I realized that I had a responsibility to more than just me,

所以我了解，我不僅只對自己有責任

and that I was going to have to change.

因此我決定有所改變

You know, we can do it.

我們可以的

I was going to have to change.

我必須要改變

And I was afraid to change,

但我害怕改變

because I was so used to the guy who only just walked.

因為我太習慣當一個只會走路的人

I was so used to that person that I didn’t want to stop.

太習慣當一個四處行走的人

I didn’t know who I would be if I changed.

我不知道如果改變了，我會變成什麼樣子

But I know I needed to.

但我知道我必須改變

I know I needed to change, because it would be the only way

我知道，因為這是我能夠在這裡

that I could be here today.

唯一的方法

And I know that a lot of times

我早已知道這件事

we find ourselves in this wonderful place where we’ve gotten to,

我們這個擁有美好的地方

but there’s another place for us to go.

但我們還有另外一個地方要去

And we kind of have to leave behind the security of who we’ve become,

我們必須拋開那些，讓我們之所以為我們的安全機制

and go to the place of who we are becoming.

然後去那些，讓我們正在轉變的地方

And so, I want to encourage you to go to that next place,

所以我要鼓勵你們前往下一處

to let yourself out of any prison that you might find yourself in,

鬆開你自身的枷鎖

as comfortable as it may be, because we have to do something now.

懷抱愉快的感覺，因為我們必須要做些什麼

We have to change now.

我們必須要改變

As our former Vice President said,

引句美國前副總統說的話

we have to become activists.

我們必須要成為行動者

So if my voice can touch you,

所以如果我的聲音可以感動你

if my actions can touch you, if my being here can touch you,

如果我這些行為可以感動你，如果我在這裡可以感動你

please let it be.

請受我感動

And I know that all of you have touched me

我知道你們感動了我

while I’ve been here.

當我在這裡時

So, let’s go out into the world

所以，讓我們往外走，往世界各地出發

and take this caring, this love, this respect

帶著關心，愛與尊敬

that we’ve shown each other right here at TED,

這是我們在TED展現給彼此的½

and take this out into the world.

並帶著這些到世界各地

Because we are the environment,

因為我們就是環境本身

and how we treat each other

我們怎麼對待彼此

is really how we’re going to treat the environment.

就會怎麼樣對待這個環境

So I want to thank you for being here

所以我要謝謝你們在這裡

and I want to end this in five seconds of silence.

我想要以五秒鐘的靜默來作結

Thank you.

謝謝你們

(Applause)

(掌聲)