The Art of Stillness | Pico Iyer | TED

譯者: Geoff Chen 審譯者: Zhiting Chen

I'm a lifelong traveler.

我這輩子都是個旅行者。

Even as a little kid,

即使還是一個小孩子的時候，

I was actually working out that it would be cheaper

我便瞭解，事實上，

去讀英國寄宿學校會比

to go to boarding school in England

than just to the best school down the road from my parents' house in California.

去加州父母家附近 最好的學校就讀還來得便宜。

So, from the time I was nine years old

所以，當我 9 歲時，

I was flying alone several times a year

我會在一年中獨自飛行幾回，

over the North Pole, just to go to school.

穿越北極，就只是去上學。

And of course the more I flew the more I came to love to fly,

當然，飛得越頻繁，我越是愛上旅行，

so the very week after I graduated from high school,

所以就在我高中畢業後一週，

I got a job mopping tables

我獲得一份清理桌子的工作，

so that I could spend every season of my 18th year

為了讓自己可以在 18 歲那年，

在地球的各大陸上， 分別待上一季。

on a different continent.

And then, almost inevitably, I became a travel writer

接著，幾乎不可避免地 我成了一個旅遊作家，

so my job and my joy could become one.

使我的工作和志趣 可以結合在一塊。

And I really began to feel that if you were lucky enough

我真的開始發覺 如果你可以幸運地

to walk around the candlelit temples of Tibet

漫步於西藏的燭光寺廟，

or to wander along the seafronts in Havana

或在音樂的繚繞間

with music passing all around you,

悠然信步於哈瓦那海岸，

you could bring those sounds and the high cobalt skies

你便能將那聲音、天際

and the flash of the blue ocean

與靛藍海洋的閃爍光芒

back to your friends at home,

帶回給你故鄉的朋友，

and really bring some magic

捎來些許神奇，

and clarity to your own life.

點亮自身生命。

Except, as you all know,

除了，如你們所知，

one of the first things you learn when you travel

當你旅行時，你學到的第一件事情是

is that nowhere is magical unless you can bring the right eyes to it.

你必須以正確的視角看世界， 否則大地依然黯淡無光。

You take an angry man to the Himalayas,

你帶一個易怒的男人爬喜馬拉雅山，

he just starts complaining about the food.

他只會抱怨那裡的食物。

And I found that the best way

我發現，有點怪異的是，

that I could develop more attentive and more appreciative eyes

最好的讓自己可以培養

更專注的和更珍惜世界的視角的訣竅是

was, oddly,

by going nowhere, just by sitting still.

哪裡都不去，靜止於原處即可。

And of course sitting still is how many of us get

當然，待在原地正是 我們許多人尋常就能得到的東西，

what we most crave and need in our accelerated lives, a break.

我們都渴望在快速的生活中獲得休息。

But it was also the only way

但那卻是我唯一的方法，

that I could find to sift through the slideshow of my experience

讓自己可以重歷自身的經驗幻燈，

and make sense of the future and the past.

理解未來與過去。

And so, to my great surprise,

如此，我驚異地發現，

I found that going nowhere

我發現無所去處

was at least as exciting as going to Tibet or to Cuba.

和遊覽西藏或古巴一樣，令人興奮。

And by going nowhere, I mean nothing more intimidating

無所去處，只不過意謂著

than taking a few minutes out of every day

每天花幾分鐘，

or a few days out of every season,

或每季花幾天，

or even, as some people do,

甚至，如同某些人所做的，

a few years out of a life

在生命中花上幾年

in order to sit still long enough

長久靜思於某處，

to find out what moves you most,

尋找感動你最多的一瞬，

to recall where your truest happiness lies

回憶你最真實的幸福時刻，

and to remember that sometimes

並記住，有時

making a living and making a life

謀生與生活

point in opposite directions.

彼此是處於光譜線上的兩端的。

And of course, this is what wise beings through the centuries

當然，這是明智的眾生歷經幾百年

from every tradition have been telling us.

從每個傳統中所告訴我們的。

It's an old idea.

這是一個古老的概念。

More than 2,000 years ago, the Stoics were reminding us

早在兩千多年前，斯多葛學派提醒我們

it's not our experience that makes our lives,

並不是我們的經驗 成就了我們的生命，

it's what we do with it.

而是我們用那經驗做了什麼。

Imagine a hurricane suddenly sweeps through your town

想像一下，一陣颶風 迅速撲向你的城市，

and reduces every last thing to rubble.

將所有一切化為廢墟。

One man is traumatized for life.

某個人身心遭受終身頓挫，

But another, maybe even his brother, almost feels liberated,

但另一人，也許甚至是他的兄弟， 卻幾乎感覺釋懷，

and decides this is a great chance to start his life anew.

並認定，這是一個可以 使自己重獲新生的重要機會。

It's exactly the same event,

這是同樣的事件，

but radically different responses.

截然不同的回應。

There is nothing either good or bad, as Shakespeare told us in "Hamlet,"

沒有什麼是絕對的好壞，正如莎士比亞 在《哈姆雷特》中所告訴我們的，

but thinking makes it so.

好壞由思維決定。

And this has certainly been my experience as a traveler.

這無疑就是我 作為一個旅者的經驗。

Twenty-four years ago I took the most mind-bending trip

24 年前，我完成了一次 最不可思議的旅程：

across North Korea.

橫跨北韓。

But the trip lasted a few days.

但這次旅行只持續了幾天。

What I've done with it sitting still, going back to it in my head,

這經驗對於無所去處的我來說， 允許我可以在心思中回朔，

trying to understand it, finding a place for it in my thinking,

試著瞭解它， 讓它在我的思維中尋得一個位置，

that's lasted 24 years already

在那裡已存留了 24 年，

and will probably last a lifetime.

而它很可能會在我這生中， 一直持續下去。

The trip, in other words, gave me some amazing sights,

換句話說， 這次旅行， 帶給我一些驚人的景致，

but it's only sitting still

但唯有處於靜止的狀態

that allows me to turn those into lasting insights.

才讓我得以將這些風景 化為更長的見識。

And I sometimes think that so much of our life

我有時會想，我們的生活

takes place inside our heads,

有太多東西發生在我們自己的腦袋裡，

in memory or imagination or interpretation or speculation,

在回憶中，在想像裡， 透過詮釋，或是猜疑，

that if I really want to change my life

如果我真想改變我的生命，

I might best begin by changing my mind.

我可能最好從 改變我的思維開始。

Again, none of this is new;

同樣，這一切都不是新想法；

that's why Shakespeare and the Stoics were telling us this centuries ago,

這就是為什麼莎士比亞和斯多葛學派 在幾個世紀前就告訴我們，

but Shakespeare never had to face 200 emails in a day.

然而，莎士比亞從未面對過 一天收到兩百多封電子郵件的日子。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

The Stoics, as far as I know, were not on Facebook.

據我所知，斯多葛派的學者們 也沒掛在臉書上。

We all know that in our on-demand lives,

我們都知道，在我們 充滿各種需索的生活中，

one of the things that's most on demand

一種最迫切需要之物

is ourselves.

就是自己。

Wherever we are, any time of night or day,

無論我們處於何處，處於何時， 無論是夜晚或白天中的任何時刻，

our bosses, junk-mailers, our parents can get to us.

我們的老闆、垃圾郵件、 我們的父母都能找到我們。

Sociologists have actually found that in recent years

事實上，社會學家近年來發現，

Americans are working fewer hours than 50 years ago,

當今美國人的工作時間 竟然比 50 年前還少，

but we feel as if we're working more.

但我們卻覺得自己的工時更長。

We have more and more time-saving devices,

我們有越來越多的 可以用來節省時間的設備，

but sometimes, it seems, less and less time.

但有時，時間似乎越來越少。

We can more and more easily make contact with people

我們比以前更容易與

身處地球另一端的人們聯繫，

on the furthest corners of the planet,

but sometimes in that process

但有時候，在那過程中，

we lose contact with ourselves.

我們與自己斷了線。

And one of my biggest surprises as a traveler

作為一個旅行者， 最讓我詫異的事情之一就是

has been to find that often it's exactly the people

我發現，時常，往往就是那些

who have most enabled us to get anywhere

最使我們能夠走向世界各地的人

who are intent on going nowhere.

卻最希望身居原處。

In other words, precisely those beings

換句話說，正是那些

who have created the technologies

創造了打破舊時限制

that override so many of the limits of old,

允許人自由出遊的科技的人們

are the ones wisest about the need for limits,

才是最有智慧的個體， 他們理解限制的必須，

even when it comes to technology.

甚至在面對科技本身時，亦是如此。

I once went to the Google headquarters

有一次我造訪 Google 總部，

and I saw all the things many of you have heard about;

我見到了所有你們聽說過的事；

the indoor tree houses, the trampolines,

室內樹屋、蹦床、

workers at that time enjoying 20 percent of their paid time free

以及那些正在體驗 20% 的 屬於自己付費工時的員工，

so that they could just let their imaginations go wandering.

這讓他們的想像自由漫遊。

But what impressed me even more

但更讓我感到印象深刻的是，

was that as I was waiting for my digital I.D.,

當我正在等待我的電子身份證時，

one Googler was telling me about the program

有位 Google 員工告訴我一個案子，

that he was about to start to teach the many, many Googlers

說他正打算教許許多多的 Google 員工

who practice yoga to become trainers in it,

來練習瑜伽，並成為瑜伽訓練師，

and the other Googler was telling me about the book that he was about to write

而另外一個 Google 職員 向我述說了一本他正想寫的書，

on the inner search engine,

一本關於內在尋索的書，

and the ways in which science has empirically shown

以及科學如何經驗性地證明

that sitting still, or meditation,

打坐，或冥想

can lead not just to better health or to clearer thinking,

不僅能夠促進健康、明晰思維，

but even to emotional intelligence.

甚至可以增進情緒智力。

I have another friend in Silicon Valley

我有另一個在矽谷工作的朋友，

who is really one of the most eloquent spokesmen

他的確是當前最先進科技的

for the latest technologies,

最有說服力的代言人，

and in fact was one of the founders of Wired magazine, Kevin Kelly.

他是《Wired》雜誌的創始人之一， 凱文．凱利。

And Kevin wrote his last book on fresh technologies

凱文當時正在寫一本有關最新科技的書，

without a smartphone or a laptop or a TV in his home.

但他家裡卻沒有智慧型手機、 筆記本電腦，或者電視。

And like many in Silicon Valley,

如同許多住在矽谷的人們，

he tries really hard to observe

他非常努力地觀察

what they call an Internet sabbath,

那個稱為網路安息日的東西，

whereby for 24 or 48 hours every week

在每個星期中，有 24 或 48 小時，

they go completely offline

他們會徹底下線，

in order to gather the sense of direction

以尋求一點方向感，

and proportion they'll need when they go online again.

用來重新調整，並汲取 他們重新上線時之所需。

The one thing perhaps that technology hasn't always given us

有件科技可能尚未給予我們的

is a sense of how to make the wisest use of technology.

是如何可以更聰明地使用科技。

And when you speak of the sabbath,

談到休息日，

look at the Ten Commandments --

讓我們看看十誡吧，

there's only one word there for which the adjective "holy" is used,

其中只有一個字的形容詞涉及「神聖」，

and that's the Sabbath.

那就是安息日。

I pick up the Jewish holy book of the Torah --

我拿起猶太聖典《托拉》，

its longest chapter, it's on the Sabbath.

它最長的章節，也是關於安息日。

And we all know that it's really one of our greatest luxuries,

我們都知道，這真是 我們擁有的最大奢侈之一：

the empty space.

空。

In many a piece of music, it's the pause or the rest

在許多音樂作品中，停頓或靜默

that gives the piece its beauty and its shape.

賦予這作品美麗形貌。

And I know I as a writer

我知道，作為一個作家，

will often try to include a lot of empty space on the page

我時常會在頁面中留下空白之處

so that the reader can complete my thoughts and sentences

讓讀者可以完整地 領會我的思維與句法，

and so that her imagination has room to breathe.

以留給想像呼吸的空間。

Now, in the physical domain, of course, many people,

現在，在實際的領域中， 當然，有很多人，

if they have the resources,

倘若他們稍微富裕的話，

will try to get a place in the country, a second home.

會試著在國內擁有第二個家。

I've never begun to have those resources,

我從未有過那些資源，

but I sometimes remember that any time I want,

但我有時記得，任何時候，若我想的話，

I can get a second home in time, if not in space,

我可以給自己放一天假，

來適時地，獲得第二個家。

just by taking a day off.

And it's never easy because, of course, whenever I do I spend much of it

當然，這從來就不容易， 每次我這麼做，

worried about all the extra stuff

對於所有多出來的

that's going to crash down on me the following day.

會壓垮我隔日工作天的憂慮就會出現。

I sometimes think I'd rather give up meat or sex or wine

有時我會覺得，我寧願 放棄吃肉、性生活，或紅酒，

than the chance to check on my emails.

也不願失去任何一丁點 查電子信箱的機會。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

And every season I do try to take three days off on retreat

每個季度，我的確給自己三天假期，

but a part of me still feels guilty to be leaving my poor wife behind

但關於丟下我妻子 以及忽略那些

and to be ignoring all those seemingly urgent emails

老闆寄來的看似緊急的郵件，

from my bosses

以及錯過朋友的派對，

and maybe to be missing a friend's birthday party.

我內心某處仍然覺得有負罪感。

But as soon as I get to a place of real quiet,

但一旦來到某個真正安靜的地方，

I realize that it's only by going there

我才瞭解，只有去那裡，

that I'll have anything fresh or creative or joyful to share

我才能擁有全新的、 有創意的，或快意之事

with my wife or bosses or friends.

和我妻子、上司或朋友分享。

Otherwise, really,

否則，天啊，

I'm just foisting on them my exhaustion or my distractedness,

我能夠加諸於他們的 僅僅是我的疲憊或分神狀態，

which is no blessing at all.

這實在黯然無光。

And so when I was 29,

所以當我 29 歲時，

I decided to remake my entire life

我決定要重整自己全部的生活，

in the light of going nowhere.

為了獲得那無所去處的體驗。

One evening I was coming back from the office,

有天晚上，我從辦公室回家，

it was after midnight, I was in a taxi driving through Times Square,

當時午夜時分，我正在計程車上， 經過了時代廣場，

and I suddenly realized that I was racing around so much

我突然驚覺，自己倉皇度日

I could never catch up with my life.

以至於永遠無法趕上自己的生活。

And my life then, as it happened,

而我的生活，在那時已

was pretty much the one I might have dreamed of as a little boy.

差不多就和我小時夢想的一般。

I had really interesting friends and colleagues,

我有非常有趣的朋友和同事，

I had a nice apartment on Park Avenue and 20th Street.

我在公園大道和第 20 街口 有個非常棒的公寓。

I had, to me, a fascinating job writing about world affairs,

我有個對我來說絕佳的工作， 這工作讓我可以撰寫一些世界事務，

but I could never separate myself enough from them

但我從來未能將自己和它清楚分開，

to hear myself think --

讓自己傾聽自己的思緒，

or really, to understand if I was truly happy.

或，去理解自己是否真的快樂。

And so, I abandoned my dream life

因此，我放棄我夢想中的工作，

for a single room on the backstreets of Kyoto, Japan,

就為了待在一個位於日本京都 某後街裡的單間房內，

which was the place that had long exerted a strong,

這地方長久以來產生了一種強烈的

really mysterious gravitational pull on me.

對我來說極為神秘的吸引力。

Even as a child

甚至在我孩提時代，

I would just look at a painting of Kyoto and feel I recognized it;

我會看著一幅京都的畫作 並感覺，我認出它來了，

I knew it before I ever laid eyes on it.

在定睛審視它之前，我便知如此。

But it's also, as you all know,

但它也是，如同大家所知，

a beautiful city encircled by hills,

是一個群山環繞的美麗城市，

filled with more than 2,000 temples and shrines,

充滿 2000 多座寺廟和神社，

where people have been sitting still for 800 years or more.

人們在那裡靜思了 800 年以上之久。

And quite soon after I moved there, I ended up where I still am

就在我搬到那裡不久，

我和現在的妻子、孩子

with my wife, formerly our kids,

擠在一個有兩間房的公寓裡， 在一個不毛之地，

in a two-room apartment in the middle of nowhere

where we have no bicycle, no car,

我們沒有自行車，沒有車，

no TV I can understand,

沒有可以理解的電視節目，

and I still have to support my loved ones

我還得以作家和記者的身份

as a travel writer and a journalist,

撫養我的至親家人，

so clearly this is not ideal for job advancement

因此很明顯地，這對職業生涯、

or for cultural excitement

對文化探索，

or for social diversion.

或對體驗社會紛繁來說， 都不是一個理想的規劃。

But I realized that it gives me what I prize most,

但我理解，這賦予了我那些

我最珍愛的日子，

which is days

and hours.

與時刻。

I have never once had to use a cell phone there.

我在那裡從未需要使用手機。

I almost never have to look at the time,

我基本上幾乎無須看時間，

and every morning when I wake up,

每天早上我醒來時，

really the day stretches in front of me

在我眼前展開來的一天

like an open meadow.

是一片敞開的草地。

And when life throws up one of its nasty surprises,

當生命向你拋出某個重大驚喜時，

as it will, more than once,

它會不只出現一次，

when a doctor comes into my room

當一個醫生來到我房裡，

wearing a grave expression,

臉上帶著肅穆的表情，

or a car suddenly veers in front of mine on the freeway,

或一輛汽車在高速公路上 突然改道，轉進我車子前方，

I know, in my bones,

我知道，在我骨子裡，

that it's the time I've spent going nowhere

正是那無所去處的時光

that is going to sustain me much more

幫助我持續保持平靜，

than all the time I've spent racing around to Bhutan or Easter Island.

那比起我在不丹和復活節島 所度之日都要有幫助。

I'll always be a traveler --

我永遠都會是個旅者，

my livelihood depends on it --

那是我生活之所繫，

but one of the beauties of travel

然而旅行的美好之處在於，

is that it allows you to bring stillness

它讓你將沈靜之心

into the motion and the commotion of the world.

帶到這莽撞與躁動的世界之中。

I once got on a plane in Frankfurt, Germany,

有次，我在德國法蘭克福搭機，

and a young German woman came down and sat next to me

一位年輕的德國女子坐到我身旁，

and engaged me in a very friendly conversation

與我展開非常友善的對談，

for about 30 minutes,

近 30 分鐘，

and then she just turned around

接著，她就轉過身去，

and sat still for 12 hours.

靜靜坐在那裡 12 小時之久。

She didn't once turn on her video monitor,

她未曾打開螢幕，

she never pulled out a book, she didn't even go to sleep,

她也沒拿出書本， 甚至從未睡去，

she just sat still,

就只是靜靜地坐著，

and something of her clarity and calm really imparted itself to me.

她那明晰和沈靜已傳授於我。

I've noticed more and more people taking conscious measures these days

近來我注意到 有越來越多人刻意地

to try to open up a space inside their lives.

試圖在他們的生活中打開一片空間。

Some people go to black-hole resorts

有些人參加黑洞之旅

where they'll spend hundreds of dollars a night

他們會一晚花上幾百美元

in order to hand over their cell phone and their laptop

只為了將自己的手機與電腦

to the front desk on arrival.

交給度假中心接待處。

Some people I know, just before they go to sleep,

有些我認識的人

並不會在睡前玩手機，

instead of scrolling through their messages

or checking out YouTube,

或觀看 YouTube 影片，

just turn out the lights and listen to some music,

反而就只是關燈，聽音樂，

and notice that they sleep much better

他們知道，這樣會有更好的睡眠，

and wake up much refreshed.

在隔天一早將更神清氣爽。

I was once fortunate enough

我曾經有幸地

to drive into the high, dark mountains behind Los Angeles,

駕駛於洛杉磯旁 高聳黯黑的群山之中，

where the great poet and singer

那裡曾住了一位偉大的詩人樂手 --

and international heartthrob Leonard Cohen

舉世皆知的李歐納．科恩。

was living and working for many years as a full-time monk

他曾在那附近作了好幾年的全職僧侶，

in the Mount Baldy Zen Center.

就在博帝山禪學中心。

And I wasn't entirely surprised

當他在 77 歲發表了

when the record that he released at the age of 77,

自己的唱片專輯，

to which he gave the deliberately unsexy title of "Old Ideas,"

他故意給這個專輯取了個 非常不性感的名稱「舊思維」，

went to number one in the charts in 17 nations in the world,

然而這專輯在全球 17 個國家衝上排行榜首位，

hit the top five in nine others.

在另外 9 個國家衝上前 5 名。

Something in us, I think, is crying out

它觸動了我們許多人 內心裡某種東西，

for the sense of intimacy and depth that we get from people like that.

觸動了躁動的人們

一種親密、深刻與沈靜的思緒。

who take the time and trouble to sit still.

And I think many of us have the sensation,

我想許多人擁有這種感覺，我當然也是，

I certainly do,

that we're standing about two inches away from a huge screen,

我們站在一個巨大的螢幕前， 距離大約兩英吋，

and it's noisy and it's crowded

人聲鼎沸，摩肩接踵，

and it's changing with every second,

每一刻都在變動著，

and that screen is our lives.

而那螢幕即為我們自己的人生。

And it's only by stepping back, and then further back,

唯有向後退一步，再回頭一步，

and holding still,

沉靜地屏住氣，

that we can begin to see what the canvas means

我們才能開始瞭解 那畫布上描繪之物，

and to catch the larger picture.

並以更寬廣的眼界洞察世界。

And a few people do that for us by going nowhere.

有些人已如此做了，他們無須來去。

So, in an age of acceleration,

因此，在這個快速轉變的時代，

nothing can be more exhilarating than going slow.

沒有什麼比慢下來還要振奮人心。

And in an age of distraction,

在這個失焦的時代，

nothing is so luxurious as paying attention.

沒有什麼比凝神專注來得奢侈。

And in an age of constant movement,

在這個不斷變動的時代，

nothing is so urgent as sitting still.

沒有什麼比靜思來得急迫。

So you can go on your next vacation

所以，下一次當你們

to Paris or Hawaii, or New Orleans;

去巴黎、夏威夷或紐奧良度假時，

I bet you'll have a wonderful time.

我保證你們會有一段美好時光，

But, if you want to come back home alive and full of fresh hope,

但如果你們想回家， 期待滿懷全新希望，

in love with the world,

愛這個世界，

I think you might want to try considering going nowhere.

我想，也許你們應該試著 哪裡都別去。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）