A letter to all who have lost in this era | Anand Giridharadas

譯者: Jessica Tsai 審譯者: Bighead Ge

June 29, 2016.

二零一六年六月二十九日。

My dear fellow citizen:

我親愛的同胞們：

I write to you today,

我今天寫信給你們，

to you who have lost in this era.

給在這個時代中迷失的你們。

At this moment in our common life,

在我們共同生活的這個瞬間，

when the world is full of breaking

世界正充滿著分裂、

and spite

怨恨、

and fear,

和恐懼。

I address this letter

我寫信的對象只有「你們」，

simply to you,

even though we both know

雖然我們都知道

there are many of you behind this "you,"

在你們之後還有很多「你」，

and many of me behind this "I."

而在我身後也有很多個「我」。

I write to you because at present,

我寫信給你們是因為現在，

this quaking world we share scares me.

我們共享的晃動世界使我害怕。

I gather it scares you, too.

我猜它也讓你害怕。

Some of what we fear, I suspect,

我們所害怕的一些事物，我猜，

we fear in common.

是相同的。

But much of what we fear seems to be each other.

但大多使我們害怕的來自我們彼此。

You fear the world I want to live in,

你害怕我理想中的世界，

and I fear your visions in turn.

而我也畏懼著你的視界。

Do you know that feeling you get when you know it's going to storm

你知道當你知道暴風雨即將來襲前

before it storms?

會有的那種感覺嗎？

Do you also feel that now,

你們現在也感受到那種感覺嗎，

fellow citizen?

同胞們？

That malaise and worry

那種不安和擔心，

that some who know

有些人還記得

feel reminds them of the 1930s?

這種感覺讓他們想起 1930 年代？

Perhaps you don't,

也許你並非如此，

because our fears of each other

因為我們對彼此的恐懼

are not in sync.

並不同步。

In this round, I sense that your fears of me,

這次，我察覺到了你們對我的恐懼，

of the world that I have insisted is right for us both,

你們對我所堅信的世界、

適合我們兩者的世界的恐懼，

has gathered over a generation.

已在世代間逐漸聚集。

It took time for your fears to trigger my fears,

你的恐懼要引起我的恐懼 是需要時間的，

not least because at first,

起碼在最初，

I never thought I needed to fear you.

我從沒想過我需要懼怕你。

I heard you

我聽到你，

but did not listen,

但並未聽進去，

all these years when you said that this amazing new world

在這些年間， 當你說這個精彩的新世界

wasn't amazing for you,

對你來說並不是那麼美妙，

for many of you,

對你們很多人來說，

across the industrialized world;

穿越工業化的世界，

that the open, liquid world I relished,

這個我所享受的開放、流動的世界，

of people and goods and technologies flowing freely,

人們、商品以及科技 自由地流動互通，

going where they pleased, globally,

到他們想去的世界各地，

was not, for you, an emancipation.

對你，並不是一種解放。

I have walked through your towns

我走遍了你們的城鎮，

and, while looking, failed to see.

當我看的時候，卻看不見。

I did notice in Stephenville, Texas,

我的確看到在德州的斯蒂芬維爾市，

that the town square was dominated

城鎮廣場被

by one lawyer's office after another,

一間又一間的律師事務所佔據，

because of all the people rotating in and out of the prison.

因為人們在監獄進進出出。

I did notice the barren shops in Wagner, South Dakota,

我的確看到在南達科他州 瓦格納的荒涼店鋪，

and the VFW gathering hall

以及海外戰爭退伍軍人會所

that stood in mockery

矗立於

of a community's dream to endure.

社區對於夢想所忍受的嘲弄中。

I did notice

我的確發現

at the Lancaster, Pennsylvania Wal-Mart,

在賓州蘭卡斯特城的大賣場中，

that far too many people in their 20s and 30s

太多二十幾、三十幾的年輕人

looked a decade or two from death,

看起來離死亡只剩十年或二十年，

with patchy, flared-up skin

有著不勻稱、紅腫的皮膚

and thinning, stringy hair

和稀疏成條的頭髮，

and browning, ground-down teeth

發褐、搖搖欲墜的牙齒，

and a lostness in their eyes.

以及他們眼神中的茫然。

I did notice that the young people I encountered in Paris,

我的確注意到在巴黎、在佛羅倫斯、

in Florence, in Barcelona,

在巴塞隆納遇見的年輕人，

had degrees but no place to take them,

擁有著學歷卻無處可去，

living on internships well into their 30s,

三十幾卻仍是實習生，

their lives prevented from launching,

他們的生命被阻擋，無法大放異彩，

because of an economy that creates wealth --

因為經濟創造了財富──

just not jobs.

卻不創造工作。

I did notice the news about those parts of London becoming ghost quarters,

我的確看到了新聞報導 部分倫敦變成鬼城，

where the global super-rich turn fishy money into empty apartments

世界超級富豪將可疑的錢 變成一棟棟空著的公寓，

and price lifelong residents of a city, young couples starting out,

向城市的永久居民索價， 年輕夫婦出走，

out of their own home.

走出他們自己的家園。

And I heard that the fabric of your life

我還聽到你們生活的結構

was tearing.

正在被撕裂。

You used to be able to count on work,

你以前能夠依靠工作，

and now you couldn't.

但現在卻無法。

You used to be able to nourish your children,

你以前能夠養育你的小孩，

and guarantee that they would climb

並確保他們能夠

a little bit further in life than you had,

爬得比你所擁有的人生還要高，

and now you couldn't.

但現在卻無法。

You used to be made to feel dignity in your work, and now you didn't.

你以前在工作中找到尊嚴， 但現在卻無法。

It used to be normal for people like you to own a home,

以前，和你們一樣的人們 擁有房子是再正常不過的事了，

and now it wasn't.

而現在卻並非如此。

I cannot say

我不能說

I didn't know these things,

我不知道這些事情，

but I was distracted

但我在想著別的事情，

creating a future in which we could live on Mars,

想著創造一個 人們住在火星上的未來，

even as you struggled down here on Earth.

即使你們仍在地球上掙扎。

I was distracted

我在想著別的事情，

innovating immortality,

想著創造永生，

even as many of you began to live shorter lives than your parents had.

即使你們很多人開始活得 比你們的父母還短暫。

I heard all of these things, but I didn't listen.

我聽到這些事，卻聽而不聞。

I looked

我看了，

but didn't see.

卻視而不見。

I read, didn't understand.

我讀了，卻不去明白。

I paid attention

只有當你們開始投票吶喊時， 我才注意到。

only when you began to vote and shout,

and when your voting and shouting, when the substance of it,

以及當你們的選票和吶喊， 當這些的本質，

began to threaten me.

開始威脅到我的時候。

I listened only when you moved toward shattering continental unions

只有當你們朝粉碎大陸聯盟前行，

and electing vulgar demagogues.

並選出庸俗煽動者的時候， 我才聽懂了。

Only then did your pain become of interest

直到那時你們的苦痛 才成為我所關注。

to me.

I know that feeling hurt

我知道，感到疼痛，

is often prologue to dealing hurt.

通常是處理傷痛的第一步。

I wonder now

我現在納悶著，

if you would be less eager to deal it

你們是否不再想要處理傷痛，

if I had stood with you

而我是否與你們站在一起，

when you merely felt it.

在你們幾乎麻木之時。

I ask myself

我問我自己，

why I didn't stand with you then.

那時為什麼我不和你們站在一起呢？

One reason is that I became entranced

其中一個原因是我陶醉於

by the gurus of change,

改變的權威中，

became a worshiper of the religion of the new for novelty's sake,

崇拜著只為了創新而創新、

and of globalization and open borders

全球化和開放邊界，

and kaleidoscopic diversity.

還有萬花筒般的多樣性。

Once change became my totalizing faith,

一旦「改變」成為我的總體信仰，

I could be blind.

我會變得盲目。

I could fail to see change's consequences.

我會看不清改變的後果。

I could overlook the importance

我會忽略

of roots, traditions, rituals, stability --

根本、傳統、儀式、安定──

and belonging.

和歸屬的重要性。

And the more fundamentalist I became

當我越景仰改變和開放， 成為一個基本主義者，

in my worship of change and openness,

the more I drove you towards the other polarity,

我就越將你們導向另一個極端，

to cling,

去墨守、

to freeze,

去凍結、

to close,

去封閉、

to belong.

去歸屬。

I now see as I didn't before

我現在看到了我之前沒看到的，

that not having the right skin or right organ

那就是沒有正確的皮膚和器官

is not the only varietal of disadvantage.

並不是劣勢唯一的一種變形。

There is a subtler, quieter disadvantage

有更隱約、更不明顯的劣勢

in having those privileged traits

存在於有特權的特徵中，

and yet feeling history to be moving away from you;

並感覺歷史離你而去；

that while the past was hospitable to people like you,

雖然過去對像你這種人友善，

the future will be more hospitable

但未來只會

to others;

對其他人更友善；

that the world is growing less familiar,

世界日漸陌生，

less yours day by day.

一天一天越來不像你的世界。

I will not concede for a moment that old privileges should not dwindle.

我一刻也不會承認 舊的特權不需要被限縮。

They cannot dwindle fast enough.

它們的限縮還不夠快。

It is for you to learn to live in a new century in which

你們必須學會在這個新世代

there are no bonuses for showing up with the right skin and right organs.

並不會因為正確的 皮膚和器官而得到好處。

If and when your anger turns to hate,

如果你們的憤怒成為了仇恨，

please know that there is no space for that in our shared home.

請了解在我們共享的家園中 並沒有仇恨的空間。

But I will admit, fellow citizen,

但我承認，同胞們，

that I have discounted the burden of coping with the loss of status.

我錯估了處理地位喪失這件事 所承受的壓力。

I have forgotten

我遺忘了，

that what is socially necessary can also be personally gruelling.

在地位上不可或缺的事 對個人也極度慘忍。

A similar thing happened

同樣的事，

with the economy that you and I share.

發生在你我共享的經濟中。

Just as I cannot and don't wish

就如同我無法也不願希望

to turn back to the clock on equality and diversity,

讓公平和多樣性走回頭路，

and yet must understand

然而我必須明白

the sense of loss they can inspire,

它們可能激發出的迷失感，

so, too, I refuse and could not if I wished

因此，同樣的，我拒絕， ──就算我想也無法──

turn back the clock on an ever more closely knit, interdependent world,

讓更加緊密交織、互相依賴、

and on inventions that won't stop being invented.

創新永不停止的世界走回頭路。

And yet I must understand your experience of these things.

但是我必須了解 你們對這些事的體驗。

You have for years been telling me that your experience of these things

你們已經在數年間持續告訴我， 你們在這些事情中所經歷的，

is not as good as my theories forecast.

並不如我理論所預期的一樣好。

Yet before you could finish a complaining sentence

然而在你們說完抱怨的句子之前，

about the difficulty of living with erratic hours, volatile pay,

埋怨著生活的困難、 不定的工時、不定的收入、

vanishing opportunities,

消失的機會、

about the pain of dropping your children off at 24-hour day care

將小孩安置在 24 小時托育中心

to make your 3am shift,

以便能在凌晨三點輪班的痛苦，

I shot back at you -- before you could finish your sentence --

我回嘴了── 在你說完你的句子之前──

my dogma,

我的信念，

about how what you are actually experiencing was flexibility

你們經歷的其實是彈性

and freedom.

及自由。

Language is one of the only things that we truly share,

語言是我們真正共享的唯一事物，

and I sometimes used this joint inheritance

而我有時運用這個共同財產

to obfuscate

來模糊視聽，

and deflect

和扭曲事實，

and justify myself;

以及為我自己辯護；

to re-brand what was good for me

將對我有利的事物重新塑造成

as something appearing good for us both,

看似對我們都有利的事，

when I threw around terms like "the sharing economy,"

我拋出像「共享經濟」、

and "disruption"

和「分裂」、

and "global resourcing."

以及「全球資源化」這些名詞。

I see now that what I was really doing,

現在我知道我到底做了什麼，

at times,

有時候，

was buying your pain on the cheap,

只是廉價收購你們的痛苦，

sprucing it up

重新包裝的漂漂亮亮，

and trying to sell it back to you

再試著將它們作為自由賣回給你們。

as freedom.

I have wanted to believe and wanted you to believe

我一直以來都想相信， 也想要你們相信，

that the system that has been good to me,

這個對我有利的制度，

that has made my life ever more seamless,

讓我的生活更趨平緩的制度，

is also the best system for you.

也是對你們最有利的制度。

I have condescended to you

我以屈尊的態度對待你們，

with the idea that you are voting against your economic interests --

說你們正違背你們的 經濟利益在投票──

voting against your interests,

違背你們自身利益在投票，

as if I know your interests.

好像我了解你們的利益一樣。

That is just my dogmatic economism talking.

這只是我武斷的 經濟主義的談話罷了。

I have a weakness

我有一個弱點，

for treating people's economic interests as their only interest,

就是把人們的經濟利益 視為他們的唯一利益，

ignoring things like belonging and pride

忽略了歸屬感和尊嚴

and the desire to send a message to those who ignore you.

以及你們想傳達訊息 給忽視你們的人的慾望。

So here we are,

所以我們現在在這裡，

in a scary but not inexplicable moment

處在一個可怕 但並非難以理解的時刻，

of demagoguery, fracture,

在煽動、分裂、

xenophobia, resentment and fear.

排外主義、憤慨、以及恐懼中。

And I worry for us both if we continue down this road,

而我擔心著我們雙方， 當我們持續走在這條路上，

me not listening,

我聽而不聞，

you feeling unheard,

你感受到不被聆聽，

you shouting to get me to listen.

你大吼著想讓我聽見。

I worry when each of us is seduced by visions of the future

我擔心著我們都被這樣的未來誘惑，

that have no place for the other.

這個未來沒有另外一方存在的空間。

If this goes on,

如果這持續下去，

if this goes on,

如果這持續下去，

there may be blood.

那就可能會見血。

There are already hints of this blood

早已有跡象暗示了這血，

in newspapers every day.

就在每日的報紙中。

There may be roundups, raids,

可能會有圍捕、襲擊、

deportations, camps, secessions.

驅除出境、拘留營、分離。

And no, I do not think that I exaggerate.

不，我不覺得我誇大了。

There may be even talk of war

甚至可能會有發動戰爭的言論

in places that were certain they were done with it.

在那些已經受夠戰爭的地區。

There is always the hope of redemption.

人們一直對贖罪抱著希望，

But it will not be a cheap, shallow redemption

但這並不會是廉價、膚淺的贖罪，

that comes through blather about us all being in it together.

在呼籲大家團結的胡言中產生。

This will take more.

這個贖罪需要更多。

It will take accepting that we both made choices to be here.

它會要我們接受 雙方都選擇在這裡生存。

We create our "others."

我們創造「其他人」。

As parents, as neighbors, as citizens,

作為父母、作為鄰居、作為公民，

we witness and sometimes ignore each other

我們看見了卻有時忽略

into being.

他人的存在。

You were not born vengeful.

你並不是生來復仇的。

I have some role

我的確扮演一些角色

in whatever thirst you now feel for revenge,

在使你們現在想復仇的事情中，

and that thirst now tempts me

而復仇的慾望現在引誘著我

to plot ever more elaborate escapes

在共同的生活中 塑造更加精美的逃避出口。

from our common life,

from the schools and neighborhoods

從學校和鄰居社區

and airports and amusement parks

以及機場和遊樂園，

that we used to share.

這些我們過去共享的事物中逃跑。

We face, then,

因而，我們面臨了一個問題，

a problem not of these large, impersonal forces.

不是這些巨大、非個人的力量。

We face a problem of your and my relations.

我們面臨你和我之間的關係問題。

We chose ways of relating to each other

我們選擇彼此連結的方式

that got us here.

讓我們走到了這個地步。

We can choose ways of relating

我們也可以選擇

讓我們走出去的連結方式。

that get us out.

But there are things we might have to let go of,

但我們必須先捨棄一些東西，

fellow citizen,

同胞們，

starting with our own cherished versions of reality.

就從我們各自 對美好未來的說法開始。

Imagine if you let go of fantasies

想像你捨棄了

of a society purged of these or those people.

社會淨化了這些人那些人的幻想。

Imagine if I let go of my habit

想像我捨棄了一個習慣，

of saving the world behind your back,

就是在你們背後拯救世界，

of deliberating on the future

商議著你們未來的

of your work,

工作、

your food,

食物、

your schools,

教育，

in places where you couldn't get past security.

還有你們再也無法得到 如同過去的安全感的地方。

We can do this only if we first accept

要從現狀逃出，只有當我們先接受

that we have neglected each other.

我們一直忽略彼此這件事。

If there is hope to summon

如果在這不祥的時刻， 還能召喚一線希望，

in this ominous hour,

it is this.

那就是這個。

We have, for too long,

我們長久以來，

chased various shimmering dreams

追尋著各種閃爍的夢想，

at the cost of attention to the foundational dream of each other,

代價就是犧牲對於彼此 最根本夢想的注意力，

the dream of tending to each other,

一個在乎照料著彼此，

of unleashing each other's wonders,

釋放對彼此的欽佩與讚賞，

of moving through history together.

一起在歷史中前行的夢想。

We could dare to commit to the dream of each other

我們可以勇敢投入於彼此的夢想中，

as the thing that matters before every neon thing.

因為這些夢想比起 其他霓虹般的事物更為重要。

Let us dare.

讓我們放膽去做。

Sincerely yours,

你忠誠的

a fellow citizen.

同胞敬上。

(Applause)

（掌聲）