What Ping-Pong Taught Me About Life | Pico Iyer | TED

74,629 views ・ 2019-09-19

TED


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譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Marssi Draw
00:13
Every other night in Japan,
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在日本,每隔一晚,
00:16
I step out of my apartment,
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我就會步出我的公寓,
00:18
I climb up a hill for 15 minutes,
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花十五分鐘爬上山丘,
00:21
and then I head into my local health club,
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接著前往當地的健康俱樂部,
00:25
where three ping-pong tables are set up in a studio.
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在俱樂部裡,有三張 乒乓球桌放在一間房間中。
00:30
And space is limited,
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空間有限,
00:32
so at every table,
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所以,每一張球桌
00:33
one pair of players practices forehands,
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都有一組球員練正手,
00:36
another practices backhands,
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另一組練習反手,
00:39
and every now and then, the balls collide in midair
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偶爾,球會在空中相撞,
00:42
and everybody says, "Wow!"
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大家就會出聲:「哇!」
00:46
Then, choosing lots, we select partners and play doubles.
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接著,我們用抽籤的方式 選夥伴玩雙打。
00:51
But I honestly couldn't tell you who's won,
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但我實在無法告訴各位誰贏了,
00:54
because we change partners every five minutes.
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因為我們每五分鐘就會換夥伴。
00:59
And everybody is trying really hard
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每個人都非常努力
01:02
to win points,
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想要得分,
01:04
but nobody is keeping track of who is winning games.
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但沒有人在記錄誰贏得了比賽。
01:08
And after an hour or so of furious exertion,
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拼了一個小時左右,
01:13
I can honestly tell you
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我可以老實告訴各位,
01:14
that not knowing who has won
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不知道誰贏了
01:17
feels like the ultimate victory.
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感覺就像是終極的勝利。
01:21
In Japan, it's been said,
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在日本有種說法,
01:23
they've created a competitive spirit without competition.
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他們不用競爭就創造了競爭的精神。
01:30
Now, all of you know that geopolitics is best followed by watching ping-pong.
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大家都知道,了解地緣政治學 最好的方式就是看乒乓球。
01:37
(Laughter)
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(笑聲)
01:38
The two strongest powers in the world were fiercest enemies
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世界上最大的兩個強權 是非常對立的敵人,
01:43
until, in 1972, an American ping-pong team
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直到 1972 年,一支美國乒乓球隊
01:48
was allowed to visit Communist China.
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獲准造訪共產主義的中國。
01:52
And as soon as the former adversaries
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當這些過往敵手
01:54
were gathered around some small green tables,
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聚在那些小型綠色桌子旁邊,
01:58
each of them could claim a victory,
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每個人都有可能取得勝利,
02:01
and the whole world could breathe more easily.
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全世界也能喘口氣。
02:05
China's leader, Mao Zedong,
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中國的領導人毛澤東
02:07
wrote a whole manual on ping-pong,
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寫了一整本的乒乓手冊,
02:10
and he called the sport "a spiritual nuclear weapon."
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他把這項運動稱為 「靈性的核武」。
02:16
And it's been said that the only honorary lifelong member
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據說,美國乒聯
唯一的榮譽終身會員
02:20
of the US Table Tennis Association
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02:22
is the then-President Richard Nixon,
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是當時的總統尼克森,
02:25
who helped to engineer this win-win situation
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他透過乒乓交際手腕
協助策劃了這個雙贏局面。
02:29
through ping-pong diplomacy.
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02:33
But long before that,
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但,其實早在那之前, 現代世界的歷史
02:34
really, the history of the modern world
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02:37
was best told through the bouncing white ball.
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就最適合透過反彈的白球來說明。
02:42
"Ping-pong" sounds like a cousin of "sing-song,"
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「乒乓」聽起來像是 「唱歌(英文發音類似)」的表親,
02:46
like something Eastern,
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聽起來有東方味,
02:48
but actually, it's believed that it was invented by high-class Brits
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但其實,一般相信 它是在維多利亞時期
由上流英國人所發明,
02:53
during Victorian times,
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02:55
who started hitting wine corks over walls of books after dinner.
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他們在晚餐之後將酒瓶塞 打向書牆,發明了乒乓。
03:00
(Laughter)
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(笑聲)
03:01
No exaggeration.
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沒有誇大。
03:02
(Laughter)
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(笑聲)
03:03
And by the end of World War I,
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第一次世界大戰尾聲時,
03:05
the sport was dominated by players from the former Austro-Hungarian Empire:
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這項運動被前奧匈帝國球員給主宰:
03:11
eight out of nine early world championships
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早期的世界冠軍,九個中有八個
03:14
were claimed by Hungary.
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被匈牙利拿走。
03:16
And Eastern Europeans grew so adept
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而東歐人非常善長
03:19
at hitting back everything that was hit at them
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把打向他們的任何東西打回去,
03:23
that they almost brought the whole sport to a standstill.
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他們幾乎把這整個運動 打到停滯狀態。
03:27
In one championship match in Prague in 1936,
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1936 年在布拉格的 一場冠軍賽事中,
03:31
the first point is said to have lasted two hours and 12 minutes.
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到了兩小時十二分時 才有人得了第一分。
03:37
The first point!
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第一分!
03:38
Longer than a "Mad Max" movie.
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比《衝鋒飛車隊》電影還長。
03:41
And according to one of the players, the umpire had to retire with a sore neck
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根據一位球員的說法,
在那一分出現之前, 裁判就已經因為脖子酸痛而離場。
03:47
before the point was concluded.
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03:49
(Laughter)
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(笑聲)
03:50
That player started hitting the ball back with his left hand
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球員開始用左手把球打回去,
03:54
and dictating chess moves between shots.
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在打擊之間口述棋步。
03:57
(Laughter)
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(笑聲)
03:58
Many in the audience started, of course, filing out,
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當然,許多觀眾 開始一個接一個離開,
04:01
as that single point lasted maybe 12,000 strokes.
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因為要得一分可能 要揮一萬兩千拍。
04:06
And an emergency meeting of the International Table Tennis Association
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國際桌球總會立即
04:11
had to be held then and there,
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召開緊急會議,
04:14
and soon the rules were changed
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規則很快就被改變了,
04:16
so that no game could last longer than 20 minutes.
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比賽不得超過二十分鐘。
04:20
(Laughter)
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(笑聲)
04:22
Sixteen years later, Japan entered the picture,
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十六年後,日本也來參一腳,
04:26
when a little-known watchmaker called Hiroji Satoh
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一名沒沒無聞的鐘錶匠佐藤博治
04:30
showed up at the world championships in Bombay in 1952.
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於 1952 年出現在 孟買的世界冠軍賽。
04:36
And Satoh was not very big, he wasn't highly rated,
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佐藤個子不高,排名不在前面,
04:40
he was wearing spectacles,
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他戴著眼鏡,
04:43
but he was armed with a paddle that was not pimpled,
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但是他所配備的球拍
不像其他球拍是顆粒面的,
04:48
as other paddles were,
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04:49
but covered by a thick spongy rubber foam.
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而是表面厚厚的海棉橡膠泡沫。
04:54
And thanks to this silencing secret weapon,
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因為有這個安靜的秘密武器,
04:59
the little-known Satoh won a gold medal.
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不為人知的佐藤贏得金牌。
05:02
One million people came out into the streets of Tokyo
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他返鄉時,東京有一百萬人
05:07
to greet him upon his return,
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走上街頭歡迎他,
05:09
and really, Japan's postwar resurgence was set into motion.
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日本的戰後復興就這麼啟動了。
05:16
What I learned, though, at my regular games in Japan,
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不過,我在日本一般比賽中所學到的
05:21
is more what could be called the inner sport of global domination,
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比較是所謂全球統治的內在運動,
05:27
sometimes known as life.
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也就是人生。
05:30
We never play singles in our club,
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在我們的俱樂部中, 我們從來不單打,
05:34
only doubles,
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只進行雙打,
05:35
and because, as I say, we change partners every five minutes,
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因為,如我所說的, 我們每五分鐘就換夥伴,
05:39
if you do happen to lose, you're very likely to win
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如果你剛好輸了,六分鐘之後,
05:43
six minutes later.
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你很可能就會贏。
05:45
We also play best-of-two sets,
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我們也會玩三局兩勝制,
05:48
so often, there's no loser at all.
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通常就完全不會有輸家。
05:52
Ping-pong diplomacy.
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乒乓交際手腕。
05:54
And I always remember that as a boy growing up in England,
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我在英國長大,一直記得
05:57
I was taught that the point of a game was to win.
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被教導比賽的目的是獲勝。
06:02
But in Japan, I'm encouraged to believe that, really, the point of a game
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但在日本,大家鼓勵我相信, 其實比賽的重點
06:07
is to make as many people as possible around you feel that they are winners.
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是要盡可能讓你身邊 有越多人感覺自己是贏家。
06:13
So you're not careening up and down as an individual might,
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所以你就不會像獨自 一個人那樣載沉載浮,
06:16
but you're part of a regular, steady chorus.
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你屬於一個平凡穩定的團隊。
06:21
The most skillful players in our club
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在我們的俱樂部中,球技最好的球員
06:25
deploy their skills to turn a 9-1 lead for their team
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會把他們的技巧用在 讓他們球隊九比一領先的局面
06:29
into a 9-9 game in which everybody is intensely involved.
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轉換成九比九的局面, 讓大家和比賽緊密結合。
06:34
And my friend who hits these high, looping lobs
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我有位朋友,他很會打高吊球,
06:39
that smaller players flail at and miss --
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小個子球員會亂打且打不中——
06:43
well, he wins a lot of points, but I think he's thought of as a loser.
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他能得很多分, 但我認為他被視為是輸家。
06:48
In Japan, a game of ping-pong is really like an act of love.
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在日本,乒乓比賽其實 像是一種愛的舉動。
06:54
You're learning how to play with somebody,
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你學習的是如何和其他人一起運動,
06:56
rather than against her.
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而不是對抗其他人。
06:59
And I'll confess,
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我必須承認一開始
07:00
at first, this seemed to me to take all the fun out of the sport.
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我覺得這樣子運動的樂趣都沒了。
07:05
I couldn't exult after a tremendous upset victory against our strongest players,
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在擊敗最強的球員之後 我不能為之狂喜,
07:10
because six minutes later, with a new partner,
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因為六分鐘之後,換了新夥伴,
07:13
I was falling behind again.
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我又落後了。
07:15
On the other hand, I never felt disconsolate.
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另一方面,我從來 沒有感覺鬱鬱不樂。
07:20
And when I flew away from Japan and started playing singles again
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當我飛離日本,
和英國主要的對手開始再次單打時,
07:24
with my English archrival,
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07:27
I noticed that after every defeat, I was really brokenhearted.
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我發現每次輸球就真的很心碎。
07:33
But after every victory, I couldn't sleep either,
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但每次勝利之後,我也無法入睡,
07:37
because I knew there was only one way to go,
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因為我知道只剩下一條路,
07:39
and that was down.
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就是下坡。
07:43
Now, if I were trying to do business in Japan,
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如果我要在日本做生意,
07:47
this would lead to endless frustration.
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這會造成無盡的挫折感。
07:51
In Japan, unlike elsewhere,
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日本和其他地方不同,
07:53
if the score is still level after four hours,
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在日本如果四小時之後仍然比數相同,
07:56
a baseball game ends in a tie,
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棒球比賽就是以平手結束,
08:00
and because the league standings are based on winning percentage,
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因為聯賽排名的依據是勝率,
08:05
a team with quite a few ties can finish ahead
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有很多場平手的球隊在榜上
可能領先勝賽比較多場的球隊。
08:08
of a team with more victories.
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08:12
One of the first times an American was ever brought over to Japan
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最早被請到日本去領導
08:15
to lead a professional Japanese baseball team,
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日本職業球隊的其中一位美國人
08:19
Bobby Valentine, in 1995,
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是巴比瓦倫泰,時間是 1995 年,
08:22
he took this really mediocre squad,
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他帶的球隊很平凡,
08:24
he lead them to a stunning second-place finish,
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最後卻以第二名的驚人成績結束,
08:28
and he was instantly fired.
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而他馬上被開除了。
08:30
Why?
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為什麼?
08:31
"Well," said the team spokesman,
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「嗯,」球隊發言人說:
08:33
"because of his emphasis on winning."
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「因為他強調贏球。」
08:37
(Laughter)
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(笑聲)
08:38
Official Japan can feel quite a lot like that point
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官方的日本感覺起來就很像
08:41
that was said to last two hours and 12 minutes,
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花了兩小時十二分鐘 才得到的那一分,
08:45
and playing not to lose
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為了不要輸而比賽,
08:47
can take all the imagination, the daring, the excitement, out of things.
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會把所有的想像力、 大膽冒險、興奮都給奪去。
08:54
At the same time, playing ping-pong in Japan
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同時,在日本打乒乓球
08:58
reminds me why choirs regularly enjoy more fun
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讓我想起為什麼合唱團通常會比
獨唱更有樂趣。
09:03
than soloists.
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09:05
In a choir, your only job is to play your small part perfectly,
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在合唱團中,你唯一的工作 就是完美演出你的小角色,
09:11
to hit your notes with feeling,
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用感覺去唱出你的音符,
09:14
and by so doing, to help to create a beautiful harmony
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如此協助創造出美麗的和諧,
09:18
that's much greater than the sum of its parts.
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讓它變得比所有部分 加總起來更強大。
09:23
Yes, every choir does need a conductor,
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是的,每個合唱團都需要一個指揮,
09:26
but I think a choir releases you from a child's simple sense of either-ors.
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但我認為合唱團會讓你脫離
兒時非黑即白的簡單二分法。
09:33
You come to see that the opposite of winning isn't losing --
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你會開始了解 贏的另一面並不是輸——
09:38
it's failing to see the larger picture.
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而是無法看到更大的大局。
09:43
As my life goes on,
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隨著年歲增長,我很訝異見到
09:46
I'm really startled to see that no event
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事件在發生後數年
09:50
can properly be assessed for years after it has unfolded.
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仍不能適當地被評估。
09:57
I once lost everything I owned in the world,
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我曾經失去過我在世界上 所擁有的一切,
10:01
every last thing, in a wildfire.
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在大火中失去所有的一切。
10:05
But in time, I came to see that it was that seeming loss
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但最後,我漸漸了解, 那看似失去一切的狀況,
10:09
that allowed me to live on the earth more gently,
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讓我能夠更溫柔地住在地球上,
10:13
to write without notes,
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不用筆記就能寫作,
10:16
and actually, to move to Japan
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且能真的搬到日本,
10:18
and the inner health club known as the ping-pong table.
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加入內在健康俱樂部, 也就是乒乓球桌。
10:23
Conversely, I once stumbled into the perfect job,
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相反的,我有一次 遇到了一個完美的工作,
10:28
and I came to see that seeming happiness
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我漸漸了解,那看似快樂的狀況
10:31
can stand in the way of true joy
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反而比不幸更會阻礙
10:34
even more than misery does.
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真正的喜悅。
10:37
Playing doubles in Japan really relieves me of all my anxiety,
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在日本雙打真的讓我 解除了所有焦慮,
10:43
and at the end of an evening,
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有天晚上結束時,
10:44
I notice everybody is filing out in a more or less equal state of delight.
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我注意到大家都有 差不多同等的愉悅。
10:52
I'm reminded every night
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每天晚上我都會被提醒,
10:54
that not getting ahead isn't the same thing as falling behind
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沒有領先並不等同於落後,
11:00
any more than not being lively is the same thing as being dead.
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就如同,沒有精力充沛 並不等同於死了。
11:06
And I've come to understand why it is
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我漸漸了解為什麼
11:08
that Chinese universities are said to offer degrees in ping-pong,
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中國的大學會提供乒乓球學位,
11:14
and why researchers have found that ping-pong
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以及為什麼研究者發現乒乓
11:17
can actually help a little with mild mental disorders
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真的能對輕微的 心理疾病有一點幫助,
11:21
and even autism.
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甚至是自閉症。
11:24
But as I watch the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo,
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但當我看 2020 東京奧運時,
11:28
I'm going to be keenly aware
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我將會非常敏銳地意識到
11:31
that it won't be possible to tell who's won or who's lost
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會有很長的一段時間
不可能分辨出誰贏、誰輸。
11:35
for a very long time.
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11:39
You remember that point I mentioned
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還記得我前面提到過
11:42
that was said to last for two hours and 12 minutes?
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花了兩小時十二分才得到的一分嗎?
11:45
Well, one of the players from that game ended up, six years later,
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那場比賽的其中一位球員
六年後淪落到 奧斯威辛和達豪集中營。
11:50
in the concentration camps of Auschwitz and Dachau.
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11:55
But he walked out alive.
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但他活著出來了。
11:59
Why?
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為什麼?
12:00
Simply because a guard in the gas chamber
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只因為毒氣室的一名守衛
12:03
recognized him from his ping-pong playing days.
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認出他以前是乒乓球員。
12:08
Had he been the winner of that epic match?
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他是那場史詩級比賽的贏家嗎?
12:11
It hardly mattered.
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一點也不重要了。
12:12
As you recall, many people had filed out before even the first point was concluded.
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如果各位記得,很多人 在那一分出現之前就離場了。
12:19
The only thing that saved him
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救了他一命的不是輸贏,
12:21
was the fact that he took part.
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而是他的參賽。
12:25
The best way to win any game,
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每隔一天晚上日本就會告訴我,
12:27
Japan tells me every other night,
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贏得任何比賽的最佳方法,
12:30
is never, never to think about the score.
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是永遠、永遠不要去想比分。
12:37
Thank you.
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謝謝。
12:38
(Applause)
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(掌聲)
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