Six months ago, I got an email from a man in Israel who had read one of my books, and the email said, "You don't know me, but I'm your 12th cousin." And it said, "I have a family tree with 80,000 people on it, including you, Karl Marx, and several European aristocrats." Now I did not know what to make of this. Part of me was like, okay, when's he going to ask me to wire 10,000 dollars to his Nigerian bank, right? I also thought, 80,000 relatives, do I want that? I have enough trouble with some of the ones I have already. And I won't name names, but you know who you are. But another part of me said, this is remarkable. Here I am alone in my office, but I'm not alone at all. I'm connected to 80,000 people around the world, and that's four Madison Square Gardens full of cousins. And some of them are going to be great, and some of them are going to be irritating, but they're all related to me.
Pre šest meseci, dobio sam imejl od čoveka iz Izraela koji je pročitao jednu od mojih knjiga, i u imejlu je pisalo: "Ne poznajete me, ali ja sam vaš dvanaesti rođak." I pisalo je: "Imam porodično stablo sa 80 000 ljudi na njemu, uključujući vas, Karla Marksa, i nekolicinu evropskih aristokrata." Nisam znao šta da kažem na to. Deo mene govorio je u redu, kada će me pitati da uplatim 10 000 dolara na njegov račun u nigerijskoj banci? Takođe sam pomislio, 80 000 rođaka, da li ja to želim? Imam dovoljno problema i sa nekima koje već imam. Neću navoditi imena, ali vi znate ko ste. Ali drugi deo mene rekao je, ovo je izvanredno. Evo me samog u mojoj kancelariji, ali uopšte nisam sam. Povezan sam sa 80 000 ljudi širom sveta i to je četiri Medison Skver Gardena puna rođaka. I neki od njih će biti sjajni, neki će biti iritantni, ali su svi u rodu sa mnom.
So this email inspired me to dive into genealogy, which I always thought was a very staid and proper field, but it turns out it's going through a fascinating revolution, and a controversial one. Partly, this is because of DNA and genetic testing, but partly, it's because of the Internet. There are sites that now take the Wikipedia approach to family trees, collaboration and crowdsourcing, and what you do is, you load your family tree on, and then these sites search to see if the A.J. Jacobs in your tree is the same as the A.J. Jacobs in another tree, and if it is, then you can combine, and then you combine and combine and combine until you get these massive, mega-family trees with thousands of people on them, or even millions. I'm on something on Geni called the world family tree, which has no less than a jaw-dropping 75 million people. So that's 75 million people connected by blood or marriage, sometimes both. (Laughter) It's in all seven continents, including Antarctica. I'm on it. Many of you are on it, whether you know it or not, and you can see the links. Here's my cousin Gwyneth Paltrow. She has no idea I exist, but we are officially cousins. We have just 17 links between us.
Tako me je ovaj imejl inspirisao da se bavim genealogijom, za koju sam oduvek mislio da je veoma ozbiljna i istinita oblast, ali ispostavilo se da prolazi kroz fascinantan i kontroverzan preobražaj. Ovo je delimično zbog DNK i genetskog testiranja, ali delimično i zbog interneta. Postoje sajtovi koji sada preuzimaju Vikipedijin pristup porodičnom stablu, saradnju i onlajn istraživanja, i vi treba da učitate svoje porodično stablo i onda ovi sajtovi pretražuju da vide da li je Ej Džej Džejkobs na vašem drvetu isti onaj Ej Džej Džejkobs na drugom drvetu, i ako jeste, onda možete da spajate, i onda spajate i spajate i spajate dok ne dobijete ova obimna mega-porodična stabla sa hiljadama ljudi na njima, ili čak milionima. Ja sam na nečemu što se zove Geni - to je svetsko porodično stablo, koje nema manje od zapanjujućih 75 miliona ljudi. To je 75 miliona ljudi povezanih krvlju ili brakom, nekada oboje. (Smeh) Prostire se na svih sedam kontinenata, uključujući Antarktik. Ja sam na njemu. Mnogi od vas su, bilo da to znate ili ne, i možete videti veze. Evo je moja rođaka Gvinet Paltrou. Ona nema ni ideju da ja postojim, ali smo zvanično rođaci. Imamo samo 17 spona između nas.
And there's my cousin Barack Obama. (Laughter) And he is my aunt's fifth great-aunt's husband's father's wife's seventh great-nephew, so practically my old brother.
I evo ga moj rođak Barak Obama. (Smeh) I on je sedmi pranećak supruge oca supruga pete praujne moje ujne, znači praktično moj stariji brat.
And my cousin, of course, the actor Kevin Bacon -- (Laughter) — who is my first cousin's twice removed's wife's niece's husband's first cousin once removed's niece's husband. So six degrees of Kevin Bacon, plus or minus several degrees.
I moj rođak, naravno glumac Kevin Bejkon - (Smeh) - koji je moje prve rođake po drugom kolenu ženinog muža nećaka po prvom kolenu nećakin muž. To je šest veza Kevina Bejkona, plus ili minus nekoliko veza.
Now, I'm not boasting, because all of you have famous people and historical figures in your tree, because we are all connected, and 75 million may seem like a lot, but in a few years, it's quite likely we will have a family tree with all, almost all, seven billion people on Earth.
Ne hvalim se, zato što svi vi imate poznate i istorijske ličnosti na svom stablu, zato što smo svi povezani, i 75 miliona se možda čini mnogo, ali je za nekoliko godina veoma izvesno da ćemo imati porodično stablo sa svih, skoro svih, sedam milijardi ljudi na Zemlji.
But does it really matter? What's the importance? And I do think it is important, and I'll give you five reasons why, really quickly.
Ali da li je to uopšte bitno? Koja je važnost? I ja mislim da je važno i daću vam pet razloga zašto, veoma brzo.
First, it's got scientific value. This is an unprecedented history of the human race, and it's giving us valuable data about how diseases are inherited, how people migrate, and there's a team of scientists at MIT right now studying the world family tree.
Prvo, ima naučnu važnost. Ovo je jedinstvena istorija ljudske vrste, i pruža nam dragocene podatke o tome kako se bolesti nasleđuju, kako ljudi migriraju, i trenutno je na MIT-u tim naučnika koji proučava svetsko porodično stablo.
Number two, it brings history alive. I found out I'm connected to Albert Einstein, so I told my seven-year-old son that, and he was totally engaged. Now Albert Einstein is not some dead white guy with weird hair. He's Uncle Albert. (Laughter) And my son wanted to know, "What did he say? What is E = MC squared?" Also, it's not all good news. I found a link to Jeffrey Dahmer, the serial killer, but I will say that's on my wife's side. (Laughter) (Applause) So I want to make that clear. Sorry, honey.
Kao drugo, oživljava istoriju. Otkrio sam da sam povezan sa Albertom Ajnštajnom, pa sam to rekao svom sedmogodišnjem sinu, i bio je u potpunosti zainteresovan. Sada Albert Ajnštajn nije samo neki mrtvi belac sa uvrnutom frizurom. On je ujka Albert. (Smeh) I moj sin je želeo da zna: "Šta je on rekao? Šta je E = MC na kvadrat?" Takođe, nisu sve vesti dobre. Pronašao sam vezu ka Džefriju Dameru, serijskom ubici, ali moram reći da je to sa ženine strane. (Smeh) (Aplauz) Samo to želim da razjasnim. Izvini, draga.
Number three, interconnectedness. We all come from the same ancestor, and you don't have to believe the literal Bible version, but scientists talk about Y chromosomal Adam and mitochondrial Eve, and these were about 100,000 to 300,000 years ago. We all have a bit of their DNA in us. They are our great-great-great-great-great-great -- continue that for about 7,000 times -- grandparents, and so that means we literally all are biological cousins as well, and estimates vary, but probably the farthest cousin you have on Earth is about a 50th cousin. Now, it's not just ancestors we share, descendants. If you have kids, and they have kids, look how quickly the descendants accumulate. So in 10, 12 generations, you're going to have thousands of offspring, and millions of offspring.
Kao treće, povezanost. Svi potičemo od istog pretka, i ne morate da verujete doslovno u biblijsku verziju, ali naučnici govore o Adamu sa Y hromozomom i Evi sa mitohondrijom, i ovo se događalo pre oko 100.000 do 300.000 godina. Svi imamo po delić njihove DNK u sebi. Oni su naši pra-pra-pra-pra-pra-pra- nastavite ovo 7000 puta - pradeda i prababa, pa to znači da smo bukvalno svi mi biološki rođaci, takođe, i procene variraju, ali verovatno je najdalji rođak kog imate na Zemlji otprilike pedeseto koleno. I ne delimo samo pretke, već i potomke. Ako imate decu, i oni imaju decu, pogledajte koliko brzo se potomci gomilaju. Tako da, za 10, 12 generacija imaćete hiljade potomaka, i milione potomaka.
Number four, a kinder world. Now, I know that there are family feuds. I have three sons, so I see how they fight. But I think that there's also a human bias to treat your family a little better than strangers. I think this tree is going to be bad news for bigots, because they're going to have to realize that they are cousins with thousands of people in whatever ethnic group they happen to have issues with, and I think you look back at history, and a lot of the terrible things we've done to each other is because one group thinks another group is sub-human, and you can't do that anymore. We're not just part of the same species. We're part of the same family. We share 99.9 percent of our DNA.
Kao četvrto, bolji svet. Znam da postoji porodična zavada. Imam tri sina i vidim kako se oni svađaju. Ali takođe mislim da postoji i ljudska sklonost da se članovi porodice tretiraju bolje nego stranci. Mislim da će ovo drvo biti loše za one sa predrasudama, jer će morati da shvate da su rođaci hiljadama ljudi sa bilo kojom etničkom grupom da imaju problem, i mislim da kada pogledate u prošlost, mnoge loše stvari koje smo uradili jedni drugima bile su zato što jedna grupa ljudi misli da druga nisu ljudi, i to više ne možete da radite. Nismo samo deo iste vrste. Deo smo iste porodice. Delimo 99.9% iste DNK.
Now the final one is number five, a democratizing effect. Some genealogy has an elitist strain, like people say, "Oh, I'm descended from Mary Queen of Scots and you're not, so you cannot join my country club." But that's really going to be hard to do now, because everyone is related. I'm descended from Mary Queen of Scots -- by marriage, but still.
Konačno i broj pet, efekat demokratizacije. Neke genealogije poseduju elitistički soj, kao kad ljudi kažu: "Oh, ja sam potomak Meri od Škotske, a ti nisi, pa se ne možeš priključiti mom kantri klubu." Ali će to biti sada jako teško uraditi, zato što su svi povezani. Ja sam potomak Meri Stjuart, kraljice Škotske - po braku, ali ipak.
So it's really a fascinating time in the history of family, because it's changing so fast. There is gay marriage and sperm donors and there's intermarriage on an unprecedented scale, and this makes some of my more conservative cousins a little nervous, but I actually think it's a good thing. I think the more inclusive the idea of family is, the better, because then you have more potential caretakers, and as my aunt's eighth cousin twice removed Hillary Clinton says -- (Laughter) — it takes a village.
Tako da je to zaista očaravajuće vreme u istoriji porodica, zato što se tako brzo menja. Postoje gej venčanja i donori sperme, i postoje mešoviti brakovi u neviđenim razmerama, i ovo čini moje konzervativnije rođake malo nervoznima, ali mislim da je to dobra stvar. Mislim da, što je ideja porodice više uključujuća, to bolje, jer onda imate više potencijalnih čuvara, i kao što moje tetke osma rođaka po drugom kolenu Hilari Klinton kaže - (Smeh) - potrebno je selo.
So I have all these hundreds and thousands, millions of new cousins. I thought, what can I do with this information? And that's when I decided, why not throw a party? So that's what I'm doing. And you're all invited. Next year, next summer, I will be hosting what I hope is the biggest and best family reunion in history. (Applause) Thank you. I want you there. I want you there. It's going to be at the New York Hall of Science, which is a great venue, but it's also on the site of the former World's Fair, which is, I think, very appropriate, because I see this as a family reunion meets a world's fair. There's going to be exhibits and food, music. Paul McCartney is 11 steps away, so I'm hoping he brings his guitar. He hasn't RSVP'd yet, but fingers crossed. And there is going to be a day of speakers, of fascinating cousins. It's early, but I've already, I've got some lined up. Cass Sunstein, my cousin who is perhaps the most brilliant legal scholar, will be talking. He was a former member of the Obama administration. And on the other side of the political spectrum, George H.W. Bush, number 41, the father, he has agreed to participate, and Nick Kroll, the comedian, and Dr. Oz, and many more to come. And, of course, the most important is that you, I want you guys there, and I invite you to go to GlobalFamilyReunion.org and figure out how you're on the family tree, because these are big issues, family and tribe, and I don't know all the answers, but I have a lot of smart relatives, including you guys, so together, I think we can figure it out. Only together can we solve these big problems. So from cousin to cousin, I thank you. I can't wait to see you. Goodbye.
I tako imam sve ove stotine i hiljade, milione novih rođaka. Mislio sam, šta mogu da uradim sa ovom informacijom? I tada sam odlučio, zašto ne napraviti žurku? To je ono što radim. I svi ste pozvani. Sledeće godine, sledećeg leta, ugostiću nadam se najveće i najbolje porodično okupljanje u istoriji. (Aplauz) Hvala. Želim vas tamo. Želim vas tamo. Održaće se u Njujorškoj naučnoj dvorani, koja je odlično mesto, ali je takođe i prostor nekadašnjeg svetskog sajma, što mislim da je veoma prikladno. zato što je ovo kao da se porodično okupljanje izjednačava sa svetskim sajmom. Biće izložba i hrana, muzika. Pol Mekartni je jedanaest koraka odatle, pa se nadam da će poneti gitaru. Nije još odgovorio na poziv, ali držim palčeve. I imaćemo dan govornika, fascinantnih rođaka. Rano je, ali već imam neki sastav. Kas Sanstejn, moj rođak koji je možda najbriljantniji pravni učenjak, će govoriti. On je nekadašnji član Obamine administracije. I sa druge strane političkog spektra, Džordž Buš, broj 41, otac, se složio da učestvuje, i Nik Krol, komičar, i Doktor Oz, i mnogi drugi. I, naravno, najvažnije je da vas, želim vas da vidim tamo, i pozivam vas da posetite GlobalFamilyReunion.org i vidite kako ste vi na porodičnom stablu, zato što su to veliki problemi, porodica i pleme, i ne znam sve odgovore, ali imam mnogo pametnih rođaka, uključujući i vas, pa mislim da zajedno možemo da shvatimo. Samo zajedno možemo rešiti ove velike probleme. Kao rođak rođaku vam zahvaljujem. Ne mogu da dočekam da vas vidim. Doviđenja.
(Applause)
(Aplauz)