سڵاوتان لێبێت، ههموو لایهك. شهرهفمهندم كه لێرهم قسهتان بۆ بكهم، و ئهوهی كه دهمهوێت لهبارهی قسه بكهم بهخت و دادپهروهریی و ئهو پهیوهندییهیه كه له نێوانیاندایه.
Hello, everybody. I'm honored to be here to talk to you, and what I'm going to talk about today is luck and justice and the relation between them.
چهند ساڵێك پێش ئێستا، قوتابییهكی پێشووترم پهیوهندی پێوه كردم بۆ گفتوگۆكردن لهبارهی كچهكهی. وادهركهوت كه كچهكهی له دوا قۆناغی ئامادهیی بوو، زۆر حهزی دهكرد بۆ سوارتمۆر پێشكهش بكات، ئهو شوێنهی كه وانهم تیا دهگوتهوه، و ویستی ڕای من بزانێت كه ئایا دهتوانێت بچێته ئهو شوێنه. سوارتمۆر قوتابخانهیهكه چوونه ناوی كه زۆر زهحمهته . بۆیه پێم گوت،"زۆرباشه، له بارهی كچهكهت قسهم بۆ بكه." ئهویش له بارهیهوه بۆم دوا، نمرهكانی چۆن بوون، چالاكییهكانی دهرهوهی خوێندنی. وهكو ئهستێرهیهك دهركهوت، منداڵێكی تهواو نایاب. بۆیه گوتم، "ئهفسانهیی دیاره. لهو جۆره قوتابیانه دهچێت كه سوارتمۆر حهزی لێیه وهریان بگرێت." ئهو گووتی، "زۆرباشه، ئهمه مانای وایه كه وهردهگیرێت؟" منیش وتم، "نهخێر. شوێنی پێویست له پۆلهكانی سوارتمۆر نییه بۆ ههموو كهسێك كه باشه. شوێنی تهواو له هارڤارد یان یهیڵ یان پرینستۆن یان ستانفۆرد نییه. شوێنی تهواو له گووگڵ یان ئهمهزۆن یاخود ئهپڵ نییه. شوێنی تهواو له كۆنفرانسهكانی TED نییه. ژمارهیهكی ئێجگار زۆر خهڵكی باش ههن، و ههندێكیان ناتوانن ئهنجامی بدهن." بۆیه گو,تی، "باشه، پێویسته چی بكهین؟" منیش گوتم، "ئهمه پرسیارێكی زۆر باشه."
Some years ago, a former student of mine called me to talk about his daughter. It turns out his daughter was a high school senior, was seriously interested in applying to Swarthmore, where I taught, and he wanted to get my sense of whether she would get in. Swarthmore is an extremely hard school to get into. So I said, "Well, tell me about her." And he told me about her, what her grades were like, her board scores, her extracurricular activities. And she just sounded like a superstar, wonderful, wonderful kid. So I said, "She sounds fabulous. She sounds like just the kind of student that Swarthmore would love to have." And so he said, "Well, does that mean that she'll get in?" And I said, "No. There just aren't enough spots in the Swarthmore class for everybody who's good. There aren't enough spots at Harvard or Yale or Princeton or Stanford. There aren't enough spots at Google or Amazon or Apple. There aren't enough spots at the TED Conference. There are an awful lot of good people, and some of them are not going to make it." So he said, "Well, what are we supposed to do?" And I said, "That's a very good question."
پێویسته چی بكهین؟ و دهزانم كۆلێژ و زانكۆكان چییان كردووه. له پێناو دادپهروهریی، ئهوهی ئهنجامیان داوه بهردهوام بوون له بهرزكردنهوهی ئاستی پێوانهیی چونكه دادپهروهرانه نییه كهسانی كهمتر شایسته وهربگریت و كهسه زیاتر شایستهكان ڕهتبكهیتهوه، بۆیه بهردهوام دهبیت له بهرزكردنهوهی پێوانهكان تاكو به ڕادهیهك بهرزدهبنهوه كه دهتوانیت تهنیا ئهوهنده قوتابییه وهربگریت كه بۆت دهگونجێت.
What are we supposed to do? And I know what colleges and universities have done. In the interest of fairness, what they've done is they've kept ratcheting up the standards because it doesn't seem fair to admit less qualified people and reject better qualified people, so you just keep raising the standards higher and higher until they're high enough that you can admit only the number of students that you can fit.
و ئهمه ههستی زۆر له خهڵكی بریندار دهكات لهبارهی یهكسانی و دادپهروهریی. له كۆمهڵگهی ئهمریكی خهڵكی بیروڕای جیاوازیان ههیه لهبارهی مانایی ئەم جۆره كرداره یهكسانیانانە، بهڵام وای بۆدهچم كه شتێك ههیه زۆربهی كهسهكان لهسهری ڕازین، كه له سیستهمێكی یهكسانیی، سیستهمێكی دادپهروهریی، خهڵك ئهو شته بهدهست دێنن كه شایهنین.
And this violates a lot of people's sense of what justice and fairness is. People in American society have different opinions about what it means to say that some sort of process is just, but I think there's one thing that pretty much everyone agrees on, that in a just system, a fair system, people get what they deserve.
و ئهوهی كه به قوتابییهكهی پێشوومم دهگوت ئهوهیه كه دێته سهر وهرگیران له كۆلێژ، ئهوه ڕاست نییه كه خهڵك ئهو شته بهدهست دێنن كه شایهنین. ههندێك كهس ئهوه بهدهست دێنن كه شایهنین، و ههندێكی تریش نهخێر، بارودۆخهكه بهم شێوهیهیه.
And what I was telling my former student is that when it comes to college admissions, it just isn't true that people get what they deserve. Some people get what they deserve, and some people don't, and that's just the way it is.
كاتێك داواكارییهكان بهرزدهكهیتهوه ههروهك كۆلێژهكان، ئهوهی دهیكهیت خوڵقاندنی پێشبڕكێیهكی شێتانهیه له نێوان قوتابیانی قوتابخانهی ئامادهیی، چونكه بهس نییه باش بیت، بهس نییه تهواو باش بیت، پێویسته له ههموو كهسێكی تر باشتر بیت كه ئهوانیش پێشكهش دهكهن. ئهوهی كه ئهمه ئهنجامی داوه، یاخود یارمهتیدهر بووه تیایدا، جۆرێكه له پهتای نیگهرانیی و خهمۆكیی كه ههرزهكارهكانمان تێكدهشكێنێت. بهو جۆره پێشبڕكێیانه نهوهیهك لهناو دهبهین.
When you ratchet up requirements as colleges have done, what you do is you create a crazy competition among high school kids, because it's not adequate to be good, it's not adequate to be good enough, you have to be better than everybody else who is also applying. And what this has done, or what this has contributed to, is a kind of epidemic of anxiety and depression that is just crushing our teenagers. We are wrecking a generation with this kind of competition.
كه بیرم لهمه دهكردهوه، بۆم ئاشكرا بوو كه ڕێگهیهك ههیه بۆ چارهكردنی ئهم كێشهیه. دهتوانین ئهمانه بكهن: كاتێك خهڵك داواكاری پێشكهش دهكهن بۆ كۆلێژ، جیاكاری دهكهین له نێوان ئهو كهسانهی تهواو باشن بۆ ئهوهی سهركهوتوو بن و ئهوانهش كه تهواو باش نین، ئهوانهش ڕهتدهكهینهوه كه تهواو باش نین تا سهركهوتوو بن، دواتر ههموو ئهوانیتر ههڵدهگرین و ناوهكانیان دهخهینه ناو كڵاوێك، به ههڕهمهكی دهریان دههێنین و وهریان دهگرین. به مانایهكی تر، وهرگرتن له كۆلێژ به یانسیب ئهنجام دهدهین، ڕهنگه داواكاری كار له ڕێی یانسیب پێشكهش دهكهین له كۆمپانیا تهكنهلۆژییهكان، و -- بیرۆكهكه وهرناگیرێت-- تهنانهت لهوانهیه بڕیاربدهین كه كێ بانگهێشت بكرێت بۆ قسهكردن له TED به یانسیب.
As I was thinking about this, it occurred to me there's a way to fix this problem. And here's what we could do: when people apply to college, we distinguish between the applicants who are good enough to be successful and the ones who aren't, and we reject the ones who aren't good enough to be successful, and then we take all of the others, and we put their names in a hat, and we just pick them out at random and admit them. In other words, we do college admissions by lottery, and maybe we do job offers at tech companies by lottery, and -- perish the thought -- maybe we even make decisions about who gets invited to talk at TED by lottery.
ئێستا، بهههڵه لێم تێمهگهن، یانسیبێكی لهو جۆره ناڕهوایی ڕیشهكێش ناكات. هێشتاش كهسانێكی زۆر ههن كه ئهوه بهدهست ناهێنن كه شایهنین. بهڵام لانی كهم ئهمه ڕاشكاوانهیه. ناڕهوایی وهكو خۆی ئاشكرا دهكات له بری نیشاندانی شتێكی دیكه، باڵۆنه سهیرهكهی پهستان پهنچهردهكات كه ئێستا قوتابیانی قوتابخانهی ئامادهییمان له ژێری دهژین.
Now, don't misunderstand me, a lottery like this is not going to eliminate the injustice. There will still be plenty of people who don't get what they deserve. But at least it's honest. It reveals the injustice for what it is instead of pretending otherwise, and it punctures the incredible pressure balloon that our high school kids are now living under.
بۆیه بۆچی ئهو پێشنیاره تهواو ژیرانهیه، گهر بۆخۆمی بڵێم، هیچ مشتومڕێكی جددی لهسهر ناكرێت؟ وابزانم هۆكارهكهی دهزانم. وابزانم ئهوهیه كه ڕقمان لهو بیرۆكهیه دهبێتهوه كه شته زۆر گرنگهكان له ژیان لهوانهیه بههۆی بهخت یان به ڕێكهوت ڕوو بدهن، كه شته زۆر گرنگهكانی ژیانمان له ژێر دهسهڵاتی ئێمهدا نین. ڕقم لهو بیرۆكهیه دهبێتهوه. جێگهی سهرسوڕمان نییه كه خهڵك ڕقیان لهو بیرۆكهیه دهبێتهوه، بهڵام به سادهیی كارهكان بهو جۆره دهڕۆن بهڕێوه.
So why is it that this perfectly reasonable proposal, if I do say so myself, doesn't get any serious discussion? I think I know why. I think it's that we hate the idea that really important things in life might happen by luck or by chance, that really important things in our lives are not under our control. I hate that idea. It's not surprising that people hate that idea, but it simply is the way things are.
پێش ههموو شتێك، وهرگیران له كۆلێژ بۆ خۆی یانسیبه. كارهكه تهنیا ئهوهیه كارمهندانی وهرگرتن وا نیشانی دهدهن كه بهم جۆره نییه. بۆیه با لهبارهیهوه ڕاستگۆ بین.
First of all, college admissions already is a lottery. It's just that the admissions officers pretend that it isn't. So let's be honest about it.
و دووهمیان، وای بۆدهچم گهر ئهوهمان پهسهند بكردبایە ئهمه یانسیب بوو، پاڵی پێوهدهناین بۆ دانپێدانان به گرنگیی بهختی باش له ژیانی زۆربهی زۆرمان.
And second, I think if we appreciated that it was a lottery, it would also get us to acknowledge the importance of good fortune in almost every one of our lives.
من به نموونه. زۆرترین ڕووداوه زۆر بایهخدارهكان له ژیانی من ڕوویانداوه. بهڕاددهیهكی زۆر، بههۆی بهختی باشهوه بووه. كاتێك له پۆلی حهوتهم بوو، خێزانهكهم نیویۆركیان جێهێشت و چوون بۆ ویچێستهر كاونتی. ڕێك لهگهڵ دهستپێكی خوێندن. چاوم به كچێكی گهنجی جوان كهوت كه دواتر بووه هاوڕێم، پاشان بووه باشترین هاوڕێم، پاشان بووه خۆشهویستم و دواتریش بووه هاوسهرم. به دڵخۆشییهوه، ئێستا خێزانمه بۆ ماوهی ٥٢ ساڵ. بۆ ئهم كاره زۆرم ئهنجام نهداوه. ئهمه ڕووداوێكی بهختدار بوو.
Take me. Almost all the most significant events in my life have occurred, to a large degree, as a result of good luck. When I was in seventh grade, my family left New York and went to Westchester County. Right at the beginning of school, I met a lovely young girl who became my friend, then she became my best friend, then she became my girlfriend and then she became my wife. Happily, she's been my wife now for 52 years. I had very little to do with this. This was a lucky accident.
چووم بۆ كۆلێژ، له وهرزی یهكهممدا، ناوی خۆم تۆماركرد بۆ بهشی پێشهكی دهروونناسی. تهنانهت نهمدهزانی دهروونناسی چییه، بهڵام لهگهڵ خشتهی كارهكانم و داواكارییهكان دهگونجا، بۆیه ئهنجاممدا. بههۆی بهختهوه، وانهكه لهلایهن مامۆستایهكی ئهفسانهیی دهروونناسی سهرهتایی دهگوتراوه. لهبهر ئهمه، بوومه پسپۆڕی دهروونناسی.
I went off to college, and in my first semester, I signed up for a class in introduction to psychology. I didn't even know what psychology was, but it fit into my schedule and it met requirements, so I took it. And by luck, the class was taught by a superstar introductory psychology teacher, a legend. Because of that, I became a psychology major.
چوومه خوێندنی باڵا. زۆرم نهمابوو تهواو بم. هاوڕێیهكم كه له سوارتمۆر وانهی دهگوتهوه بڕیاریدا چیتر كاری پرۆفیسۆری نهكات، بۆیه وازی هێنا و چوو بۆ خوێندنی پزیشكیی. ئهو كارهی ئهو گرتبووی كرایهوه، من داواكاریم پێشكهش كرد، بهدهستم هێنا، تاكه كار كه داواكاریم پێشكهش كرد بێت بۆی. ٤٥ ساڵم بهسهربرد له وانهوتنهوه له سوارتمۆر، دامهزراوهیهك كه كاریگهریهكی گهورهی لهسهر شێوهی ئهزموونی كاركردنم ههبوو.
Went off to graduate school. I was finishing up. A friend of mine who taught at Swarthmore decided he didn't want to be a professor anymore, and so he quit to go to medical school. The job that he occupied opened up, I applied for it, I got it, the only job I've ever applied for. I spent 45 years teaching at Swarthmore, an institution that had an enormous impact on the shape that my career took.
گهر كۆتا نموونه بدهم، خهریكی باسكردنی ههندێك له كارهكانم بووم له نیویۆرك، كهسێك له نێو جهماوهرهكهدا دوای وتارهكهم هاته لام. خۆی ناساند. گوتی، "ناوم كریسه. دهتوانیت وتارێك پێشكهش بكهیت له TED؟" وهڵامی من ئهمه بوو، "TED چییه." ڕاستیهكهی، مهبهستم، ئهو پێمی گوت، و TED وهكو ئێستا نهبوو. بهڵام لهو چهند ساڵهی نێوانیان، ئهو وتارانهی له TED پێشكهشم كردوون له لایهن زیاتر له ٢٠ملیۆن كهس سهیر كراون.
And to just give one last example, I was giving a talk about some of my work in New York, and there was somebody in the audience who came up to me after my talk. He introduced himself. He said, "My name is Chris. Would you like to give a talk at TED?" And my response was, "What's TED?" Well, I mean, he told me, and TED then wasn't what it is now. But in the intervening years, the talks I've given at TED have been watched by more than 20 million people.
كهوایه دهرهئەنجام، من پیاوێكی بهبهختم. له بارهی هاوسهرگیریم بهبهختم. لهبارهی خوێندنم به بهختم. لهبارهی پیشهكهم به بهختم. به بهختم سهكۆیهك و دهنگێكم له شتێكی وهكو TED ههبێت.
So the conclusion is, I'm a lucky man. I'm lucky about my marriage. I'm lucky about my education. I'm lucky about my career. And I'm lucky to have had a platform and a voice at something like TED.
ئایا شایهنی ئهو سهركهوتنهم كه بهدهستمهێناوه؟ به دڵنیاییهوه شایهنی ئهو سهركهوتنهم، ههروهكو تۆ ڕهنگه شیاوی سهركهوتنهكانت بیت. بهڵام ژمارهیهكی زۆر له خهڵكی شایهنی سهركهوتنی وهكو ئێمهن كه بهدهستیان نههێناوه.
Did I deserve the success I've had? Sure I deserve that success, just as you probably deserve your success. But lots of people also deserve successes like ours who haven't had it.
كهوایه خهڵكی ئهوهی شایهنین بهدهستی دێنن؟ ئایا كۆمهڵگه دادپهروهره؟ بهدڵنیاییهوه نهخێر. كاری جددی و یاریكردن به یاسا گرهنتی هیچ شتێك ناكات. گهر ناچاری ئهو جۆره نایهكسانییه و ناوهڕاستیی بهختی باش پهسهند بكهین، لهوانهیه پرسیار له خۆمان بكهین چ بهرپرسیاریتییهكمان لهسهره بۆ ئهو كهسانهی كه وهكو پاڵهوان ئاههنگیان بۆ دهگێڕین له كاتی ئهو پهتایه كاتێك خێزانهكانیان تووشی نهخۆشییهكی كوشنده دهبن بۆ دڵنیا بوون له مانهوهیان به تهواویی و ژیانیان وێران نابێت بههۆی تێچووی مامهڵه كردن لهگهڵ نهخۆشییهكه؟ قهرزاری چی ئهو كهسانهین كه بهرگری دهكهن، كاری جددی دهكهن و كهمتر بهختیان ههیه وهك له ئێمه؟
So do people get what they deserve? Is society just? Of course not. Working hard and playing by the rules is just no guarantee of anything. If we appreciate the inevitability of this kind of injustice and the centrality of good fortune, we might ask ourselves what responsibilities do we have to the people we are now celebrating as heroes in this time of the pandemic when a serious illness befalls their family to make sure that they remain whole and their lives aren't ruined by the cost of dealing with the illness? What do we owe people who struggle, work hard and are less lucky than we are?
نزیكهی نیو سهده پێش ئێستا، پرۆفیسۆر جۆن ڕاوڵس پهرتووكێكی نووسی به ناوی "بیردۆزی دادپهروهری." لهو پهرتووكهدا، بیرۆكهیهكی ناساند كه ناوی "تارای نهزانیی" لێنا. ئهو پرسیارهی خستیهڕوو ئهوهبوو: گهر پێگهی خۆت له كۆمهڵگه نهزانی، دهتهوێت چ جۆره كۆمهڵگهیهك بنیات بنێیت؟ ئهوهی كه پێشنیازی كرد ئهوهیه له كاتێكدا نازانین گهر بچینه كۆمهڵگهیهك له سهرهوه یاخود خوارهوه، ئهوهی دهمانهوێت كۆمهڵگهیهكه كه تهواو یهكسان بێت، تاكو تهنانهت بێ بهختهكانیش بتوانن ژیانێكی شیاو، بایهخدار و پڕ دهستكهوت بژیێن. بۆیه
About a half century ago, the philosopher John Rawls wrote a book called "A Theory of Justice," and in that book, he introduced a concept that he called "the veil of ignorance." The question he posed was: If you didn't know what your position in society was going to be, what kind of a society would you want to create? And what he suggested is that when we don't know whether we're going to enter society at the top or at the bottom, what we want is a society that is pretty damn equal, so that even the unlucky will be able to live decent, meaningful and satisfying lives.
ئهمه بگهڕێننهوه بۆ كۆمهڵگەكانتان، ئێوهی بهبهخت، خهڵكانی سهركهوتوو، ئهوهی له دهستتان دێت بیكهن بۆ دڵنیابوون لهوهی ڕیزی ئهو كهسانه دهگرین و ئاگامان لێیان دهبێت كه ههروهكو ئێمه شایهنی سهركهوتنن، بهڵام وهكو ئێمه بهبهخت نین.
So bring this back, all of you lucky, successful people, to your communities, and do what you can to make sure that we honor and take care of people who are just as deserving of success as we are, but just not as lucky.
سوپاس.
Thank you.