When I was a kid, I was obsessed with the Guinness Book of World Records, and I really wanted to set a world record myself. But there was just one small problem: I had absolutely no talent. So I decided to set a world record in something that demanded absolutely no skill at all. I decided to set a world record in crawling.
Keď som bola dieťa, bola som posadnutá Guinnesovou knihou rekordov a aj ja som chcela vytvoriť rekord. Bol tu však jeden malý problém, nemala som žiaden talent. Tak som sa rozhodla vytvoriť svetový rekord v niečom, na čo žiaden talent netreba. Rozhodla som sa vytvoriť svetový rekord v plazení.
(Laughter)
(smiech)
Now, the record at the time was 12 and a half miles, and for some reason, this seemed totally manageable.
V tom čase bol tento rekord 12 a pol míle a z nejakého dôvodu som si myslela, že nie je problém to zvládnuť.
(Laughter)
(smiech)
I recruited my friend Anne, and together we decided, we didn't even need to train.
Nahovorila som kamarátku Anne a spoločne sme sa rozhodli, že ani nepotrebujeme trénovať.
(Laughter)
(smiech)
And on the day of our record attempt, we put furniture pads on the outside of our good luck jeans and we set off, and right away, we were in trouble, because the denim was against our skin and it began to chafe, and soon our knees were being chewed up. Hours in, it began to rain. Then, Anne dropped out. Then, it got dark. Now, by now, my knees were bleeding through my jeans, and I was hallucinating from the cold and the pain and the monotony. And to give you an idea of the suffer-fest that I was undergoing, the first lap around the high school track took 10 minutes. The last lap took almost 30.
V deň pokusu o náš rekord sme si obliekli džínsy pre šťastie, nalepili na ne plstené podložky, a pustili sme sa do toho. Hneď zo začiatku sme narazili na problém. Tesná džínsovina nám odierala kolená a čoskoro boli úplne spálené. Po pár hodinách začalo pršať. Vtedy to Anne vzdala. Nato sa zotmelo. V tomto štádiu mi už kolená krvácali cez džínsy a mala som halucinácie zo zimy, z bolesti a monotónosti. Aby ste mali predstavu o tom, ako veľmi som trpela, prvý okruh okolo školskej bežeckej dráhy mi trval 10 minút. Posledný okruh mi trval skoro pol hodiny.
After 12 hours of crawling, I stopped, and I had gone eight and a half miles. So I was short of the 12-and-a-half-mile record.
Po 12 hodinách som sa prestala plaziť. Podarilo sa mi prejsť 8 a pol míle. Nestačilo to na 12 a pol míľový rekord.
Now, for many years, I thought this was a story of abject failure, but today I see it differently, because when I was attempting the world record, I was doing three things. I was getting outside my comfort zone, I was calling upon my resilience, and I was finding confidence in myself and my own decisions. I didn't know it then, but those are not the attributes of failure. Those are the attributes of bravery.
Veľa rokov som si myslela, že to bolo moje totálne zlyhanie. Ale dnes to vidím inak, pretože keď som sa pokúšala o svetový rekord, dokázala som tri veci. Vystúpila som zo svojej zóny pohodlia, testovala svoju odolnosť a nadobúdala sebavedomie a dôveru vo vlastné rozhodutia. Vtedy som to nevedela, no toto nie sú znaky zlyhania. Sú to atribúty odvahy.
Now, in 1989, at the age of 26, I became a San Francisco firefighter, and I was the 15th woman in a department of 1,500 men.
V roku 1989, vo veku 26 som sa stala požiarníčkou v San Franciscu a bola som pätnástou ženou na oddelení s 1500 mužmi.
(Applause)
(potlesk)
And as you can imagine, when I arrived there were many doubts about whether we could do the job. So even though I was a 5'10", 150-pound collegiate rower, and someone who could endure 12 hours of searing knee pain --
Ako si viete predstaviť, keď som prišla, mnohí pochybovali, či ženy zvládnu túto prácu. Aj napriek tomu, že som bola veslárka vysoká 180 metrov, s hmotnosťou 70 kg, schopná vydržať 12 hodín pálivej bolesti kolien,
(Laughter)
(smiech)
I knew I still had to prove my strength and fitness.
vedela som, že budem musieť dokázať svoju silu a spôsobilosť.
So one day a call came in for a fire, and sure enough, when my engine group pulled up, there was black smoke billowing from a building off an alleyway. And I was with a big guy named Skip, and he was on the nozzle, and I was right behind, and it was a typical sort of fire. It was smoky, it was hot, and all of a sudden, there was an explosion, and Skip and I were blown backwards, my mask was knocked sideways, and there was this moment of confusion. And then I picked myself up, I groped for the nozzle, and I did what a firefighter was supposed to do: I lunged forward, opened up the water and I tackled the fire myself. The explosion had been caused by a water heater, so nobody was hurt, and ultimately it was not a big deal, but later Skip came up to me and said, "Nice job, Caroline," in this surprised sort of voice.
Jedného dňa sme mali poplach a keď moja skupina dorazila na miesto požiaru, z jednej budovy v uličke stúpal hustý dym. Mojím partnerom bol veľký chlap menom Skip. On bol na tryske, ja som stála hneď za ním. Bol to typický požiar: veľa dymu, páľava... A zrazu niečo vybuchlo. Skipa a mňa odhodilo dozadu, z tváre mi strhlo štít, bola som zmätená. O chvíľu som sa spamätala, schmatla som trysku a urobila to, čo sa očakáva od každého hasiča: vyrazila som vpred, pustila vodu a sama bojovala s ohňom. Výbuch bol zapríčinený ohrievačom vody, takže nikto nebol zranený, nebolo to až také vážne, ale neskôr za mnou prišiel Skip a s prekvapením v hlase povedal: „Dobrá práca, Caroline.“
(Laughter)
(smiech)
And I was confused, because the fire hadn't been difficult physically, so why was he looking at me with something like astonishment? And then it became clear: Skip, who was by the way a really nice guy and an excellent firefighter, not only thought that women could not be strong, he thought that they could not be brave either. And he wasn't the only one. Friends, acquaintances and strangers, men and women throughout my career ask me over and over, "Caroline, all that fire, all that danger, aren't you scared?" Honestly, I never heard a male firefighter asked this. And I became curious. Why wasn't bravery expected of women?
To ma zmiatlo. Ten požiar nebol fyzicky náročný, tak prečo sa na mňa pozeral s údivom? A potom mi to došlo. Skip, ktorý je mimochodom veľmi milý chlap a skvelý požiarnik, si nielenže myslel, že ženy nie sú silné, ale taktiež, že nie sú dostatočne odvážne. A nebol jediný. Priatelia, známi i neznámi ľudia, muži i ženy sa ma počas mojej kariéry neustále pýtajú: „Caroline, všetok ten oheň, všetko to nebezpečenstvo, nebojíš sa?“ Popravde, nikdy som nepočula, že by sa to spýtali hasiča-muža. A tak ma začalo zaujímať, prečo neočakávame, že aj ženy môžu byť statočné?
Now, the answer began to come when a friend of mine lamented to me that her young daughter was a big scaredy-cat, and so I began to notice, and yes, the daughter was anxious, but more than that, the parents were anxious. Most of what they said to her when she was outside began with, "Be careful," "Watch out," or "No." Now, my friends were not bad parents. They were just doing what most parents do, which is cautioning their daughters much more than they caution their sons.
Na odpoveď som prišla, keď sa kamarátka sťažovala, že jej malá dcéra je veľký bojko. Tak som si to začala všímať. Áno, jej dcéra bola úzkostlivá, ale naviac, aj jej rodičia boli úzkostliví. Väčšina toho, čo jej hovorili, keď bola vonku, začínalo: „Buď opatrná“, „Dávaj si pozor“, alebo „Nie“. Moji kamaráti nie sú zlí rodičia. Iba robia to, čo väčšina rodičov, napomínajú svoje dcéry oveľa viac než svojich synov.
There was a study involving a playground fire pole, ironically, in which researchers saw that little girls were very likely to be warned by both their moms and dads about the fire pole's risk, and if the little girls still wanted to play on the fire pole, a parent was very likely to assist her. But the little boys? They were encouraged to play on the fire pole despite any trepidations that they might have, and often the parents offered guidance on how to use it on their own. So what message does this send to both boys and girls? Well, that girls are fragile and more in need of help, and that boys can and should master difficult tasks by themselves. It says that girls should be fearful and boys should be gutsy.
Existuje štúdia, týkajúca sa preliezačiek na detských ihriskách, kde si výskumníci všimli, že rodičia oveľa častejšie varujú dievčatá pred rizikom veží s požiarnickými tyčami, a pokiaľ dievčatá trvajú na tom, že sa tam hrať chcú, často im jeden z rodičov pri tom pomáha. Ale malí chlapci? Napriek obavám, ktoré rodičia pociťujú, oni chlapcov povzbudzujú, aby sa na veži hrali, a často im dávajú rady, ako prekážku zdolať samostatne. Aký odkaz tým dávame chlapcom a dievčatám? Nuž, že dievčatá sú krehké a potrebujú pomoc a že chlapci si vedia a musia vedieť poradiť s ťažkými úlohami sami. Že dievčatá by mali byť bojazlivé a chlapci by mali byť odvážni.
Now, the irony is that at this young age, girls and boys are actually very alike physically. In fact, girls are often stronger until puberty, and more mature. And yet we adults act as if girls are more fragile and more in need of help, and they can't handle as much. This is the message that we absorb as kids, and this is the message that fully permeates as we grow up. We women believe it, men believe it, and guess what? As we become parents, we pass it on to our children, and so it goes.
Iróniou je, že v tomto mladom veku, dievčatá a chlapci sú si fyzicky veľmi podobní. V skutočnosti, dievčatá sú do puberty dokonca silnejšie a vyspelejšie. A my dospelí sa napriek tomu správame, ako keby dievčatá boli krehké a potrebovali viac pomoci a neboli schopné poradiť si tak ako chlapci. Toto je odkaz, ktorý ako deti vstrebávame, je to odkaz, ktorý do nás naplno prenikne počas dospievania. My ženy tomu veríme, muži tiež, a môžete hádať, čo nasleduje. Keď sa staneme rodičmi, posúvame tento odkaz na naše deti a tak ďalej.
Well, so now I had my answer. This is why women, even firewomen, were expected to be scared. This is why women often are scared.
A tak som dostala odpoveď. Toto je dôvod, prečo sa od žien, dokonca aj od požiarničiek, očakáva strach. Preto sa ženy často boja.
Now, I know some of you won't believe me when I tell you this, but I am not against fear. I know it's an important emotion, and it's there to keep us safe. But the problem is when fear is the primary reaction that we teach and encourage in girls whenever they face something outside their comfort zone.
Viem, že niektorí z vás mi nebudú veriť, keď poviem, že nie som proti strachu. Ja viem, že je to dôležitý pocit, ktorý nás drží v bezpečí. Ale problémom je, keď sa strach stane primárnou reakciou, ktorú povzbudzujeme a vštepujeme dievčatám, kedykoľvek narazia na niečo nové.
So I was a paraglider pilot for many years --
Roky som sa venovala paraglidingu.
(Applause)
(potlesk)
and a paraglider is a parachute-like wing, and it does fly very well, but to many people I realize it looks just like a bedsheet with strings attached.
Klzák je niečo ako padák podobný krídlu, ktorý dobre lieta, mnohým pripomína posteľnú plachtu s pripevnenými šnúrkami.
(Laughter)
(smiech)
And I spent a lot of time on mountaintops inflating this bedsheet, running off and flying. And I know what you're thinking. You're like, Caroline, a little fear would make sense here. And you're right, it does. I assure you, I did feel fear. But on that mountaintop, waiting for the wind to come in just right, I felt so many other things, too: exhilaration, confidence. I knew I was a good pilot. I knew the conditions were good, or I wouldn't be there. I knew how great it was going to be a thousand feet in the air. So yes, fear was there, but I would take a good hard look at it, assess just how relevant it was and then put it where it belonged, which was more often than not behind my exhilaration, my anticipation and my confidence. So I'm not against fear. I'm just pro-bravery.
Strávila som veľa času na vrcholkoch hôr, nafukovaním tejto plachty, bežaním a lietaním. A viem, že si myslíte: „Caroline, trochu strachu by ti tu nezaškodilo.“ A máte pravdu. A môžem vás uistiť, že som sa bála. Ale na vrchole hory, keď som čakala na ten správny vietor, prežívala som taktiež veľa ďalších pocitov: radosť, sebadôveru... Vedela som, že som dobrý pilot. Vedela som, že podmienky sú dobré, ináč by som tam nebola. Vedela som, aké skvelé je byť tisíc stôp nad zemou. Áno, strach tam bol, ale dobre som sa naň pozrela a ohodnotila jeho dôležitosť a umiestnila ho tam, kam patril, čo väčšinou bolo až za vzrušenie, očakávanie a moju sebaistotu. Takže nemám nič proti strachu. Ale som za odvahu.
Now, I'm not saying your girls must be firefighters or that they should be paragliders, but I am saying that we are raising our girls to be timid, even helpless, and it begins when we caution them against physical risk. The fear we learn and the experiences we don't stay with us as we become women and morphs into all those things that we face and try to shed: our hesitation in speaking out, our deference so that we can be liked and our lack of confidence in our own decisions.
Tým nechcem povedať, že vaše dcéry musia byť hasičky, alebo že by mali byť paraglajderky, len tvrdím, že vychovávame naše dievčatá, aby boli bojazlivé, dokonca bezbranné a začína to, keď ich varujeme pred fyzickým rizikom. Strach, ktorému sa učíme, a zážitky, ktoré neprežijeme, zostávajú s nami, aj keď sa staneme ženami a formujú sa na veci, s ktorými zápasíme celý život: na našu zdráhavosť pri verejných vystupovaniach, na podriadenosť, ktorú ukazujeme, len aby sme boli obľúbené, na nedostatok sebaistoty pri vlastných rozhodnutiach.
So how do we become brave? Well, here's the good news. Bravery is learned, and like anything learned, it just needs to be practiced. So first, we have to take a deep breath and encourage our girls to skateboard, climb trees and clamber around on that playground fire pole. This is what my own mother did. She didn't know it then, but researchers have a name for this. They call it risky play, and studies show that risky play is really important for kids, all kids, because it teaches hazard assessment, it teaches delayed gratification, it teaches resilience, it teaches confidence. In other words, when kids get outside and practice bravery, they learn valuable life lessons.
Ako sa teda stať odvážnymi? Mám dobrú správu. Odvahe sa dá naučiť a ako všetko, čo sa dá naučiť, potrebuje len tréning. A tak po prvé, musíme sa zhlboka nadýchnuť a povzbudiť naše dievčatá, aby sa vozili na skateboarde a liezli po stromoch a aby sa šplhali po preliezačkách na detskom ihrisku. To spravila moja mama. Vtedy si toho nebola vedomá, ale výskumníci majú na to pomenovanie. Hovoria tomu riskantné hranie. A štúdie ukázali, že je to pre všetky deti dôležité, pretože ich učí posúdiť riziko a predčasne sa neradovať, trénuje ich odolnosť a sebaistotu. Inými slovami, keď deti idú von a testujú svoju odvahu, dostávajú hodnotné lekcie života.
Second, we have to stop cautioning our girls willy-nilly. So notice next time you say, "Watch out, you're going to get hurt," or, "Don't do that, it's dangerous." And remember that often what you're really telling her is that she shouldn't be pushing herself, that she's really not good enough, that she should be afraid.
Po druhé, musíme prestať neustále upozorňovať naše dievčatá. Takže všímajte si sami seba, keď nabudúce poviete: „Dávaj si pozor, lebo sa zraníš“, alebo „Nerob to, je to nebezpečné“. A pamätajte, že čo jej v skutočnosti vravíte je, že sa nemá príliš snažiť, že nie je dosť dobrá a že by sa mala báť.
Third, we women have to start practicing bravery, too. We cannot teach our girls until we teach ourselves. So here's another thing: fear and exhilaration feel very similar -- the shaky hands, the heightened heart rate, the nervous tension, and I'm betting that for many of you the last time you thought you were scared out of your wits, you may have been feeling mostly exhilaration, and now you've missed an opportunity. So practice. And while girls should be getting outside to learn to be gutsy, I get that adults don't want to get on hoverboards or climb trees, so we all should be practicing at home, in the office and even right here getting up the guts to talk to someone that you really admire.
Po tretie, musíme aj my ženy začať cvičiť odvahu. Nemôžme učiť naše dievčatá, pokiaľ sa to sami nenaučíme. Ďalej, strach a radosť prežívame podobne, trasenie rúk, zrýchlený tep, napäté nervy. A stavila by som sa, že skúsenosť, pred ktorou ste cúvli lebo vás na smrť vyľakala, by väčšinu z vás posilnila a vy ste tak o túto príležitosť prišli. Takže začnite skúšať. Zatiaľ čo dievčatá môžu ísť von učiť sa byť odvážnymi, dospelí nebudú jazdiť na hoverboardoch a liezť po stromoch. Ale môžeme trénovať doma, v práci, alebo aj tu, nájsť odvahu a prihovoriť sa niekomu, koho obdivujete.
Finally, when your girl is, let's say, on her bike on the top of the steep hill that she insists she's too scared to go down, guide her to access her bravery. Ultimately, maybe that hill really is too steep, but she'll come to that conclusion through courage, not fear. Because this is not about the steep hill in front of her. This is about the life ahead of her and that she has the tools to handle and assess all the dangers that we cannot protect her from, all the challenges that we won't be there to guide her through, everything that our girls here and around the world face in their future.
A na záver, keď je vaša dcéra na bicykli, povedzme na vrchole strmého kopca a bojí sa zísť dole, veďte ju k tomu, aby sama zhodnotila svoju odvahu. Napokon, ten kopec je možno naozaj príliš strmý, ale k tomuto záveru musí dospieť vďaka odvahe a nie zo strachu. Pretože toto nie je o tom strmom kopci, ktorý je pred ňou. Je to o živote, ktorý má pred sebou, a o tom, že má prostriedky na to, aby ohodnotila a zvládla všetky riziká, pred ktorými ju ochrániť nemôžeme, a výzvy, pri ktorých jej nebudeme môcť radiť, všetko, čomu naše dievčatá tu a všade budú musieť v budúcnosti čeliť.
So by the way, the world record for crawling today --
A mimochodom, momentálny svetový rekord v plazení
(Laughter)
(smiech)
is 35.18 miles, and I would really love to see a girl go break that.
je 35,18 míľ (úžas) a rada by som videla nejaké dievča pokúsiť sa prekonať ho.
(Applause)
(potlesk)