Ek's opgelei om 'n gimnas te word vir twee jaar in Hunan, Sjina in die 1970's. In graad 1, wou die regering my na 'n skool vir atlete oorplaas -- alle kostes betaal. Maar my tier-ma het gesê: "Nee." My ouers wou hê ek moes 'n ingenieur soos hulle word. Hulle't die Kulturele Rewolusie oorleef en dus vas geglo aan één weg tot geluk: 'n veilige en goed-betaalde werk. Dis nie belangrik of ek daarvan hou nie.
So I was trained to become a gymnast for two years in Hunan, China in the 1970s. When I was in the first grade, the government wanted to transfer me to a school for athletes, all expenses paid. But my tiger mother said, "No." My parents wanted me to become an engineer like them. After surviving the Cultural Revolution, they firmly believed there's only one sure way to happiness: a safe and well-paid job. It is not important if I like the job or not.
Maar my droom was om 'n Sjinese operasangeres te word. Hier speel ek my denkbeeldige klavier. 'n Operasangeres moet van jongs af akrobatiek begin leer, so ek't als probeer om operaskool toe te gaan. Ek't selfs aan die skoolhoof geskryf en aan die aanbieder van 'n radioprogram. Maar geen volwassenes het van die idee gehou nie. Geen volwassenes het geglo ek was ernstig nie. Net my vriende het my ondersteun, maar hulle was kinders, net so magteloos soos ek. Op 15 het ek geweet dat ek te oud is om opgelei te word. My droom sou nooit waar word nie. Ek was bevrees dat vir die res van my lewe 'n tweedeklas geluk die beste was waarop ek kon hoop.
But my dream was to become a Chinese opera singer. That is me playing my imaginary piano. An opera singer must start training young to learn acrobatics, so I tried everything I could to go to opera school. I even wrote to the school principal and the host of a radio show. But no adults liked the idea. No adults believed I was serious. Only my friends supported me, but they were kids, just as powerless as I was. So at age 15, I knew I was too old to be trained. My dream would never come true. I was afraid that for the rest of my life some second-class happiness would be the best I could hope for.
Maar dis so onregverdig. So was ek vasbeslote om nog 'n roeping te vind. Niemand om my te leer nie? Wel, gaaf. Dan keer ek my tot boeke.
But that's so unfair. So I was determined to find another calling. Nobody around to teach me? Fine. I turned to books.
Ek't my honger vir ouerlike advies gestil met 'n boek deur 'n familie van skrywers en musikante. ["Correspondence in the Family of Fou Lei"]
I satisfied my hunger for parental advice from this book by a family of writers and musicians.["Correspondence in the Family of Fou Lei"]
Ek't my rolmodel van 'n onafhanklike vrou gevind, al verlang Konfusiaanse tradisie gehoorsaamheid. ["Jane Eyre"]
I found my role model of an independent woman when Confucian tradition requires obedience.["Jane Eyre"]
En ek't uit dié boek geleer om effektief te wees. ["Cheaper by the Dozen"]
And I learned to be efficient from this book.["Cheaper by the Dozen"]
En ek wou oorsee gaan studeer nadat ek dié gelees het.
And I was inspired to study abroad after reading these.
["Complete Works of Sanmao" (al. Echo Chan)] ["Lessons from History" Nan Huaijin]
["Complete Works of Sanmao" (aka Echo Chan)] ["Lessons From History" by Nan Huaijin]
Ek't in 1995 Amerika toe gekom, so watter boeke het ek eerste hier gelees? Boeke verban in Sjina, natuurlik. "The Good Earth" is oor Sjinese landelike lewe. Dis net nie gerieflik vir propaganda nie. Ek snap dit. Die Bybel is interestant, maar aardig. (Gelag) Dis 'n onderwerp vir 'n ander dag. Maar die vyfde gebod was 'n openbaring: "Jy moet jou vader en jou moeder eer." "Eerbiedig," het ek gesê, "Dis so anders, en beter, as om te gehoorsaam." Dis toe my werktuig om uit Confucius se skuldgevoelstrik te klim en my verhouding met my ouers te hervat.
I came to the U.S. in 1995, so which books did I read here first? Books banned in China, of course. "The Good Earth" is about Chinese peasant life. That's just not convenient for propaganda. Got it. The Bible is interesting, but strange. (Laughter) That's a topic for a different day. But the fifth commandment gave me an epiphany: "You shall honor your father and mother." "Honor," I said. "That's so different, and better, than obey." So it becomes my tool to climb out of this Confucian guilt trap and to restart my relationship with my parents.
Blootstelling aan 'n nuwe kultuur het ook my gewoonte begin om vergelykend te lees. Dis baie insigryk. Ek't byvoorbeeld hierdie kaart eers uit plek gevind omdat dít is waarmee Sjinese studente groot word. Ek't nooit besef dat Sjina nie die middelpunt van die wêreld hoef te wees nie. 'n Kaart dra waarlik iemand se sienswyse. Vergelykende nalees is niks nuut nie. Dis standaard in die akademiese wêreld. Daar's selfs navorsingsgebiede soos vergelykende godsdienswetenskap en vergelykende letterkunde.
Encountering a new culture also started my habit of comparative reading. It offers many insights. For example, I found this map out of place at first because this is what Chinese students grew up with. It had never occurred to me, China doesn't have to be at the center of the world. A map actually carries somebody's view. Comparative reading actually is nothing new. It's a standard practice in the academic world. There are even research fields such as comparative religion and comparative literature.
Vergelyking en kontras gee geleerdes 'n meer volledige begrip van 'n onderwerp. So, as vergelykende nalees werk vir navorsing, waarom nie ook vir alledaagse lewe nie? So't ek begin om boeke in pare te lees. Hulle kan oor mense wees -- ["Benjamin Franklin" Walter Isaacson] ["John Adams" David McCullough] -- betrokke in dieselfde gebeurtenis, of vriende met gemeenskaplike ervaringe. ["Personal History" Katharine Graham] ["The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life" Alice Schroeder] Ek vergelyk ook dieselfde stories in verskillende genres -- (Gelag) [Holy BIble: King James Version] ["Lamb" Chrisopher Moore] -- of soortgelyke stories van verskillende kulture, soos Joseph Campbell gedoen het in sy wonderlike boek. ["The Power of Myth" Joseph Campbell] Byvoorbeeld, beide Christus en die Boeddha het drie versoekings weerstaan. Vir Christus was die versoekings ekonomies, polities en geestelik. Vir die Boeddha was alles psigies: wellus, vrees en sosiale plig -- interessant.
Compare and contrast gives scholars a more complete understanding of a topic. So I thought, well, if comparative reading works for research, why not do it in daily life too? So I started reading books in pairs. So they can be about people -- ["Benjamin Franklin" by Walter Isaacson]["John Adams" by David McCullough] -- who are involved in the same event, or friends with shared experiences. ["Personal History" by Katharine Graham]["The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life," by Alice Schroeder] I also compare the same stories in different genres -- (Laughter) [Holy Bible: King James Version]["Lamb" by Chrisopher Moore] -- or similar stories from different cultures, as Joseph Campbell did in his wonderful book.["The Power of Myth" by Joseph Campbell] For example, both the Christ and the Buddha went through three temptations. For the Christ, the temptations are economic, political and spiritual. For the Buddha, they are all psychological: lust, fear and social duty -- interesting.
As jy 'n vreemde taal ken, is dit ook pret om jou gunsteling boeke in twee tale te lees. ["The Way of Chuang Tzu" Thomas Merton] ["Tao: The Watercourse Way" Alan Watts] In plaas van verlore in vertaling, vind ek daar is baie om by te baat. Ek't deur vertaling besef dat "geluk" in Sjinees letterlik "vinnige plesier" beteken. Nou toe. "Bruid" beteken letterlik "nuwe ma." Ô-ô. (Gelag)
So if you know a foreign language, it's also fun to read your favorite books in two languages. ["The Way of Chuang Tzu" Thomas Merton]["Tao: The Watercourse Way" Alan Watts] Instead of lost in translation, I found there is much to gain. For example, it's through translation that I realized "happiness" in Chinese literally means "fast joy." Huh! "Bride" in Chinese literally means "new mother." Uh-oh. (Laughter)
Boeke het my 'n magiese poort gegee om met mense in verbinding te tree, uit die verlede en die hede. Ek sal nooit weer alleen of magteloos voel nie. Om 'n droom verbrysel te hê is niks in vergelyking met baie ander se lyding nie. Ek glo dat die verwerkliking nie die enigste doel van 'n droom is nie. Sy belangrikste doel is om ons in voeling te bring met waar drome vandaan kom, waar passie vandaan kom, waar geluk vandaan kom. Selfs 'n verpletterde droom kan dit vir jou doen.
Books have given me a magic portal to connect with people of the past and the present. I know I shall never feel lonely or powerless again. Having a dream shattered really is nothing compared to what many others have suffered. I have come to believe that coming true is not the only purpose of a dream. Its most important purpose is to get us in touch with where dreams come from, where passion comes from, where happiness comes from. Even a shattered dream can do that for you.
As gevolg van boeke is ek vandag hier, gelukkig, lewend met 'n doel en klaarheid, meeste van die tyd. So mag boeke altyd met julle wees.
So because of books, I'm here today, happy, living again with a purpose and a clarity, most of the time. So may books be always with you.
Dankie.
Thank you.
(Applous)
(Applause)
Dankie. (Applous)
Thank you. (Applause)
Dankie. (Applous)
Thank you. (Applause)