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.
Krenula sam na dvogodišnju obuku za gimnastičare u Hunanu u Kini, 1970-ih godina. Kada sam bila u prvom razredu, vlada je nameravala da me prebaci u školu za sportiste, besplatno. Međutim, moja mama-tigrica je rekla: "Ne". Roditelji su želeli da postanem inženjerka, kao što su i oni. Posle preživljene Kulturne revolucije, bili su duboko uvereni da postoji samo jedan siguran put do sreće: siguran i dobro plaćen posao. Nije bilo važno da li mi se posao sviđa ili ne.
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.
Međutim, moj san je bio da postanem kineska operska pevačica. То sam ja kako sviram na svom izmišljenom klaviru. Operska pevačica mora započeti sa školovanjem u ranoj mladosti, da bi naučila akrobacije, zato sam pokušavala sve što sam mogla da bih stigla do škole za operu. Čak sam i direktoru škole pisala i voditelju radio emisije. Ali ta ideja se nije sviđala nikom od odraslih. Niko od odraslih nije verovao u moju ozbiljnost. Podržavali su me samo prijatelji, ali oni su bili deca, nemoćni jednako kao i ja. Sa 15 godina sam znala da sam za obuku prestara i da se moj san neće nikada ostvariti. Pribojavala sam se da će me do kraja života pratiti neka drugorazredna sreća i da je to najbolje čemu se mogu nadati.
But that's so unfair. So I was determined to find another calling. Nobody around to teach me? Fine. I turned to books.
Ali to je tako nepravedno. Zato sam odlučila da pronađem drugi poziv. Zar niko neće da me uči? Dobro. Okrenula sam se knjigama.
I satisfied my hunger for parental advice from this book by a family of writers and musicians.["Correspondence in the Family of Fou Lei"]
Zadovoljila sam svoju znatiželju za roditeljskim savetom u knjizi familije pisaca i muzičara ["Correspondence in the Family of Fou Lei"]
I found my role model of an independent woman when Confucian tradition requires obedience.["Jane Eyre"]
Pronašla sam svoj uzor nezavisne žene kada konfučijanska tradicija zahteva pokornost. ["Džejn Ejr"]
And I learned to be efficient from this book.["Cheaper by the Dozen"]
Naučila sam se efikasnosti iz ove knjige. [Što više to bolje ("Cheaper by the Dozen")]
And I was inspired to study abroad after reading these.
Za studije u inostranstvu me je ispirisalo ovo
["Complete Works of Sanmao" (aka Echo Chan)] ["Lessons From History" by Nan Huaijin]
["Sabrana dela Sanmao" ("Echo Chan")] ["Lessons From History" od Nan Huaijina]
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.
U SAD sam došla 1995. i koje sam knjige prvo pročitala? Naravno, knjige zabranjene u Kini. Knjiga "The Good Earth" je o životu kineskih seljaka. Ta baš nije pogodna za propagandu. Kontam. Biblija je interesantna, ali čudna. (Smeh) To je druga tema. Ali peta zapovest mi je bila otkrovenje: "Poštuj oca i mater svoju." Rekla sam: "Poštovanje." "To je toliko različito i bolje od poslušnosti." I to je postalo moje sredstvo za izlazak iz te zamke konfučijanskog osećaja krivice i za obnovu odnosa sa roditeljima.
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.
U susretu sa novom kulturom takođe sam razvila naviku komparativnog čitanja. Na taj način se mnogo toga uoči. Na primer, smatrala sam da ova mapa nije odgovarajuća, jer su kineski učenici odrasli sa ovim. Nikada mi nije palo na pamet, da Kina ne mora biti centar sveta. Mapa zapravo nosi nečije gledište. Komparativno čitanje i nije ništa novo. To je standardna praksa u akademskom svetu. Postoje čak i istraživačke oblasti kao što su komparativne religije i komparativna književnost.
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.
Upoređivanje sličnosti i razlika služi naučnicima za potpunije sagledavanje teme. Zato sam pomislila da ako komparativno čitanje služi istraživanju, zašto ga ne bi koristili i u svakodnevnom životu? Zato sam počela da čitam knjige u parovima. One mogu biti i o ljudima - ["Benjamin Franklin" od Valtera Isaksona] ["Džon Adams" od Dejvida Mekalofa] - učesnicima istog događaja ili prijateljima koji dele iskustvo. ["Personal History" od Katarine Graham] ["The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life" od Alis Šreder] Takođe upoređujem iste priče u različitim žanrovima - (smeh) [Biblija: Verzija Kralja Džejmsa] ["Lamb" od Kristofera Mura] - ili slične priče iz različitih kultura, kao u sjajnoj knjizi Džozefa Kampbela. ["The Power of Myth" Džozef Kampbel] Na primer, i Isus i Buda su prošli kroz tri iskušenja. Za Isusa su to ekonomska, politička i duhovna. Za Budu su sva psihološka: pohlepa, strah i društvene obaveze - zanimljivo.
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)
Ako znate neki strani jezik, takođe je zabavno da čitate omiljene knjige u oba jezika. ["The Way of Chuang Tzu" Tomas Merton] ["Tao: The Watercourse Way" Alan Vots] Umesto izgubljenog u prevodu, pronašla sam mnogo dobijenog. Na primer, prevođenjem sam shvatila da "sreća" na kineskom doslovno znači "kratko veselje!" Uh! "Nevesta" na kineskom doslovno znači "nova mama". Uh-oh. (Smeh)
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.
Knjige su mi dale magični portal povezivanja sa ljudima iz prošlosti i iz sadašnjosti. Znam da se nikada više neću osećati usamljeno i nemoćno. Uništen san zaista nije ništa u odnosu na to šta su mnogi drugi ljudi pretrpeli. Verujem da ostvarivanje sna nije njegova jedina svrha. Najvažnija svrha sna je da nas poveže sa svojim izvorom, izvorom strasti, izvorom sreće. Čak i uništen san vam u tome može pomoći.
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.
Jer, zbog knjiga sam danas ovde, srećna, ponovo živim s jasnim smislom skoro sve vreme. Zato dozvolite knjigama da budu uvek sa vama.
Thank you.
Hvala.
(Applause)
(Aplauz)
Thank you. (Applause)
Hvala. (Aplauz)
Thank you. (Applause)
Hvala. (Aplauz)