Back in New York, I am the head of development for a non-profit called Robin Hood. When I'm not fighting poverty, I'm fighting fires as the assistant captain of a volunteer fire company. Now in our town, where the volunteers supplement a highly skilled career staff, you have to get to the fire scene pretty early to get in on any action.
V New Yorku delam kot vodja razvojnega oddelka v neprofitni organizaciji z imenom Robin Hood. Ko se ne borim z revščino, se borim s požari kot pomočnik poveljnika prostovoljnega gasilskega društva. V našem kraju prostovoljci pomagajo visoko usposobljenim poklicnim gasilcem in na prizorišče požara je treba priti dokaj zgodaj, če hočete ujeti vsaj malo akcije.
I remember my first fire. I was the second volunteer on the scene, so there was a pretty good chance I was going to get in. But still it was a real footrace against the other volunteers to get to the captain in charge to find out what our assignments would be. When I found the captain, he was having a very engaging conversation with the homeowner, who was surely having one of the worst days of her life. Here it was, the middle of the night, she was standing outside in the pouring rain, under an umbrella, in her pajamas, barefoot, while her house was in flames.
Spominjam se svojega prvega požara. Na prizorišče sem prispel kot drugi prostovoljec, zato je bila priložnost, da sodelujem, dokaj dobra. Ampak vseeno je šlo za pravo dirko z drugimi prostovoljci, da bi prišli do poveljnika in dobili svoje naloge. Ko sem našel poveljnika, se je ravno zavzeto pogovarjal z lastnico hiše, za katero je to moral biti eden najhujših dni v življenju. Bilo je sredi noči, stala je zunaj v dežju, z dežnikom, v pižami in bosa, medtem ko je njena hiša gorela.
The other volunteer who had arrived just before me -- let's call him Lex Luther -- (Laughter) got to the captain first and was asked to go inside and save the homeowner's dog. The dog! I was stunned with jealousy. Here was some lawyer or money manager who, for the rest of his life, gets to tell people that he went into a burning building to save a living creature, just because he beat me by five seconds. Well, I was next. The captain waved me over. He said, "Bezos, I need you to go into the house. I need you to go upstairs, past the fire, and I need you to get this woman a pair of shoes." (Laughter) I swear. So, not exactly what I was hoping for, but off I went -- up the stairs, down the hall, past the 'real' firefighters, who were pretty much done putting out the fire at this point, into the master bedroom to get a pair of shoes.
Prostovoljec, ki je prispel ravno pred menoj, imenujmo ga Lex Luthor... (smeh) je bil prvi pri poveljniku in ta ga je prosil, naj gre v hišo in reši lastničinega psa. Pes! Skoraj počil sem od zavisti. To je bil gotovo neki pravnik ali finančnik, ki bo vse življenje lahko pripovedoval, kako je šel v gorečo stavbo in rešil živo bitje, samo zato, ker je bil pet sekund hitrejši od mene. No, jaz sem bil naslednji. Poveljnik me je poklical. Rekel je: "Bezos, iti moraš v hišo. Pojdi gor, mimo ognja in prinesi tej ženski par čevljev." (smeh) Prisežem. Ni bilo ravno to, na kar sem upal, ampak šel sem... gor po stopnicah, preko hodnika, mimo "pravih" gasilcev, ki so bili bolj ali manj pri koncu z gašenjem, v spalnico, iskat par čevljev.
Now I know what you're thinking, but I'm no hero. (Laughter) I carried my payload back downstairs where I met my nemesis and the precious dog by the front door. We took our treasures outside to the homeowner, where, not surprisingly, his received much more attention than did mine. A few weeks later, the department received a letter from the homeowner thanking us for the valiant effort displayed in saving her home. The act of kindness she noted above all others: someone had even gotten her a pair of shoes.
Vem, kaj mislite, ampak nisem nikakršen junak. (smeh) Svoj tovor sem nesel dol, kjer sem pri vhodnih vratih srečal svojega "sovražnika" in ob njem dragocenega psa. Svoja zaklada sva odnesla lastnici hiše, kjer je, normalno, bil njegov deležen večje pozornosti kot moj. Čez nekaj tednov je društvo dobilo pismo lastnice hiše z zahvalo za naš trud pri reševanju njenega doma. Posebej je izpostavila tole prijazno gesto: nekdo ji je celo prinesel čevlje.
(Laughter)
(smeh)
In both my vocation at Robin Hood and my avocation as a volunteer firefighter, I am witness to acts of generosity and kindness on a monumental scale, but I'm also witness to acts of grace and courage on an individual basis. And you know what I've learned? They all matter. So as I look around this room at people who either have achieved, or are on their way to achieving, remarkable levels of success, I would offer this reminder: don't wait. Don't wait until you make your first million to make a difference in somebody's life. If you have something to give, give it now. Serve food at a soup kitchen. Clean up a neighborhood park. Be a mentor.
Tako v svojem poklicu pri Robinu Hoodu kot pri prostovoljnem gasilstvu sem priča velikodušnim in dobrosrčnim dejanjem velikih razsežnosti, sem pa tudi priča lepim in pogumnim dejanjem posameznikov. In veste, česa sem se naučil? Vsa so pomembna. Ko se ozrem po tej sobi in vidim ljudi, ki so dosegli, ali še bodo, izjemne uspehe, vas opominjam: ne čakajte. Ne čakajte, dokler ne zaslužite svojega prvega milijona, da bi nekomu spremenili življenje. Če imate kaj dati, dajte zdaj. Pomagajte v ljudski kuhinji, očistite park v soseščini, bodite mentor.
Not every day is going to offer us a chance to save somebody's life, but every day offers us an opportunity to affect one. So get in the game. Save the shoes.
Nimamo vsak dan priložnosti, da bi nekomu rešili življenje, a vsak dan lahko vplivamo na življenje nekoga. Pridružite se torej igri; rešite čevlje.
Thank you.
Hvala.
(Applause)
(aplavz)
Bruno Giussani: Mark, Mark, come back.
Mark, Mark, pridi nazaj.
(Applause)
(aplavz)
Mark Bezos: Thank you.
Hvala.