Every other night in Japan, I step out of my apartment, I climb up a hill for 15 minutes, and then I head into my local health club, where three ping-pong tables are set up in a studio. And space is limited, so at every table, one pair of players practices forehands, another practices backhands, and every now and then, the balls collide in midair and everybody says, "Wow!" Then, choosing lots, we select partners and play doubles. But I honestly couldn't tell you who's won, because we change partners every five minutes. And everybody is trying really hard to win points, but nobody is keeping track of who is winning games. And after an hour or so of furious exertion, I can honestly tell you that not knowing who has won feels like the ultimate victory.
在日本,每隔一晚, 我就會步出我的公寓, 花十五分鐘爬上山丘, 接著前往當地的健康俱樂部, 在俱樂部裡,有三張 乒乓球桌放在一間房間中。 空間有限, 所以,每一張球桌 都有一組球員練正手, 另一組練習反手, 偶爾,球會在空中相撞, 大家就會出聲:「哇!」 接著,我們用抽籤的方式 選夥伴玩雙打。 但我實在無法告訴各位誰贏了, 因為我們每五分鐘就會換夥伴。 每個人都非常努力 想要得分, 但沒有人在記錄誰贏得了比賽。 拼了一個小時左右, 我可以老實告訴各位, 不知道誰贏了 感覺就像是終極的勝利。
In Japan, it's been said, they've created a competitive spirit without competition.
在日本有種說法, 他們不用競爭就創造了競爭的精神。
Now, all of you know that geopolitics is best followed by watching ping-pong.
大家都知道,了解地緣政治學 最好的方式就是看乒乓球。
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
The two strongest powers in the world were fiercest enemies until, in 1972, an American ping-pong team was allowed to visit Communist China. And as soon as the former adversaries were gathered around some small green tables, each of them could claim a victory, and the whole world could breathe more easily. China's leader, Mao Zedong, wrote a whole manual on ping-pong, and he called the sport "a spiritual nuclear weapon." And it's been said that the only honorary lifelong member of the US Table Tennis Association is the then-President Richard Nixon, who helped to engineer this win-win situation through ping-pong diplomacy. But long before that, really, the history of the modern world was best told through the bouncing white ball.
世界上最大的兩個強權 是非常對立的敵人, 直到 1972 年,一支美國乒乓球隊 獲准造訪共產主義的中國。 當這些過往敵手 聚在那些小型綠色桌子旁邊, 每個人都有可能取得勝利, 全世界也能喘口氣。 中國的領導人毛澤東 寫了一整本的乒乓手冊, 他把這項運動稱為 「靈性的核武」。 據說,美國乒聯 唯一的榮譽終身會員 是當時的總統尼克森, 他透過乒乓交際手腕 協助策劃了這個雙贏局面。 但,其實早在那之前, 現代世界的歷史 就最適合透過反彈的白球來說明。
"Ping-pong" sounds like a cousin of "sing-song," like something Eastern, but actually, it's believed that it was invented by high-class Brits during Victorian times, who started hitting wine corks over walls of books after dinner.
「乒乓」聽起來像是 「唱歌(英文發音類似)」的表親, 聽起來有東方味, 但其實,一般相信 它是在維多利亞時期 由上流英國人所發明, 他們在晚餐之後將酒瓶塞 打向書牆,發明了乒乓。
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
No exaggeration.
沒有誇大。
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
And by the end of World War I, the sport was dominated by players from the former Austro-Hungarian Empire: eight out of nine early world championships were claimed by Hungary. And Eastern Europeans grew so adept at hitting back everything that was hit at them that they almost brought the whole sport to a standstill. In one championship match in Prague in 1936, the first point is said to have lasted two hours and 12 minutes. The first point! Longer than a "Mad Max" movie. And according to one of the players, the umpire had to retire with a sore neck before the point was concluded.
第一次世界大戰尾聲時, 這項運動被前奧匈帝國球員給主宰: 早期的世界冠軍,九個中有八個 被匈牙利拿走。 而東歐人非常善長 把打向他們的任何東西打回去, 他們幾乎把這整個運動 打到停滯狀態。 1936 年在布拉格的 一場冠軍賽事中, 到了兩小時十二分時 才有人得了第一分。 第一分! 比《衝鋒飛車隊》電影還長。 根據一位球員的說法, 在那一分出現之前, 裁判就已經因為脖子酸痛而離場。
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
That player started hitting the ball back with his left hand and dictating chess moves between shots.
球員開始用左手把球打回去, 在打擊之間口述棋步。
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
Many in the audience started, of course, filing out, as that single point lasted maybe 12,000 strokes. And an emergency meeting of the International Table Tennis Association had to be held then and there, and soon the rules were changed so that no game could last longer than 20 minutes.
當然,許多觀眾 開始一個接一個離開, 因為要得一分可能 要揮一萬兩千拍。 國際桌球總會立即 召開緊急會議, 規則很快就被改變了, 比賽不得超過二十分鐘。
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
Sixteen years later, Japan entered the picture, when a little-known watchmaker called Hiroji Satoh showed up at the world championships in Bombay in 1952. And Satoh was not very big, he wasn't highly rated, he was wearing spectacles, but he was armed with a paddle that was not pimpled, as other paddles were, but covered by a thick spongy rubber foam. And thanks to this silencing secret weapon, the little-known Satoh won a gold medal. One million people came out into the streets of Tokyo to greet him upon his return, and really, Japan's postwar resurgence was set into motion.
十六年後,日本也來參一腳, 一名沒沒無聞的鐘錶匠佐藤博治 於 1952 年出現在 孟買的世界冠軍賽。 佐藤個子不高,排名不在前面, 他戴著眼鏡, 但是他所配備的球拍 不像其他球拍是顆粒面的, 而是表面厚厚的海棉橡膠泡沫。 因為有這個安靜的秘密武器, 不為人知的佐藤贏得金牌。 他返鄉時,東京有一百萬人 走上街頭歡迎他, 日本的戰後復興就這麼啟動了。
What I learned, though, at my regular games in Japan, is more what could be called the inner sport of global domination, sometimes known as life. We never play singles in our club, only doubles, and because, as I say, we change partners every five minutes, if you do happen to lose, you're very likely to win six minutes later. We also play best-of-two sets, so often, there's no loser at all. Ping-pong diplomacy.
不過,我在日本一般比賽中所學到的 比較是所謂全球統治的內在運動, 也就是人生。 在我們的俱樂部中, 我們從來不單打, 只進行雙打, 因為,如我所說的, 我們每五分鐘就換夥伴, 如果你剛好輸了,六分鐘之後, 你很可能就會贏。 我們也會玩三局兩勝制, 通常就完全不會有輸家。 乒乓交際手腕。
And I always remember that as a boy growing up in England, I was taught that the point of a game was to win. But in Japan, I'm encouraged to believe that, really, the point of a game is to make as many people as possible around you feel that they are winners. So you're not careening up and down as an individual might, but you're part of a regular, steady chorus. The most skillful players in our club deploy their skills to turn a 9-1 lead for their team into a 9-9 game in which everybody is intensely involved. And my friend who hits these high, looping lobs that smaller players flail at and miss -- well, he wins a lot of points, but I think he's thought of as a loser. In Japan, a game of ping-pong is really like an act of love. You're learning how to play with somebody, rather than against her.
我在英國長大,一直記得 被教導比賽的目的是獲勝。 但在日本,大家鼓勵我相信, 其實比賽的重點 是要盡可能讓你身邊 有越多人感覺自己是贏家。 所以你就不會像獨自 一個人那樣載沉載浮, 你屬於一個平凡穩定的團隊。 在我們的俱樂部中,球技最好的球員 會把他們的技巧用在 讓他們球隊九比一領先的局面 轉換成九比九的局面, 讓大家和比賽緊密結合。 我有位朋友,他很會打高吊球, 小個子球員會亂打且打不中—— 他能得很多分, 但我認為他被視為是輸家。 在日本,乒乓比賽其實 像是一種愛的舉動。 你學習的是如何和其他人一起運動, 而不是對抗其他人。
And I'll confess, at first, this seemed to me to take all the fun out of the sport. I couldn't exult after a tremendous upset victory against our strongest players, because six minutes later, with a new partner, I was falling behind again. On the other hand, I never felt disconsolate. And when I flew away from Japan and started playing singles again with my English archrival, I noticed that after every defeat, I was really brokenhearted. But after every victory, I couldn't sleep either, because I knew there was only one way to go, and that was down.
我必須承認一開始 我覺得這樣子運動的樂趣都沒了。 在擊敗最強的球員之後 我不能為之狂喜, 因為六分鐘之後,換了新夥伴, 我又落後了。 另一方面,我從來 沒有感覺鬱鬱不樂。 當我飛離日本, 和英國主要的對手開始再次單打時, 我發現每次輸球就真的很心碎。 但每次勝利之後,我也無法入睡, 因為我知道只剩下一條路, 就是下坡。
Now, if I were trying to do business in Japan, this would lead to endless frustration. In Japan, unlike elsewhere, if the score is still level after four hours, a baseball game ends in a tie, and because the league standings are based on winning percentage, a team with quite a few ties can finish ahead of a team with more victories.
如果我要在日本做生意, 這會造成無盡的挫折感。 日本和其他地方不同, 在日本如果四小時之後仍然比數相同, 棒球比賽就是以平手結束, 因為聯賽排名的依據是勝率, 有很多場平手的球隊在榜上 可能領先勝賽比較多場的球隊。
One of the first times an American was ever brought over to Japan to lead a professional Japanese baseball team, Bobby Valentine, in 1995, he took this really mediocre squad, he lead them to a stunning second-place finish, and he was instantly fired. Why? "Well," said the team spokesman, "because of his emphasis on winning."
最早被請到日本去領導 日本職業球隊的其中一位美國人 是巴比瓦倫泰,時間是 1995 年, 他帶的球隊很平凡, 最後卻以第二名的驚人成績結束, 而他馬上被開除了。 為什麼? 「嗯,」球隊發言人說: 「因為他強調贏球。」
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
Official Japan can feel quite a lot like that point that was said to last two hours and 12 minutes, and playing not to lose can take all the imagination, the daring, the excitement, out of things.
官方的日本感覺起來就很像 花了兩小時十二分鐘 才得到的那一分, 為了不要輸而比賽, 會把所有的想像力、 大膽冒險、興奮都給奪去。
At the same time, playing ping-pong in Japan reminds me why choirs regularly enjoy more fun than soloists. In a choir, your only job is to play your small part perfectly, to hit your notes with feeling, and by so doing, to help to create a beautiful harmony that's much greater than the sum of its parts. Yes, every choir does need a conductor, but I think a choir releases you from a child's simple sense of either-ors. You come to see that the opposite of winning isn't losing -- it's failing to see the larger picture.
同時,在日本打乒乓球 讓我想起為什麼合唱團通常會比 獨唱更有樂趣。 在合唱團中,你唯一的工作 就是完美演出你的小角色, 用感覺去唱出你的音符, 如此協助創造出美麗的和諧, 讓它變得比所有部分 加總起來更強大。 是的,每個合唱團都需要一個指揮, 但我認為合唱團會讓你脫離 兒時非黑即白的簡單二分法。 你會開始了解 贏的另一面並不是輸—— 而是無法看到更大的大局。
As my life goes on, I'm really startled to see that no event can properly be assessed for years after it has unfolded. I once lost everything I owned in the world, every last thing, in a wildfire. But in time, I came to see that it was that seeming loss that allowed me to live on the earth more gently, to write without notes, and actually, to move to Japan and the inner health club known as the ping-pong table. Conversely, I once stumbled into the perfect job, and I came to see that seeming happiness can stand in the way of true joy even more than misery does.
隨著年歲增長,我很訝異見到 事件在發生後數年 仍不能適當地被評估。 我曾經失去過我在世界上 所擁有的一切, 在大火中失去所有的一切。 但最後,我漸漸了解, 那看似失去一切的狀況, 讓我能夠更溫柔地住在地球上, 不用筆記就能寫作, 且能真的搬到日本, 加入內在健康俱樂部, 也就是乒乓球桌。 相反的,我有一次 遇到了一個完美的工作, 我漸漸了解,那看似快樂的狀況 反而比不幸更會阻礙 真正的喜悅。
Playing doubles in Japan really relieves me of all my anxiety, and at the end of an evening, I notice everybody is filing out in a more or less equal state of delight. I'm reminded every night that not getting ahead isn't the same thing as falling behind any more than not being lively is the same thing as being dead. And I've come to understand why it is that Chinese universities are said to offer degrees in ping-pong, and why researchers have found that ping-pong can actually help a little with mild mental disorders and even autism. But as I watch the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, I'm going to be keenly aware that it won't be possible to tell who's won or who's lost for a very long time.
在日本雙打真的讓我 解除了所有焦慮, 有天晚上結束時, 我注意到大家都有 差不多同等的愉悅。 每天晚上我都會被提醒, 沒有領先並不等同於落後, 就如同,沒有精力充沛 並不等同於死了。 我漸漸了解為什麼 中國的大學會提供乒乓球學位, 以及為什麼研究者發現乒乓 真的能對輕微的 心理疾病有一點幫助, 甚至是自閉症。 但當我看 2020 東京奧運時, 我將會非常敏銳地意識到 會有很長的一段時間 不可能分辨出誰贏、誰輸。
You remember that point I mentioned that was said to last for two hours and 12 minutes? Well, one of the players from that game ended up, six years later, in the concentration camps of Auschwitz and Dachau. But he walked out alive. Why? Simply because a guard in the gas chamber recognized him from his ping-pong playing days. Had he been the winner of that epic match? It hardly mattered. As you recall, many people had filed out before even the first point was concluded. The only thing that saved him was the fact that he took part.
還記得我前面提到過 花了兩小時十二分才得到的一分嗎? 那場比賽的其中一位球員 六年後淪落到 奧斯威辛和達豪集中營。 但他活著出來了。 為什麼? 只因為毒氣室的一名守衛 認出他以前是乒乓球員。 他是那場史詩級比賽的贏家嗎? 一點也不重要了。 如果各位記得,很多人 在那一分出現之前就離場了。 救了他一命的不是輸贏, 而是他的參賽。
The best way to win any game, Japan tells me every other night, is never, never to think about the score.
每隔一天晚上日本就會告訴我, 贏得任何比賽的最佳方法, 是永遠、永遠不要去想比分。
Thank you.
謝謝。
(Applause)
(掌聲)