Mountain biking in Israel is something that I do with great passion and commitment. And when I'm on my bike, I feel that I connect with the profound beauty of Israel, and I feel that I'm united with this country's history and biblical law. And also, for me, biking is a matter of empowerment. When I reach the summit of a steep mountain in the middle of nowhere, I feel young, invincible, eternal. It's as if I'm connecting with some legacy or with some energy far greater than myself. You can see my fellow riders at the end of the picture, looking at me with some concern. And here is another picture of them. Unfortunately, I cannot show their faces, neither can I disclose their true names, and that's because my fellow riders are juvenile inmates, offenders spending time in a correction facility about 20 minutes' ride from here -- well, like everything in Israel. And I've been riding with these kids once a week, every Tuesday, rain or shine, for the last four years and by now, they've become a very big part of my life.
Brdski biciklizam u Izraelu je nešto čime se ja bavim s velikom strašću i predanošću. A kada sam na biciklu, osjećam kako sam povezan s profanom ljepotom Izraela, i osjećam kako sam sjedinjen s poviješću ove zemlje i biblijskim zakonom. A za mene je još biciklizam stvar osnaživanja. Kada dosegnem vrh strme planine usred ničega, osjećam se mlado, nepobjedivo, vječno. To je kao da se povezujem s nekom ostavštinom ili s nekom energijom mnogo većim od mene. Možete vidjeti kolege bicikliste na kraju slike, gledaju me s nekom zabrinutošću. A ovo je druga slika s njima. Nažalost, ne mogu vam pokazati njihova lica, niti vam otkriti njihova prava imena, a to je zato jer su moje kolege biciklisti maloljetni zatvorenici, prijestupnici, koji provode vrijeme u popravnoj ustanovi oko 20 minuta vožnje odavde. Kao i sve u Izraelu. I ja odlazim na vožnju s tom djecom jednom tjedno, svaki utorak, bila kiša ili sunce, posljednje četiri godine. I do sada, postali su jako velikim dijelom mog života.
This story began four years ago. The correction facility where they are locked up happens to be right in the middle of one of my usual trips, and it's surrounded by barbed wires and electric gates and armed guards. So on one of these rides, I talked my way into the compound and went to see the warden. I told the warden that I wanted to start a mountain biking club in this place and that basically I wanted to take the kids from here to there. And I told him, "Let's find a way in which I'll be able to take out 10 kids once a week to ride with in the summer in the country." And the warden was quite amused, and he told me he thought that I was a nut and he told me, "This place is a correction facility. These guys are serious offenders. They are supposed to be locked up. They aren't supposed to be out at large." And yet, we began to talk about it, and one thing led to another. And I can't see myself going into a state prison in New Jersey and making such a proposition, but this being Israel, the warden somehow made it happen. And so two months later, we found ourselves "at large" -- myself, 10 juvenile inmates and a wonderful fellow named Russ, who became a very good friend of mine and my partner in this project.
Ova priča je započela prije četiri godine. Popravna ustanova u kojoj su zatvoreni se nalazi usred jedne od mojih uobičajenih staza, i okružena je s bodljikavim žicama i električnim vratima te naoružanim stražarima. Na jednoj od tih vožnji, uspio sam se izboriti za ulazak u dvorište i otišao sam do upravitelja zatvora. Rekao sam upravitelju kako želim započeti klub brdskog biciklizma u ovom mjestu i da zapravo želim povesti tu djecu odavde do tamo. I rekao sam mu, "Pronađimo način gdje ću ja biti u mogućnosti povesti 10 djece jednom tjedno na vožnju po selu za vrijeme ljeta." I upravitelju je to bilo prilično zabavno, i rekao mi je kako misli da sam lud. I rekao mi je, "Ovo mjesto je popravna ustanova. Ovi momci su ozbiljni prijestupnici. Oni bi morali biti pod ključem. Ne bi smjeli biti vani." A ipak, počeli smo pričati o tome, i jedna stvar je vodila drugoj. I ne mogu se zamisliti da odlazim u državni zatvor u New Jersey-u i iznosim takav prijedlog, ali kako je ovo Izrael, upravitelj je nekako to omogućio. I tako smo se dva mjeseca kasnije, našli na slobodi -- ja, 10 maloljetnih zatvorenika i prekrasan kolega zvan Russ, koji je postao jedan moj jako dobar prijatelj i moj partner u ovom projektu.
And in the next few weeks, I had the tremendous pleasure of introducing these kids to the world of total freedom, a world consisting of magnificent vistas like these -- everything you see here is obviously in Israel -- as well as close encounters with all sorts of small creatures coming in all sorts of sizes, colors, shapes, forms and so on. In spite of all this splendor, the beginning was extremely frustrating. Every small obstacle, every slight uphill, would cause these fellows to stop in their tracks and give up. So we had a lot of this going on. I found out that they had a very hard time dealing with frustration and difficulties -- not because they were physically unfit. But that's one reason why they ended up where they were. And I became increasingly more and more agitated, because I was there not only to be with them, but also to ride and create a team and I didn't know what to do.
I u slijedećih nekoliko tjedana, imao sam iznimno zadovoljstvo upoznavanja te djece sa svijetom potpune slobode, svijetom prekrasnih vidika poput ovih -- sve što vidite ovdje očito se nalazi u Izraelu -- kao i bliski susreti sa svim vrstama malih stvorenja koja dolaze u svim veličinama, bojama, oblicima, formama i tako dalje. Unatoč svoj toj divoti, početak je bio iznimno frustrirajući. Svaka mala prepreka, svaki blagi uspon bi naveo te momke da stanu na stazi i odustanu. Imali smo mnogo takvih stvari. Otkrio sam kako im je bilo jako teško nositi se s frustracijom i poteškoćama -- ne zato jer su bili fizički nespremni. Ali to je jedan razlog zbog kojeg su završili tu gdje jesu. I ja sam postajao sve uzrujaniji, jer sam bio tamo, ne samo da bih bio sa njima, već i zbog vožnje i stvaranja tima. I nisam znao što činiti.
Now, let me give you an example. We're going downhill in some rocky terrain, and the front tire of Alex gets caught in one of these crevasses here. So he crashes down, and he gets slightly injured, but this does not prevent him from jumping up and then starting to jump up and down on his bike and curse violently. Then he throws his helmet in the air. His backpack goes ballistic in some other direction. And then he runs to the nearest tree and starts to break branches and throw rocks and curse like I've never heard. And I'm just standing there, watching this scene with a complete disbelief, not knowing what to do. I'm used to algorithms and data structures and super motivated students, and nothing in my background prepared me to deal with a raging, violent adolescent in the middle of nowhere. And you have to realize that these incidents did not happen in convenient locations. They happened in places like this, in the Judean Desert, 20 kilometers away from the nearest road. And what you don't see in this picture is that somewhere between these riders there, there's a teenager sitting on a rock, saying, "I'm not moving from here. Forget it. I've had it." Well, that's a problem because one way or another, you have to get this guy moving because it's getting dark soon and dangerous.
Dopustite mi da vam dam jedan primjer. Spuštamo se nizbrdo po kamenitom terenu, i Alexova prednja guma se zaglavi u jednoj od ovih pukotina u ledu ovdje. On padne dolje, i zadobije malu ozljedu, ali to ga ne sprječava da skoči gore i počne skakati gore i dolje na svom biciklu i nasilno proklinjati. Zatim baci svoju kacigu u zrak. Njegova naprtnjača balističkom putanjom ode u nekom drugom smjeru. On zatim potrči prema najbližem drvu i počne lomiti grane i bacati kamenje i proklinjati kao što nikad nisam čuo. A ja samo stojim ovdje, promatrajući tu scenu s potpunom nevjericom, ne znajući što učiniti. Naviknut sam na algoritme i strukture podataka i super motivirane studente, ali ništa u mojoj prošlosti me nije pripremilo da se bavim bjesnim, nasilnim adolescentom usred ničega. Morate shvatiti kako se ti incidenti nisu dogodili na prikladnim lokacijama. Dogodili su se na mjestima poput Judean pustinje 20 km daleko od najbliže ceste. A ono što ne vidite na ovoj slici jest kako negdje između ovih biciklista ovdje, jedan tinejdžer sjedi na stijeni, govoreći, "Ne mičem se odavde. Zaboravi. Dosta mi je." To je problem jer na ovaj ili onaj način, morate ga navesti da se pomakne jer će se ubrzo smračiti i postat će opasno.
It took me several such incidents to figure out what I was supposed to do. At the beginning, it was a disaster. I tried harsh words and threats and they took me nowhere. That's what they had all their lives. And at some point I found out, when a kid like this gets into a fit, the best thing that you can possibly do is stay as close as possible to this kid, which is difficult, because what you really want to do is go away. But that's what he had all his life, people walking away from him. So what you have to do is stay close and try to reach in and pet his shoulder or give him a piece of chocolate. So I would say, "Alex, I know that it's terribly difficult. Why don't you rest for a few minutes and then we'll go on." "Go away you maniac-psychopath. Why would you bring us to this goddamn place?" And I would say, "Relax, Alex. Here's a piece of chocolate." And Alex would go, "Arrrrggg!" Because you have to understand that on these rides we are constantly hungry -- and after the rides also.
Trebalo mi je par takvih incidenata da naučim što trebam raditi. Na početku je bilo katastrofalno. Probao sam s oštrim riječima i prijetnjama i nigdje me to nije dovelo. To je ono što su imali cijele svoje živote. U jednom periodu sam shvatio, kada dijete kao ovo dođe u spremu, najbolja moguća stvar koju možete učiniti jest ostati što je bliže moguće tom dijetetu, što je teško, jer ono što zapravo želite jest otići. Ali to je ono što je on imao cijelog svog života, ljude koji su odlazili od njega. Dakle, ono što morate učiniti jest ostati blizu i pokušati prodrijeti unutra i potapšati njegovo rame ili mu dati komadić čokolade. Rekao bih, "Alex, znam da je užasno teško. Zašto se ne odmoriš na nekoliko minuta i zatim ćemo krenuti." "Odlazi manijače, psihopate. Zašto si nas doveo na ovo vražje mjesto?" A ja bih rekao, "Smiri se, Alex. Evo ti komad čokolade." A Alex bi išao, "Arrrrggg!" Jer morate shvatiti da smo tijekom tih vožnji neprestano gladni -- i nakon vožnji isto tako.
And who is this guy, Alex, to begin with? He's a 17-year-old. When he was eight, someone put him on a boat in Odessa and sent him, shipped him to Israel on his own. And he ended up in south Tel Aviv and did not have the good luck to be picked up by a [unclear] and roamed the streets and became a prominent gang member. And he spent the last 10 years of his life in two places only, the slums and the state prison, where he spent the last two years before he ended up sitting on this rock there. And so this kid was probably abused, abandoned, ignored, betrayed by almost every adult along the way. So, for such a kid, when an adult that he learns to respect stays close to him and doesn't walk away from him in any situation, irrespective of how he behaves, it's a tremendous healing experience. It's an act of unconditional acceptance, something that he never had.
A tko je, za početak, taj momak, Alex? Ima 17 godina. Kada mu je bilo osam, netko ga je ukrcao na brod u Odessi i dostavio ga u Izrael gdje je bio sam. I završio je u južnom Tel Avivu i nije imao sreće da bude pokupljen od (nejasno) i lutao je ulicama te je postao istaknut član bande. Proveo je posljednjih 10 godina svog života na samo dva mjesta -- u sirotinjskim četvrtima i u državnom zatvoru, gdje je proveo posljednje dvije godine prije nego što je završio sjedeći na ovoj stijeni ovdje. A taj dječak je vjerojatno bio zlostavljan, napušten, ignoriran, izdan od gotovo svake odrasle osobe na svom putu. Stoga, za takvo dijete, kada odrasla osoba koju nauči poštovati ostane blizu njega i ne odlazi od njega u bilo kojoj situaciji, neovisno o njegovom ponašanju, to je ogromno iskustvo zacijeljenja. To je čin bezuvjetnog prihvaćanja, nešto što nikada nije imao.
I want to say a few words about vision. When I started this program four years ago, I had this original plan of creating a team of winning underdogs. I had an image of Lance Armstrong in my mind. And it took me exactly two months of complete frustration to realize that this vision was misplaced, and that there was another vision supremely more important and more readily available. It all of a sudden dawned on me, in this project, that the purpose of these rides should actually be to expose the kids to one thing only: love. Love to the country, to the uphill and the downhill, to all the incredible creatures that surround us -- the animals, the plants, the insects -- love and respect to other fellow members in your team, in your biking team, and most importantly, love and respect to yourself, which is something that they badly miss.
Želim reći nekoliko riječi o viziji. Kada sam počeo s ovim programom prije četiri godine. Imao sam originalni plan stvaranja tima pobjedničkih gubitinika. Imao sam sliku Lancea Armstronga u svojim mislima. I trebalo mi je točno dva mjeseca potpune frustracije kako bih shvatio da je ta vizija bila zagubljena, i kako postoji druga vizija na kraju važnija i smjesta dostupna. Odjednom mi je sinulo kako je na tom projektu svrha tih vožnji bi zapravo trebala biti izložiti tu djecu samo jednoj stvari: ljubavi, ljubavi prema zemlji, prema uzbrdici i prema nizbrdici, prema svim nevjerojatnim stvorenjima koja nas okružuju -- životinjama, biljkama, insektima, ljubavi i poštovanju prema drugim kolegama članovima vašeg tima, u vašem biciklističkom timu, i najvažnije, ljubav i poštovanje prema sebi, što je nešto što im jako nedostaje.
Together with the kids, I also went through a remarkable transformation. Now, I come from a cutthroat world of science and high technology. I used to think that reason and logic and relentless drive were the only ways to make things happen. And before I worked with the kids, anything that I did with them, or anything that I did with myself, was supposed to be perfect, ideal, optimal, but after working with them for some time, I discovered the great virtues of empathy and flexibility and being able to start with some vision, and if the vision doesn't work, well nothing happened. All you have to do is play with it, change it a little bit, and come up with something that does help, that does work. So right now, I feel more like these are my principles, and if you don't like them, I have others.
Zajedno s djecom, ja sam isto prošao kroz značajnu transformaciju. Dolazim iz nemilosrdnog svijeta znanosti i visoke tehnologije. Mislio sam kako su razum i logika i neumorna motivacija jedini način kako ostvariti nešto. I prije nego sam radio s djecom, sve što sam radio s njima, ili sve što sam radio sa sobom, je trebalo biti savršeno, idealno, optimalno, ali radeći s njima nakon nekog vremena, otkrio sam velike vrline empatije i fleksibilnosti i postao sam spreman početi sa nekom vizijom, i ako vizija nije funkcionirala, ništa se ne bi dogodilo. Sve što morate raditi jest igrati se s tim, promijeniti bar malo, i osmisliti nešto što pomaže, nešto što funkcionira. Upravo sada, osjećam se kao da su to moja načela, a ako vam se ne sviđaju, imam druga.
(Laughter)
(Smijeh)
(Applause)
(Pljesak)
And one of these principles is focus. Before each ride we sit together with the kids, and we give them one word to think about during the ride. You have to focus their attention on something because so many things happen. So these are words like "teamwork" or "endurance" or even complicated concepts like "resource allocation" or "perspective," a word that they don't understand. You know, perspective is one of these critically important life-coping strategies that mountain biking can really teach you. I tell kids when they struggle through some uphill and feel like they cannot take it anymore, it really helps to ignore the immediate obstacles and raise your head and look around and see how the vista around you grows. It literally propels you upwards. That's what perspective is all about. Or you can also look back in time and realize that you've already conquered steeper mountains before. And that's how they develop self-esteem.
A jedno od tih načela je fokus. Prije svake vožnje sjednemo zajedno s djecom, i damo im jednu riječ o kojoj će razmišljati tijekom vožnje. Morate usmjeriti njihovu pažnju na nešto jer se toliko stvari događa. To su riječi kao timski rad ili izdržljivost ili čak komplicirani koncepti poput raspodjele resursa ili perspektiva, riječ koju ne razumiju. Znate, perspektiva je jedna od tih kritično važnih strategija životnog suočavanja o kojima vas brdski biciklizam može doista poučiti. Kažem djeci kada se mukotrpno penju uzbrdo i osjećaju se kao da to više ne mogu podnijeti, ono što stvarno pomaže jest zanemariti trenutne prepreke i podići svoju glavu i pogledati naokolo i vidjeti kako se vidici oko vas šire. Doslovno vas pokreće prema gore. To je bit cijele perspektive. Ili možete isto tako gledati u prošlost i shvatiti da ste već prije osvojili strmije planine. A na taj način razviju samopoštovanje.
Now, let me give you an example of how it works. You stand with your bike at the beginning of February. It's very cold, and you're standing in one of these rainy days, and it's drizzling and cold and chilly, and you're standing in, let's say, Yokneam. And you look up at the sky through a hole in the clouds you see the monastery at the top of the Muhraka -- that's where you're supposed to climb now -- and you say, "There's no way that I could possibly get there." And yet, two hours later you find yourself standing on the roof of this monastery, smeared with mud, blood and sweat. And you look down at Yokneam; everything is so small and tiny. And you say, "Hey, Alex. Look at this parking lot where we started. It's that big. I can't believe that I did it." And that's the point when you start loving yourself.
Dopustite mi da vam dam primjer kako to funkcionira. Stojite sa svojim biciklom na početku veljače. Jako je hladno, i stojite jednog od tih kišnih dana, i kiša rominja i hladno je i svježe, a vi stojite u, recimo, Yokneam-u. I pogledate gore u nebo i kroz oblake. na vrhu Muhraka-e vidite samostan -- tamo biste se sada trebali popeti -- i kažete, "Nema šanse da bih mogao doći tamo gore." A ipak, dva sata kasnije stojite na krovu tog samostana, premazani blatom, krvlju i znojem. I pogledate dolje na Yokneam, sve je tako malo i sićušno. I kažete, "Hej, Alex. Pogledaj ono parkiralište gdje smo započeli. Tako je veliko. Ne mogu vjerovati da sam uspio. I to je točka u kojoj počinjete voljeti sebe.
And so we talked about these special words that we teach them. And at the end of each ride, we sit together and share moments in which those special words of the day popped up and made a difference, and these discussions can be extremely inspiring. In one of them, one of the kids once said, "When we were riding on this ridge overlooking the Dead Sea -- and he's talking about this spot here -- "I was reminded of the day when I left my village in Ethiopia and went away together with my brother. We walked 120 kilometers until we reached Sudan. This was the first place where we got some water and supplies." And he goes on saying, and everyone looks at him like a hero, probably for the first time in his life. And he says -- because I also have volunteers riding with me, adults, who are sitting there listening to him -- and he says, "And this was just the beginning of our ordeal until we ended up in Israel. And only now," he says, "I'm beginning to understand where I am, and I actually like it." Now I remember, when he said it, I felt goosebumps on my body, because he said it overlooking the Moab Mountains here in the background. That's where Joshua descended and crossed the Jordan and led the people of Israel into the land of Canaan 3,000 years ago in this final leg of the journey from Africa.
I tako smo pričali o tim posebnim riječima kojima ih učimo. I na kraju svake vožnje, sjedimo zajedno i dijelimo trenutke u kojima su te posebne riječi dana iskočile i napravile promjenu. A te diskusije mogu biti iznimno inspirirajuće. U jednoj od njih, jedno od djece je reklo, "Kada smo se vozili po tom grebenu s pogledom na Mrtvo more -- a govori o ovom mjestu ovdje -- sjetio sam se dana kada sam napustio svoje selo u Etiopiji i otišao zajedno sa svojim bratom. Hodali smo 120 km sve dok nismo došli u Sudan. To je bilo prvo mjesto gdje smo dobili nešto vode i zaliha." On nastavlja pričati, i svi gledaju u njega kao u heroja, vjerojatno po prvi put u njegovom životu. I kaže -- jer imam volontere koji se voze samnom, odrasle, koji sjede ovdje slušajući ga. Kaže, "A to je bio tek početak našeg teškog iskušenja sve dok nismo završili u Izraelu. I tek sada," kaže, "počinjem shvaćati gdje sam, i stvarno mi se sviđa." Sjetite se kada je to rekao, osjetio sam trnce na svom tijelu, jer je to rekao s pogledom na planine Moab ovdje u pozadini. Tamo je Jahve sišao i prešao Jordan i vodio ljude Izraelove u kanaansku zemlju prije 3.000 godina u tom zadnjem dijelu putovanja iz Afrike.
And so, perspective and context and history play key roles in the way I plan my rides with the kids. We visit Kibbutzim that were established by Holocaust survivors. We explore ruins of Palestinian villages, and we discuss how they became ruins. And we go through numerous remnants of Jewish settlements, Nabatic settlements, Canaanite settlements -- three-, four, five-thousand years old. And through this tapestry, which is the history of this country, the kids acquire what is probably the most important value in education, and that is the understanding that life is complex, and there's no black and white. And by appreciating complexity, they become more tolerant, and tolerance leads to hope.
Tako perspektiva i kontekst i povijest igraju ključne uloge u načinu na koji planiram svoje vožnje s djecom. Posjećujemo Kibbutzim koji su osnovali preživjeli iz holokausta. Istražujemo ruševine palestinskih sela, i pričamo o tome kako su postale ruševine. I prolazimo kroz brojne ostatke židovskih naselja, nabatičkih naselja, kanaanskih naselja - stara tri, četiri, 5.000 godina. Kroz tu tapetu, koja je povijest ove zemlje, djeca usvajaju što je vjerojatno najvažnija vrijednost edukacije, a to je shvaćanje da je život kompleksan, i da ne postoji crno i bijelo. A cijeneći kompleksnost, postaju tolerantniji, a tolerancija vodi nadi.
I ride with these kids once a week, every Tuesday. Here's a picture I took last Tuesday -- less than a week ago -- and I ride with them tomorrow also. In every one of these rides I always end up standing in one of these incredible locations, taking in this incredible landscape around me, and I feel blessed and fortunate that I'm alive, and that I sense every fiber in my aching body. And I feel blessed and fortunate that 15 years ago I had the courage to resign my tenured position at NYU and return to my home country where I can do these incredible rides with this group of troubled kids coming from Ethiopia and Morocco and Russia. And I feel blessed and fortunate that every week, every Tuesday -- and actually every Friday also -- I can once again celebrate in the marrow of my bones the very essence of living in Israel on the edge.
Odlazim na vožnje s tom djecom jednom tjedno, svaki utorak. Ovo je slika koju sam uslika prošli utorak -- prije manje od tjedan dana -- a isto tako sutra idem na vožnju s njima. Na svakoj od tih vožnji završim stojeći na jednoj od ovih nevjerojatnih lokacija, poimajući ovaj nevjerojatan krajobraz koji me okružuje. I osjećam se blagoslovljenim i sretnim što sam živ, i da osjećam svako vlakno u mom bolnom tijelu. I osjećam se blagoslovljenim i sretnim što sam prije 15 godina imao hrabrosti dati ostavku s moje redovite pozicije na Sveučilištu u New Yorku (NYU) i vratiti se u svoju domovinu gdje mogu organizirati te nevjerojatne vožnje s tom grupom problematične djece koja dolaze iz Etiopije i Maroka i Rusije. I osjećam se blagoslovljenim i sretnim što svaki tjedan, svaki utorak i, zapravo, svaki petak jednako, mogu još jednom slaviti u samoj srži svojih kosti suštinu života na rubu u Izraelu.
Thank you.
Hvala vam.
(Applause)
(Pljesak)