ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Abha Dawesar - Novelist
Abha Dawesar writes to make sense of the world -- herself included.

Why you should listen

Abha Dawesar began her writing career as an attempt to understand herself -- at age 7. It’s a goal that remains at the center of her work: Sensorium, her most recent novel, explores the nature of time, self, and uncertainty, using Hindu mythology and modern science as prisms. “At a very basic level, writing was always my way of apprehending the world,” she has said.

Dawesar moved from India to the United States to study at Harvard, and Delhi appears at the center of her novels Family Values and Babyji. But the oversimplified genres of immigrant fiction or ethnic fiction do not appeal to her. “Those looking for a constant South Asian theme or Diaspora theme or immigrant theme will just be disappointed in the long run from my work,” she has said. “The only label I can put up with is that of a writer. And my ideas come from everywhere.”

More profile about the speaker
Abha Dawesar | Speaker | TED.com
TEDGlobal 2013

Abha Dawesar: Life in the "digital now"

Abha Dawesar: 生活在"數位現在式"裡

Filmed:
1,328,801 views

一年前,Abha Dawesar正好住在因颶風桑迪來襲而停電的曼哈頓,當時的她到處尋找能夠充電、上網的地方。 身為小說家的她突然發現:「我們的生活是否已深為網路連線所驅使,因而失去了體驗當下的機會?」
- Novelist
Abha Dawesar writes to make sense of the world -- herself included. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:12
I was in New York紐約 during Hurricane颶風 Sandy,
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颶風桑迪來的時候我正在紐約,
00:14
and this little white白色 dog called Maui毛伊島
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和這個叫毛伊的小白狗
00:17
was staying with me.
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住在一起。
00:18
Half the city was dark黑暗 because of a power功率 cut,
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因為斷電,半個城市都是黑漆漆的。
00:21
and I was living活的 on the dark黑暗 side.
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我就住在黑漆漆的這一邊。
00:23
Now, Maui毛伊島 was terrified of the dark黑暗,
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當時,毛伊很怕黑,
00:25
so I had to carry攜帶 him up the stairs樓梯,
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我只好帶著牠上樓。
00:27
actually其實 down the stairs樓梯 first, for his walk步行,
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其實是先下樓去遛狗,
00:30
and then bring帶來 him back up.
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然後再把牠帶回來。
00:32
I was also hauling牽引 gallons加侖 of bottles瓶子 of water
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我每天還要拖著好幾加侖的瓶裝水
00:35
up to the seventh第七 floor地板 every一切 day.
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爬到七樓。
00:37
And through通過 all of this,
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這期間,
00:39
I had to hold保持 a torch火炬 between之間 my teeth.
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我不得不咬著火炬當照明。
00:41
The stores商店 nearby附近 were out of flashlights手電筒
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附近商店沒有手電筒、
00:44
and batteries電池 and bread麵包.
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電池和麵包。
00:47
For a shower淋浴, I walked 40 blocks
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為了洗個澡,我走了40個街區,
00:50
to a branch of my gym健身房.
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到我健身中心的另一個分店去。
00:51
But these were not the major重大的 preoccupations當務之急 of my day.
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但是這些都不是我那時候關心的主要問題。
00:55
It was just as critical危急 for me to be the first person in
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對我來說重要的是我要最早到達
00:58
at a cafe咖啡店 nearby附近 with extension延期 cords and chargers充電器
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附近的一家咖啡館,拿著我的延長線及充電器
01:01
to juice果汁 my multiple devices設備.
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給我的幾個電子設備充電。
01:03
I started開始 to prospect展望 under the benches長椅 of bakeries麵包店
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我開始尋找麵包店的長椅下
01:06
and the entrances入口 of pastry糕點 shops商店 for plug插頭 points.
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和糕餅店出入口的那些插座。
01:09
I wasn't the only one.
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我不是唯一這樣做的人。
01:11
Even in the rain, people stood站在 between之間 Madison麥迪遜 and 5th Avenue大街
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即使是雨天,人們打著雨傘站在麥迪森大街和第五大道之間
01:15
under their umbrellas雨傘 charging充電 their cell細胞 phones手機
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好從路邊的商家那兒
01:17
from outlets網點 on the street.
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給他們的手機充電。
01:19
Nature性質 had just reminded提醒 us
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自然提醒了我們,
01:21
that it was stronger than all our technology技術,
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它比我們所有的技術更加強大,
01:24
and yet然而 here we were, obsessed痴迷 about being存在 wired有線.
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但是我們仍然癡迷於這些需要電線的東西。
01:27
I think there's nothing like a crisis危機
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我覺得沒有什麼比一場危機
01:29
to tell you what's really important重要 and what's not,
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更能讓你明白什麼重要而什麼不重要。
01:32
and Sandy made製作 me realize實現 that our devices設備
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颶風桑迪讓我意識到我們的電子設備
01:36
and their connectivity連接 matter to us
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和它們的連線能力對我們來說,
01:38
right up there with food餐飲 and shelter庇護.
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就跟我們的食物和住所一樣重要。
01:42
The self as we once一旦 knew知道 it no longer exists存在,
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我們瞭解的那部分自我已不存在,
01:46
and I think that an abstract抽象, digital數字 universe宇宙
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我覺得,一個抽象的、 數位的宇宙
01:48
has become成為 a part部分 of our identity身分,
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已經成了我們本身的一部分,
01:51
and I want to talk to you about what I think that means手段.
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今天我就是想談談我是怎麼看待這件事的。
01:55
I'm a novelist小說家, and I'm interested有興趣 in the self
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我是一位小說家,對認識自我(這樣的話題)很感興趣,
01:58
because the self and fiction小說 have a lot in common共同.
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因為自我和小說有很多共同點。
02:00
They're both stories故事, interpretations解讀.
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他們都是故事,都有解釋。
02:04
You and I can experience經驗 things without a story故事.
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沒有故事,你和我也可以體驗不同的事情。
02:06
We might威力 run up the stairs樓梯 too quickly很快
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我們可能爬樓梯爬得太快了,
02:08
and we might威力 get breathless咋舌.
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可能都喘不上氣來。
02:10
But the larger sense that we have of our lives生活,
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我們對生活的感受越是強烈,
02:12
the slightly more abstract抽象 one, is indirect間接.
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它就越是抽象的,不直接的。
02:16
Our story故事 of our life is based基於 on direct直接 experience經驗,
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我們生活裡的故事都是建立在直接經驗上,
02:19
but it's embellished點綴.
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但那都是點綴。
02:21
A novel小說 needs需求 scene現場 after scene現場 to build建立,
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小說需要一個場景接著一個場景來建構,
02:24
and the story故事 of our life needs需求 an arc as well.
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我們的人生故事同樣需要一個弧線,
02:27
It needs需求 months個月 and years年份.
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需要成年成月的故事積累。
02:29
Discrete分離 moments瞬間 from our lives生活 are its chapters.
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我們生命中那些聚散離合都自成章節,
02:32
But the story故事 is not about these chapters.
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但故事並不來自這些章節,
02:35
It's the whole整個 book.
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故事就是這整本書本身。
02:37
It's not only about the heartbreak心碎 and the happiness幸福,
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它不僅只關於傷心欲絕和喜氣洋洋,
02:40
the victories勝利 and the disappointments失望,
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不僅只關於勝利和失望,
02:43
but it's because how because of these,
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它闡述了因為這些事件,
02:45
and sometimes有時, more importantly重要的, in spite儘管 of these,
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有時更重要的是,即便沒有這些事件,
02:48
we find our place地點 in the world世界
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我們如何得以在這個世界上找到自己的位置,
02:50
and we change更改 it and we change更改 ourselves我們自己.
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我們如何改變世界、改變我們自己。
02:53
Our story故事, therefore因此, needs需求 two dimensions尺寸 of time:
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因此我們的故事需要有兩個時間軸:
02:56
a long arc of time that is our lifespan壽命,
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時間的長軸是我們的壽命,
02:59
and the timeframe大體時間 of direct直接 experience經驗
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而每個直接體驗的當下
03:02
that is the moment時刻.
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就是某個時刻。
03:03
Now the self that experiences經驗 directly
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能直接體驗的那個自我,
03:06
can only exist存在 in the moment時刻,
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只存在於某個特定的時刻,
03:07
but the one that narrates敘事 needs需求 several一些 moments瞬間,
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但是人都需要一連串的片段
03:10
a whole整個 sequence序列 of them,
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才能組合成一個故事。
03:12
and that's why our full充分 sense of self
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所以我們對自我的認識
03:15
needs需求 both immersive身臨其境 experience經驗
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不僅需要大量的經歷,
03:18
and the flow of time.
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還需要流動的時間軸。
03:20
Now, the flow of time is embedded嵌入式 in everything,
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時光流逝的痕跡都鑲嵌在每一個事件裡,
03:23
in the erosion侵蝕 of a grain糧食 of sand,
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鑲嵌在被侵蝕的沙粒裡,
03:26
in the budding芽接 of a little bud into a rose玫瑰.
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鑲嵌在萌萌欲綻的玫瑰花苞裡。
03:29
Without沒有 it, we would have no music音樂.
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沒有時光的流逝,我們就沒有音樂可聽。
03:32
Our own擁有 emotions情緒 and state of mind心神
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我們的自我情感和意識狀態,
03:34
often經常 encode編碼 time,
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經常編寫在時光裡,
03:36
regret後悔 or nostalgia懷舊之情 about the past過去,
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無論是對過去的遺憾和留戀,
03:39
hope希望 or dread恐懼 about the future未來.
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還是對未來的展望和恐懼。
03:42
I think that technology技術 has altered改變 that flow of time.
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我想科技改變了通常意義上的時間流逝。
03:46
The overall總體 time that we have for our narrative敘述,
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我們的故事及生命的長度
03:49
our lifespan壽命, has been increasing增加,
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不停在增加,
03:51
but the smallest最少 measure測量, the moment時刻, has shrunk壓縮.
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但是可紀錄的最小片斷、最短時刻卻在減小。
03:54
It has shrunk壓縮 because our instruments儀器 enable啟用 us
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歸功於我們的電子設備,我們可以紀錄的
03:56
in part部分 to measure測量 smaller and smaller units單位 of time,
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時間單位越來越小,
04:00
and this in turn has given特定 us a more granular粒狀 understanding理解
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因此,我們可以更加詳細地認識
04:03
of the material材料 world世界,
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這個物質世界,
04:05
and this granular粒狀 understanding理解
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如此詳細地認識
04:06
has generated產生 reams里姆斯 of data數據
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產生了大量的數據,
04:08
that our brains大腦 can no longer comprehend理解
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以致於我們的大腦不再能夠全部理解,
04:11
and for which哪一個 we need more and more complicated複雜 computers電腦.
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為此我們需要更多複雜的電腦。
04:14
All of this to say that the gap間隙
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這說明我們可以感知的事物
04:17
between之間 what we can perceive感知 and what we can measure測量
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和我們可以紀錄的事物之間
04:19
is only going to widen擴大.
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的差距只會逐漸擴大。
04:21
Science科學 can do things with and in a picosecond皮秒,
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科學可以紀錄皮妙以內的事件,
04:24
but you and I are never going to have the inner experience經驗
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但你和我卻永遠不可能有
04:27
of a millionth百萬分之一 of a millionth百萬分之一 of a second第二.
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一兆分之一秒的體驗。
04:30
You and I answer回答 only to nature's大自然 rhythm韻律 and flow,
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我和你只能對自然的節律和流動,
04:34
to the sun太陽, the moon月亮 and the seasons季節,
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對太陽、 月亮和季節變化做出回應。
04:37
and this is why we need that long arc of time
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這就是為甚麼我們需要一個長的足以涵蓋
04:40
with the past過去, the present當下 and the future未來
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過去、 現在和未來的時間弧
04:42
to see things for what they are,
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來理解事情的原由,
04:44
to separate分離 signal信號 from noise噪聲
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來分辨噪音中的信號
04:46
and the self from sensations感覺.
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和感知中的自我。
04:48
We need time's時間的 arrow箭頭 to understand理解 cause原因 and effect影響,
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我們需要時間弧來理解因果關係,
04:52
not just in the material材料 world世界,
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不只是在物質的世界裡,
04:53
but in our own擁有 intentions意圖 and our motivations動機.
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也在我們自己的意圖和動機裡。
04:57
What happens發生 when that arrow箭頭 goes awry?
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當時間弧線的指針出現偏差時,會發生什麼呢?
05:01
What happens發生 when time warps經線?
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當時間扭曲時,會發生什麼呢?
05:04
So many許多 of us today今天 have the sensation感覺
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我們很多人現在都有這種的感覺,
05:06
that time's時間的 arrow箭頭 is pointing指點 everywhere到處
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那就是時間軸在四處亂指,
05:08
and nowhere無處 at once一旦.
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沒有哪次是一致的。
05:11
This is because time doesn't flow in the digital數字 world世界
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這是因為時間在數位世界裡的流動方式
05:13
in the same相同 way that it does in the natural自然 one.
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和在自然界裡不一樣。
05:17
We all know that the Internet互聯網 has shrunk壓縮 space空間
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我們都知道網路縮小了空間
05:20
as well as time.
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與時間。
05:21
Far away over there is now here.
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遠方發生的事情就像在這裡發生的。
05:24
News新聞 from India印度 is a stream on my smartphone手機 app應用
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來自印度的新聞成了我智慧型手機app裡的一則消息,
05:26
whether是否 I'm in New York紐約 or New Delhi新德里.
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無論我是身在紐約或新德里。
05:29
And that's not all.
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不只這樣,
05:31
Your last job工作, your dinner晚餐 reservations預訂 from last year,
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你上一份工作、去年的晚餐訂位、
05:33
your former前任的 friends朋友, lie謊言 on a flat平面 plain with today's今天的 friends朋友,
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你以前的朋友,和你的新朋友一起躺在平原上,
05:36
because the Internet互聯網 also archives檔案,
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這都是由於網路具存檔功能,
05:38
and it warps經線 the past過去.
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能扭曲過去。
05:40
With no distinction分別 left between之間 the past過去,
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由於過去、現在和未來,
05:42
the present當下 and the future未來, and the here or there,
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這裡或那裡,已經沒有分別,
05:46
we are left with this moment時刻 everywhere到處,
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而我們無時無刻都身處在這樣的時刻裡,
05:50
this moment時刻 that I'll call the digital數字 now.
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這樣的時刻我稱之為數位現在式。
05:52
Just how can we prioritize優先
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問題是我們如何
05:54
in the landscape景觀 of the digital數字 now?
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對數位世界裡的事件進行先後排序呢?
05:56
This digital數字 now is not the present當下,
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數位世界裡的現在並不代表此時此刻,
05:58
because it's always a few少數 seconds ahead,
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而通常是發生在幾秒前,
06:00
with Twitter推特 streams that are already已經 trending趨勢
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透過推特傳播的消息,
06:02
and news新聞 from other time zones.
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和來自其他地區的新聞。
06:04
This isn't the now of a shooting射擊 pain疼痛 in your foot腳丫子
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這已經不是你腳上中了槍傷的現在,
06:07
or the second第二 that you bite into a pastry糕點
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也不是你在糕點上咬上一口的那一刻,
06:09
or the three hours小時 that you lose失去 yourself你自己 in a great book.
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或者你在一本很棒的書裡沉浸的那三個小時。
06:13
This now bears very little physical物理
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這個"現在"已經不足以為我們的自我狀態
06:15
or psychological心理 reference參考 to our own擁有 state.
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提供任何身體性或心理性的佐證。
06:18
Its focus焦點, instead代替, is to distract轉移 us
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相反的,它在路上每一個轉彎處
06:20
at every一切 turn on the road.
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試圖分散我們的注意力。
06:22
Every一切 digital數字 landmark里程碑 is an invitation請帖
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數位世界的每個路標都在
06:24
to leave離開 what you are doing now to go somewhere某處 else其他
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邀請你離開正在專注的事情,去其他的地方
06:26
and do something else其他.
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做其他的事情。
06:28
Are you reading an interview訪問 by an author作者?
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你正在閱讀一個作家的專訪嘛?
06:30
Why not buy購買 his book? Tweet鳴叫 it. Share分享 it.
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為什麼不買他的書?推它?分享它?
06:33
Like it. Find other books圖書 exactly究竟 like his.
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喜歡它?搜尋同類型的其他書籍。
06:35
Find other people reading those books圖書.
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搜尋同在閱讀這本書的讀者。
06:38
Travel旅行 can be liberating解放,
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旅行可以是非常自由的,
06:40
but when it is incessant不停, we become成為
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但當它變得無休止時,我們也就成了
06:42
permanent常駐 exiles流亡者 without repose休息.
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沒有休息日的流亡者。
06:44
Choice選擇 is freedom自由, but not when it's constantly經常
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選擇是自由的,但如果不斷地為了
06:47
for its own擁有 sake清酒.
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選擇而選擇,那就不是自由了。
06:49
Not just is the digital數字 now far from the present當下,
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數位現在式已不僅不是現在,
06:52
but it's in direct直接 competition競爭 with it,
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它還直接和真正的現在在競爭。
06:54
and this is because not just am I absent缺席 from it,
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這是因為不僅我在真正的現在缺席,
06:57
but so are you.
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你也是如此。
06:58
Not just are we absent缺席 from it, but so is everyone大家 else其他.
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不僅僅是我們缺席,其他人也是如此。
07:01
And therein在其中 lies its greatest最大 convenience方便 and horror恐怖.
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所以,這裡存在著巨大的便利和隱憂。
07:04
I can order訂購 foreign國外 language語言 books圖書 in the middle中間 of the night,
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我可以在大半夜從網路上訂購外文書籍、
07:07
shop for Parisian巴黎的 macarons馬卡龍,
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購買巴黎的馬卡龍、
07:09
and leave離開 video視頻 messages消息 that get picked採摘的 up later後來.
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給才剛接到的訊息做影音回覆。
07:11
At all times, I can operate操作
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我總是可以
07:13
at a different不同 rhythm韻律 and pace步伐 from you,
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在踩著和你不同的節奏與步調時,
07:16
while I sustain支持 the illusion錯覺
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同時擁有著與你的時空
07:17
that I'm tapped竊聽 into you in real真實 time.
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緊密相扣的幻覺。
07:21
Sandy was a reminder提醒
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桑迪颶風是一個提醒,
07:23
of how such這樣 an illusion錯覺 can shatter打碎.
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提醒我們可以去粉碎這樣的幻覺。
07:25
There were those with power功率 and water,
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有些人有電有水,
07:27
and those without.
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有些人卻沒有。
07:28
There are those who went back to their lives生活,
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有些人的日常生活已經恢復,
07:30
and those who are still displaced流離失所
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有些人即使已經過了好幾個月,
07:32
after so many許多 months個月.
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卻仍然流離失所。
07:35
For some reason原因, technology技術 seems似乎 to perpetuate延續
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出於某些原因,科技產品對於
07:37
the illusion錯覺 for those who have it that everyone大家 does,
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那些一直擁有它的人來說幾乎成了一個永恆的幻覺,
07:41
and then, like an ironic具有諷刺意味 slap拍擊 in the face面對,
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然後,就像一記打在臉上的諷刺耳光,
07:44
it makes品牌 it true真正.
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這幻覺成真了。
07:46
For example, it's said that there are more people
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舉例來說,有人說在印度,人們持有手機的比率
07:47
in India印度 with access訪問 to cell細胞 phones手機 than toilets洗手間.
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比有廁所可上的比率還要來得高。
07:50
Now if this rift裂痕, which哪一個 is already已經 so great
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若缺乏基礎建設與科技普及間
07:53
in many許多 parts部分 of the world世界,
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存在著無法跨越的鴻溝,
07:54
between之間 the lack缺乏 of infrastructure基礎設施 and the spread傳播 of technology技術,
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而這巨大鴻溝在世上許多地區
07:58
isn't somehow不知何故 bridged橋接,
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都已普遍存在著,
07:59
there will be ruptures破裂 between之間 the digital數字
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那麼數位世界和真實世界
08:01
and the real真實.
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將會有更多的裂隙。
08:04
For us as individuals個人 who live生活 in the digital數字 now
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生活在數位現在式裡的我們,
08:07
and spend most of our waking醒來 moments瞬間 in it,
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把大部分清醒的時間花在數位產品上,
08:10
the challenge挑戰 is to live生活 in two streams of time
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我們面臨的挑戰是得在兩個平行
08:12
that are parallel平行 and almost幾乎 simultaneous同時.
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且幾乎同步進行著的時間軸裡生活著。
08:15
How does one live生活 inside distraction娛樂?
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我們如何在這樣的煩亂中生活?
08:19
We might威力 think that those younger更年輕 than us,
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我們也許會覺得,那些比我們年輕,
08:21
those who are born天生 into this, will adapt適應 more naturally自然.
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生來就接觸這些電子產品的孩子,會更快地適應這樣的生活。
08:24
Possibly或者, but I remember記得 my childhood童年.
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也許吧。
但我記得我的童年,
08:28
I remember記得 my grandfather祖父 revising修訂
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我記得我的祖父
08:29
the capitals首都 of the world世界 with me.
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和我一起研究世界各地的首都。
08:32
Buda布達 and Pest蟲害 were separated分離 by the Danube多瑙河,
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布達和佩斯被多瑙河分開,
08:34
and Vienna維也納 had a Spanish西班牙語 riding騎術 school學校.
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維也納有西班牙騎術學校。
08:37
If I were a child兒童 today今天, I could easily容易 learn學習 this information信息
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如果我是現在的孩子,我可以輕鬆地
08:40
with apps應用 and hyperlinks超鏈接,
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通過app和超連結來學到這些資訊,
08:42
but it really wouldn't不會 be the same相同,
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但一定和我所學的不同,
08:44
because much later後來, I went to Vienna維也納,
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因為我長大後去過維也納,
08:46
and I went to the Spanish西班牙語 riding騎術 school學校,
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1968
我去看了西班牙騎術學校,
08:48
and I could feel my grandfather祖父 right beside me.
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我能感覺到我的祖父就在我身邊。
08:52
Night after night, he took me up on the terrace陽台,
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夜復一夜,他把我帶到露臺上
08:54
on his shoulders肩膀, and pointed out Jupiter木星
205
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我坐在他的肩上,他為我指出哪個是木星、
08:57
and Saturn土星 and the Great Bear to me.
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土星,還有大熊星座。
09:00
And even here, when I look at the Great Bear,
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甚至在這裡,當我看著大熊星座,
09:03
I get back that feeling感覺 of being存在 a child兒童,
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我能感覺自己回到了童年時,
09:06
hanging onto his head and trying to balance平衡 myself
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騎在他的肩上盡量保持平衡
09:08
on his shoulder,
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的樣子,
09:10
and I can get back that feeling感覺 of being存在 a child兒童 again.
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我仍能找回童年時的感受。
09:13
What I had with my grandfather祖父 was wrapped包裹
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和祖父待在一起時的種種感覺,
09:16
so often經常 in information信息 and knowledge知識 and fact事實,
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與那時學到的信息、知識和事實緊密連結,
09:19
but it was about so much more
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但那些記憶包含的,
09:21
than information信息 or knowledge知識 or fact事實.
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要比單純的信息、知識和事實要多得多。
09:25
Time-warping時間扭曲 technology技術 challenges挑戰
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科技扭曲了時間的意涵,也挑戰著
09:27
our deepest最深 core核心,
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我們內心最深處的自我,
09:29
because we are able能夠 to archive檔案 the past過去
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因為我們能夠將過去存檔,
09:33
and some of it becomes hard to forget忘記,
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使得有些事件變得難以忘懷,
09:36
even as the current當前 moment時刻
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這甚至讓當下這個片刻,
09:39
is increasingly日益 unmemorable值得紀念.
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逐漸變得毫不起眼。
09:41
We want to clutch離合器, and we are left instead代替
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我們想要留住每個時刻,
09:44
clutching抓著 at a series系列 of static靜態的 moments瞬間.
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卻反而只抓住一系列靜止的時刻。
09:47
They're like soap肥皂 bubbles泡泡 that disappear消失 when we touch觸摸 them.
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他們就像肥皂泡沫,一碰到就消失。
09:49
By archiving歸檔 everything, we think that we can store商店 it,
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通過存檔,我們認為一切都可保存下來,
09:52
but time is not data數據.
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但時間不是資料,
09:54
It cannot不能 be stored存儲.
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它不能被存儲。
09:56
You and I know exactly究竟 what it means手段 like
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你和我都很清楚的了解
09:58
to be truly present當下 in a moment時刻.
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如何真實的去感受當下。
10:00
It might威力 have happened發生 while we were
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這可能發生在我們
10:01
playing播放 an instrument儀器,
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演奏樂器時、
10:03
or looking into the eyes眼睛 of someone有人 we've我們已經 known已知
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或者一眼望進一個認識多年的人
10:05
for a very long time.
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的眼眸裡時。
10:07
At such這樣 moments瞬間, our selves自我 are complete完成.
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在這些時刻裡,我們擁有了完整的自我。
10:10
The self that lives生活 in the long narrative敘述 arc
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在生命敘事長軸上的我
10:12
and the self that experiences經驗 the moment時刻
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與正在體驗當下的自我
10:14
become成為 one.
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合而為一。
10:16
The present當下 encapsulates包囊 the past過去
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"現在"壓縮了過去
10:18
and a promise諾言 for the future未來.
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與對未來的承諾。
10:20
The present當下 joins加入 a flow of time
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"現在"參與了時間的洪流,
10:22
from before and after.
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串連起過去和未來。
10:24
I first experienced有經驗的 these feelings情懷 with my grandmother祖母.
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我第一次經歷這種感覺是在和祖母相處時。
10:28
I wanted to learn學習 to skip跳躍, and she found發現 an old rope
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我想要學跳繩,於是她找來了一條舊繩子,
10:30
and she tucked up her sari紗麗
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接著她捲起莎麗後
10:31
and she jumped跳下 over it.
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就跳過了那繩子。
10:33
I wanted to learn學習 to cook廚師, and she kept不停 me in the kitchen廚房,
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我想要學做飯,她把我留在廚房裡,
10:36
cutting切割, cubing體積測量 and chopping斬波 for a whole整個 month.
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讓我又切又剁了整整一個月。
10:40
My grandmother祖母 taught me that things happen發生
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祖母教導我事情的發生需要時間來消化,
10:42
in the time they take, that time can't be fought戰鬥,
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這段時間是必要的,
10:46
and because it will pass通過 and it will move移動,
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又因為這段時間會過去、會繼續向前進,
10:48
we owe the present當下 moment時刻 our full充分 attention注意.
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所以我們應用心專注"現在"這個當下。
10:51
Attention注意 is time.
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專注就是時間。
10:54
One of my yoga瑜伽 instructors教官 once一旦 said
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我的一個瑜伽導師曾經說過:
10:56
that love is attention注意,
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愛就是專注,
10:58
and definitely無疑 from my grandmother祖母,
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而對我祖母來說,
11:00
love and attention注意 were one and the same相同 thing.
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愛和專注絕對是同一個東西。
11:04
The digital數字 world世界 cannibalizescannibalizes time,
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數位世界正吞噬著時間,
11:07
and in doing so, I want to suggest建議
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因此,我要提醒大家
11:10
that what it threatens威脅
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它威脅到的
11:12
is the completeness完整性 of ourselves我們自己.
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是我們自我的完整性。
11:14
It threatens威脅 the flow of love.
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它威脅到了愛的交流。
11:17
But we don't need to let it.
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但我們可以避免這樣的情況發生。
11:19
We can choose選擇 otherwise除此以外.
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我們可以選擇其它的辦法。
11:20
We've我們已經 seen看到 again and again
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我們已反覆見識到
11:22
just how creative創作的 technology技術 can be,
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科技的創造力是如何體現在
11:24
and in our lives生活 and in our actions行動,
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我們的生活和我們的行動裡,
11:27
we can choose選擇 those solutions解決方案 and those innovations創新
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我們可以從中選出能還原時間流的
11:31
and those moments瞬間 that restore恢復 the flow of time
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解決方案、嶄新技術與吉光片羽,
11:34
instead代替 of fragmenting分割 it.
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而不是讓時間分裂。
11:37
We can slow down and we can tune調 in
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我們可以放慢腳步並調整自我
11:40
to the ebb落潮 and flow of time.
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以配合時間流的潮起潮落。
11:43
We can choose選擇 to take time back.
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我們可以選擇把時間找回來。
11:47
Thank you.
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謝謝。
11:49
(Applause掌聲)
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(掌聲)
Translated by Coco Shen
Reviewed by Chingwen Kao

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Abha Dawesar - Novelist
Abha Dawesar writes to make sense of the world -- herself included.

Why you should listen

Abha Dawesar began her writing career as an attempt to understand herself -- at age 7. It’s a goal that remains at the center of her work: Sensorium, her most recent novel, explores the nature of time, self, and uncertainty, using Hindu mythology and modern science as prisms. “At a very basic level, writing was always my way of apprehending the world,” she has said.

Dawesar moved from India to the United States to study at Harvard, and Delhi appears at the center of her novels Family Values and Babyji. But the oversimplified genres of immigrant fiction or ethnic fiction do not appeal to her. “Those looking for a constant South Asian theme or Diaspora theme or immigrant theme will just be disappointed in the long run from my work,” she has said. “The only label I can put up with is that of a writer. And my ideas come from everywhere.”

More profile about the speaker
Abha Dawesar | Speaker | TED.com