ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Emily Esfahani Smith - Journalist, author
In her book "The Power of Meaning," Emily Esfahani Smith rounds up the latest research -- and the stories of fascinating people she interviewed -- to argue that the search for meaning is far more fulfilling than the pursuit of personal happiness.

Why you should listen

Emily Esfahani Smith is the author of The Power of Meaning: Finding Fulfillment in a World Obsessed With Happiness. In her book and TED Talk, she argues that we're chasing the wrong goal -- a life of meaning, not happiness, should be our aim.

Our culture is obsessed with happiness. Even though we devote vast amounts of time and resources trying to be happier, many of us feel aimless and alienated nonetheless. With depression and loneliness trending upward for decades and the suicide rate rising around the world -- recently reaching a 30-year high in the United States -- it's clear that something is wrong. In recent years, social scientists have been trying to understand what exactly the problem is. What they've found is striking. What predicts the rising tide of despair sweeping across society is not a lack of happiness. It's a lack of something else -- a lack of having meaning in life. In fact, chasing and valuing happiness, the way our culture encourages us to do, can actually make people unhappy.

This set Smith on a journey to understand what constitutes a meaningful life. After extensive research and reporting, she came to see that there are four pillars of a meaningful life -- and she lays them out in her TED Talk. Ultimately, she discovered that the search for meaning is far more fulfilling than the pursuit of personal happiness -- and we all have the power to build more meaning in our lives.

Smith's articles and essays have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and The Atlantic. The former managing editor of The New Criterion, Smith is also an editor at the Stanford University's Hoover Institution, where she advises the Ben Franklin Circles project, a collaboration with the 92nd Street Y and Citizen University to build meaning in local communities.  

More profile about the speaker
Emily Esfahani Smith | Speaker | TED.com
TED2017

Emily Esfahani Smith: There's more to life than being happy

艾蜜莉.艾斯法哈妮.史密斯: 人生不只是要快樂

Filmed:
8,815,535 views

我們的文化對快樂相當癡迷,但如果還有著更讓人滿足的道路呢?快樂來來去去,作家艾蜜莉.艾斯法哈妮.史密斯這麼說,但當你的人生有意義──服務你自己以外的人事物,發展出最好的自己──讓你有東西可以緊緊抓住。來聽聽史密斯分享有意義人生的四大支柱,了解快樂與有意義之間的差別。
- Journalist, author
In her book "The Power of Meaning," Emily Esfahani Smith rounds up the latest research -- and the stories of fascinating people she interviewed -- to argue that the search for meaning is far more fulfilling than the pursuit of personal happiness. Full bio

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

00:12
I used to think
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我以前認為
00:14
the whole整個 purpose目的 of life
was pursuing追求 happiness幸福.
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人生的目標就是追求快樂。
00:18
Everyone大家 said the path路徑
to happiness幸福 was success成功,
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人人都說,成功是通往快樂的路,
00:22
so I searched搜索 for that ideal理想 job工作,
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所以我去尋找理想的工作、
00:24
that perfect完善 boyfriend男朋友,
that beautiful美麗 apartment公寓.
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完美的男友、漂亮的公寓。
00:28
But instead代替 of ever feeling感覺 fulfilled完成,
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但我沒有感到圓滿,
00:32
I felt anxious and adrift漂浮.
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反而覺得焦慮跟漫無目的。
00:35
And I wasn't alone單獨; my friends朋友 --
they struggled掙扎 with this, too.
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且不只有我這樣;我的朋友們──
他們也有這種困擾。
00:40
Eventually終於, I decided決定 to go
to graduate畢業 school學校 for positive psychology心理學
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我最後決定去研究所讀正向心理學,
00:45
to learn學習 what truly makes品牌 people happy快樂.
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去找出什麼能讓人開心。
00:48
But what I discovered發現 there
changed my life.
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但我在那兒的發現,
改變了我的人生。
00:52
The data數據 showed顯示 that chasing happiness幸福
can make people unhappy不快樂.
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資料顯示,追求快樂會讓人不快樂。
00:57
And what really struck來襲 me was this:
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真正讓我震驚的是這點:
01:01
the suicide自殺 rate has been rising升起
around the world世界,
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全球的自殺率不斷攀升,
01:03
and it recently最近 reached到達
a 30-year-年 high in America美國.
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最近在美國達到三十年來的新高。
01:07
Even though雖然 life is getting得到
objectively客觀地 better
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雖然客觀來說,生活變好了,
01:10
by nearly幾乎 every一切 conceivable可以想像 standard標準,
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從每個能想到的標準來看皆是如此,
01:13
more people feel hopeless絕望,
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卻有更多人感到無助、
01:15
depressed鬱悶 and alone單獨.
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沮喪、及孤獨。
01:18
There's an emptiness空虛
gnawing away at people,
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有一種空虛感在侵蝕人們,
01:21
and you don't have to be
clinically臨床 depressed鬱悶 to feel it.
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並不需被臨床診斷出沮喪
也能感覺到這個現象。
01:24
Sooner遲早 or later後來, I think we all wonder奇蹟:
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我想,遲早我們都會想要知道:
01:27
Is this all there is?
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難道就只有這樣而已嗎?
01:31
And according根據 to the research研究,
what predicts預測 this despair絕望
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根據研究,絕望的原因
01:34
is not a lack缺乏 of happiness幸福.
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並不是缺乏快樂,
01:36
It's a lack缺乏 of something else其他,
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而是缺乏某樣東西,
01:38
a lack缺乏 of having meaning含義 in life.
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是缺乏人生意義。
01:42
But that raised上調 some questions問題 for me.
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但這就讓我產生了一些問題。
01:45
Is there more to life than being存在 happy快樂?
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難道人生不只是要快樂嗎?
01:49
And what's the difference區別
between之間 being存在 happy快樂
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活得快樂和活得有意義
01:51
and having meaning含義 in life?
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之間有什麼差別?
01:54
Many許多 psychologists心理學家 define確定 happiness幸福
as a state of comfort安慰 and ease緩解,
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許多心理學家把快樂定義為
一種舒服自在的狀態,
01:59
feeling感覺 good in the moment時刻.
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在當下感覺很好。
02:02
Meaning含義, though雖然, is deeper更深.
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而意義則更深。
02:04
The renowned聞名 psychologist心理學家
Martin馬丁 Seligman塞利格曼 says
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知名心理學家馬丁賽里格曼說,
02:06
meaning含義 comes from belonging屬於 to
and serving服務 something beyond yourself你自己
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意義來自歸屬感、致力於
超越自我之外的事物,
02:11
and from developing發展 the best最好 within you.
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以及從內在發展出最好的自己。
02:15
Our culture文化 is obsessed痴迷 with happiness幸福,
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我們的文化對「快樂」相當癡迷,
02:18
but I came來了 to see that seeking meaning含義
is the more fulfilling履行 path路徑.
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但我發現,尋找意義才是
更讓人滿足的道路。
02:22
And the studies學習 show顯示 that people
who have meaning含義 in life,
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且研究指出,有人生意義的人
02:25
they're more resilient彈性,
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適應力也會比較強,
02:26
they do better in school學校 and at work,
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他們在學校及職場的表現較佳,
02:29
and they even live生活 longer.
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他們甚至活得比較久。
02:31
So this all made製作 me wonder奇蹟:
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所以這一切讓我開始想,
02:34
How can we each live生活 more meaningfully有意義?
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我們每個人要如何活得有意義?
02:37
To find out, I spent花費 five years年份
interviewing面試 hundreds數以百計 of people
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為了找出答案,我花了五年時間,
訪談了數百人,
02:41
and reading through通過 thousands數千
of pages網頁 of psychology心理學,
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閱讀了數千頁的心理學、
02:44
neuroscience神經科學 and philosophy哲學.
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神經科學、及哲學。
02:47
Bringing it all together一起,
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把這些彙整起來,我發現了一件事,
02:49
I found發現 that there are what I call
four pillars支柱 of a meaningful富有意義的 life.
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我稱之為「人生意義的四大支柱」。
02:54
And we can each create創建 lives生活 of meaning含義
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我們可以彼此相互建立起這些支柱,
02:57
by building建造 some or all
of these pillars支柱 in our lives生活.
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在彼此的人生中找到人生的意義。
03:01
The first pillar支柱 is belonging屬於.
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第一根支柱是歸屬感。
03:04
Belonging屬於 comes
from being存在 in relationships關係
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歸屬感來自於一種關係,
03:06
where you're valued價值
for who you are intrinsically本質
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一種你與他人在本質上
彼此是否處在
03:09
and where you value others其他 as well.
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相互珍惜的關係中。
03:12
But some groups and relationships關係
deliver交付 a cheap低廉 form形成 of belonging屬於;
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但有些群體或關係,
提供的是廉價形式的歸屬感;
03:16
you're valued價值 for what you believe,
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你被重視的原因
是因為你所相信的事物、
03:18
for who you hate討厭,
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你對人的好惡、
03:20
not for who you are.
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而不是你的本質。
03:22
True真正 belonging屬於 springs彈簧 from love.
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真正的歸屬感源自於愛。
03:25
It lives生活 in moments瞬間 among其中 individuals個人,
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它存在於個體間共處的時光當中,
03:28
and it's a choice選擇 -- you can choose選擇
to cultivate培育 belonging屬於 with others其他.
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且它是一種選擇──
你可以選擇與他人培養歸屬感。
03:32
Here's這裡的 an example.
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舉例來說,
03:34
Each morning早上, my friend朋友 Jonathan喬納森
buys購買 a newspaper報紙
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每天早晨,我在紐約的朋友強納森
都會向同一個街頭小販買一份報紙。
03:37
from the same相同 street vendor供應商 in New York紐約.
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03:40
They don't just conduct進行
a transaction交易, though雖然.
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不過,他們並不是只有交易的關係。
03:42
They take a moment時刻 to slow down, talk,
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他們會停下來,花點時間說說話,
03:45
and treat對待 each other like humans人類.
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把彼此當朋友對待。
03:48
But one time, Jonathan喬納森
didn't have the right change更改,
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但有一次,強納森的零錢不夠,
03:51
and the vendor供應商 said,
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小販說:
03:52
"Don't worry擔心 about it."
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「沒關係不用了啦。」
03:54
But Jonathan喬納森 insisted堅持 on paying付款,
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但強納森堅持要付錢,
03:56
so he went to the store商店
and bought something he didn't need
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所以他去一家店,
買了他不需要的東西,
03:59
to make change更改.
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把鈔票找開。
04:01
But when he gave the money to the vendor供應商,
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但當他把錢給小販時,
04:04
the vendor供應商 drew德魯 back.
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小販退縮了。
04:06
He was hurt傷害.
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他感到受傷。
04:08
He was trying to do something kind,
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他試著想表現友好,
04:10
but Jonathan喬納森 had rejected拒絕 him.
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但強納森拒絕了他。
04:14
I think we all reject拒絕 people in small ways方法
like this without realizing實現 it.
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我想,我們都曾像這樣在小地方
拒絕別人卻沒有意識到。
04:18
I do.
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我就有過。
04:19
I'll walk步行 by someone有人 I know
and barely僅僅 acknowledge確認 them.
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我會從認識的人旁邊走過,
卻沒跟他們打招呼。
04:22
I'll check my phone電話
when someone's誰家 talking to me.
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當有人在跟我說話時,我會看手機。
04:25
These acts行為 devalue貶值 others其他.
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這類行為是在貶低別人的價值,
04:27
They make them feel
invisible無形 and unworthy不值得.
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讓他們覺得自己是
隱形的、不值得的。
04:31
But when you lead with love,
you create創建 a bond
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但若用愛來引導,
你就會創造出一種聯結,
04:33
that lifts升降機 each of you up.
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讓你們彼此都振奮起來。
04:37
For many許多 people, belonging屬於
is the most essential必要 source資源 of meaning含義,
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對很多人來說,歸屬感是
人生意義的重要來源,
04:40
those bonds債券 to family家庭 and friends朋友.
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就是與家人及朋友之間的聯結。
04:43
For others其他, the key to meaning含義
is the second第二 pillar支柱: purpose目的.
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對其他人來說,
第二根人生意義的支柱是目的。
04:47
Now, finding發現 your purpose目的
is not the same相同 thing
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找到你的目的並不是指找到
04:50
as finding發現 that job工作 that makes品牌 you happy快樂.
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讓你快樂的工作。
04:53
Purpose目的 is less about what you want
than about what you give.
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目的的重點是你能給予什麼,
而不是你想要什麼。
04:57
A hospital醫院 custodian保管人 told me
her purpose目的 is healing復原 sick生病 people.
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一位醫院管理員告訴我,
她的目的是治癒生病的人。
05:01
Many許多 parents父母 tell me,
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很多家長告訴我:
05:03
"My purpose目的 is raising提高 my children孩子."
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「我的目的是扶養我的孩子。」
05:05
The key to purpose目的
is using運用 your strengths優勢 to serve服務 others其他.
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目標的關鍵在於
用你的力量去服務他人。
05:10
Of course課程, for many許多 of us,
that happens發生 through通過 work.
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當然,對很多人而言,
這是透過工作來達成的。
05:13
That's how we contribute有助於 and feel needed需要.
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那是我們做出貢獻和
感到被需要的方式。
05:16
But that also means手段
that issues問題 like disengagement解脫 at work,
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但這也意味著,像是
無心工作、失業、
05:20
unemployment失業,
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05:22
low labor勞動 force participation參與 --
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低勞動參與率等等議題──
05:24
these aren't just economic經濟 problems問題,
they're existential存在 ones那些, too.
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這些不僅是經濟問題,
也是存在主義問題。
05:28
Without沒有 something worthwhile合算 to do,
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人們若沒有值得去做的事,
05:31
people flounder比目魚.
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就會掙扎折騰。
05:33
Of course課程, you don't have to find
purpose目的 at work,
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當然,你不需要從工作中找到目的,
05:36
but purpose目的 gives you
something to live生活 for,
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但目的能讓你有活下去的意義,
05:38
some "why" that drives驅動器 you forward前鋒.
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有驅使你向前行的「理由」。
05:43
The third第三 pillar支柱 of meaning含義
is also about stepping步進 beyond yourself你自己,
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第三根人生意義的支柱,
也和走出自我有關,
05:46
but in a completely全然 different不同 way:
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但用的方式完全不同:
05:48
transcendence超越.
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超然。
05:49
Transcendent超越 states狀態 are those rare罕見 moments瞬間
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超然的狀態是很少見的時刻,
05:52
when you're lifted取消 above以上
the hustle喧囂 and bustle忙碌 of daily日常 life,
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在這個時刻中,你超脫了
日常生活的喧囂擾攘,
05:55
your sense of self fades away,
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自我感正在漸漸消褪,
05:57
and you feel connected連接的
to a higher更高 reality現實.
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你會感覺到和更高的現實產生連結。
06:01
For one person I talked to,
transcendence超越 came來了 from seeing眼看 art藝術.
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跟我談過的其中一個人說,
超然來自於欣賞藝術。
06:04
For another另一個 person, it was at church教會.
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另一個人則認為,超然是在教堂中。
06:07
For me, I'm a writer作家,
and it happens發生 through通過 writing寫作.
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對我來說,我是作家,
而超然是透過寫作發生的。
06:11
Sometimes有時 I get so in the zone
that I lose失去 all sense of time and place地點.
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有時候我太投入
會有一種忘我的境界。
06:16
These transcendent超然
experiences經驗 can change更改 you.
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這些超然的經驗能改變你。
06:19
One study研究 had students學生們 look up
at 200-feet-tall-feet高的 eucalyptus桉樹 trees樹木
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有一項研究是讓學生去看
200 英呎高的尤加利樹,
06:24
for one minute分鐘.
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看一分鐘,
06:26
But afterwards之後
they felt less self-centered以自我為中心,
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之後他們會比較不自我中心,
06:28
and they even behaved more generously慷慨
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若給他們機會去幫助別人,
06:30
when given特定 the chance機會 to help someone有人.
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他們連行為都會變得更慷慨。
06:33
Belonging屬於, purpose目的, transcendence超越.
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歸屬感、目的、超然。
06:38
Now, the fourth第四 pillar支柱
of meaning含義, I've found發現,
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接著談談我發現的第四根支柱,
06:41
tends趨向 to surprise people.
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它常會令人感到驚訝。
06:43
The fourth第四 pillar支柱 is storytelling評書,
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第四根支柱就是說故事,
06:46
the story故事 you tell yourself你自己
about yourself你自己.
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你告訴你自己關於你自己的故事。
06:49
Creating創建 a narrative敘述 from the events事件
of your life brings帶來 clarity明晰.
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用你人生中的事件來創造
一個故事,能讓你看得更清楚。
06:53
It helps幫助 you understand理解
how you became成為 you.
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它能協助你了解你是怎麼變成你的。
06:57
But we don't always realize實現
that we're the authors作者 of our stories故事
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但我們通常沒發現,
我們故事的作者就是自己,
07:00
and can change更改 the way we're telling告訴 them.
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且我們可以改變說故事的方式。
07:02
Your life isn't just a list名單 of events事件.
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你的生命並不只一連串的事件。
07:05
You can edit編輯, interpret
and retell複述 your story故事,
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即便你被事實給限制住,
你仍可以編輯、
07:08
even as you're constrained受限 by the facts事實.
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詮釋、再重新述說你的故事。
07:11
I met會見 a young年輕 man named命名 Emeka埃梅卡,
who'd誰願意 been paralyzed playing播放 football足球.
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我遇到一位叫做埃梅卡的年輕人,
他因為打美式足球而癱瘓。
07:16
After his injury, Emeka埃梅卡 told himself他自己,
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埃梅卡在受傷後,
內心的對話是這樣的:
07:19
"My life was great playing播放 football足球,
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「我打美式足球的人生是非常棒的,
07:22
but now look at me."
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但看看現在的我。」
07:26
People who tell stories故事 like this --
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像這樣說故事的人──
07:28
"My life was good. Now it's bad." --
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「我的人生曾經很棒,
現在卻很糟。」──
07:30
tend趨向 to be more anxious and depressed鬱悶.
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說這種故事的人
比較容易焦慮和沮喪。
07:33
And that was Emeka埃梅卡 for a while.
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埃梅卡有好一陣子就是這樣。
07:36
But with time, he started開始
to weave編織 a different不同 story故事.
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但隨時間過去,他開始
編造一個不同的故事。
07:40
His new story故事 was,
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他的新故事是:
07:42
"Before my injury,
my life was purposeless漫無目的.
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「在我受傷前,我的人生沒有目的。
07:45
I partied了宴會 a lot and was
a pretty漂亮 selfish自私 guy.
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我常去派對,且我是個很自私的人。
07:48
But my injury made製作 me realize實現
I could be a better man."
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但受傷讓我明白,
我可以成為更好的人。」
07:53
That edit編輯 to his story故事
changed Emeka's埃梅卡的 life.
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埃梅卡把他的故事進行改造,
從而改變了他的一生。
07:57
After telling告訴 the new story故事 to himself他自己,
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在對自己說完這個新故事之後,
07:59
Emeka埃梅卡 started開始 mentoring師徒 kids孩子,
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埃梅卡開始開導孩童,
08:01
and he discovered發現 what his purpose目的 was:
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他找到了他的目的:
08:03
serving服務 others其他.
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服務他人。
08:06
The psychologist心理學家 Dan McAdams麥克亞當斯
calls電話 this a "redemptive救贖 story故事,"
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心理學家丹麥亞當斯稱這
現象為「救贖的故事」,
08:09
where the bad is redeemed贖回 by the good.
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用好的來救贖不好的。
08:12
People leading領導 meaningful富有意義的
lives生活, he's found發現,
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他發現,過著有意義人生的人,
08:14
tend趨向 to tell stories故事 about their lives生活
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他們說的故事內容通常都是
08:16
defined定義 by redemption贖回, growth發展 and love.
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他們的人生由救贖、
成長、愛來定義。
08:20
But what makes品牌 people
change更改 their stories故事?
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但,是什麼讓人們
改變了他們的故事?
08:23
Some people get help from a therapist治療師,
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有些人向治療師尋求協助,
08:25
but you can do it on your own擁有, too,
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但你也可以靠自己做到,
08:27
just by reflecting反映
on your life thoughtfully沉思地,
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只要完整地反思你的人生、
08:30
how your defining確定 experiences經驗 shaped成形 you,
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你的關鍵經驗如何造就了你、
08:32
what you lost丟失, what you gained獲得.
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你失去了什麼、獲得了什麼。
08:34
That's what Emeka埃梅卡 did.
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那就是埃梅卡所做的。
08:37
You won't慣於 change更改 your story故事 overnight過夜;
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你不可能一夜就改變你的故事;
08:39
it could take years年份 and be painful痛苦.
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過程可能要花好幾年,且很痛苦。
08:41
After all, we've我們已經 all suffered遭遇,
and we all struggle鬥爭.
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畢竟,我們都曾受過苦,
也都在掙扎。
08:44
But embracing擁抱 those painful痛苦 memories回憶
can lead to new insights見解 and wisdom智慧,
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但擁抱那些痛苦的記憶,
能帶來新的洞見與智慧,
08:49
to finding發現 that good that sustains維持 you.
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讓你能找到那支撐著你的「善」。
08:54
Belonging屬於, purpose目的,
transcendence超越, storytelling評書:
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歸屬感、目的、超然、說故事;
08:59
those are the four pillars支柱 of meaning含義.
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這些就是意義的四大支柱。
09:03
When I was younger更年輕,
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在我小時候,
09:05
I was lucky幸運 enough足夠 to be surrounded包圍
by all of the pillars支柱.
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我很幸運能夠被
這四根支柱給圍繞著。
09:09
My parents父母 ran a Sufi蘇菲 meetinghouse會議室
from our home in Montreal蒙特利爾.
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我父母在蒙特婁的家附近
開一間蘇菲派的聚會所。
09:14
Sufism蘇菲 is a spiritual精神 practice實踐
associated相關 with the whirling旋轉 dervishes苦行僧
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蘇菲教派是一種和
旋轉苦行僧及詩人魯米
09:19
and the poet詩人 Rumi魯米.
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有關的靈修。
09:21
Twice兩次 a week, Sufis蘇菲 would come to our home
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每週兩次,蘇菲教徒會到我們家裡,
09:24
to meditate幽思, drink Persian波斯語 tea,
and share分享 stories故事.
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來冥想、喝波斯茶、分享故事。
09:28
Their practice實踐 also involved參與
serving服務 all of creation創建
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他們的修行也涉及了
要透過愛的小舉動,
09:31
through通過 small acts行為 of love,
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來為萬物服務,
09:33
which哪一個 meant意味著 being存在 kind
even when people wronged委屈 you.
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也就是說,即使別人冤枉你,
也要仁慈以對。
09:36
But it gave them a purpose目的:
to reign統治 in the ego自我.
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但那給了他們一個目的:
去駕馭自我。
09:40
Eventually終於, I left home for college學院
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最後,我離開家去讀大學,
09:43
and without the daily日常 grounding接地
of Sufism蘇菲 in my life,
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我的人生中少了蘇菲教徒
每天的基礎練習,
09:47
I felt unmooredunmoored.
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感覺像是船的纜繩被解開。
09:48
And I started開始 searching搜索 for those things
that make life worth價值 living活的.
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我開始尋找有什麼
能讓我的人生值得活。
09:52
That's what set me on this journey旅程.
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就是這個原因讓我踩上這段旅程。
09:55
Looking back, I now realize實現
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現在回頭看,我發現
09:56
that the Sufi蘇菲 house
had a real真實 culture文化 of meaning含義.
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那間蘇菲房舍有著一種
有意義的真實文化。
10:00
The pillars支柱 were part部分 of the architecture建築,
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那些支柱是建築的一部份,
10:02
and the presence存在 of the pillars支柱
helped幫助 us all live生活 more deeply.
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而支柱的出現,讓我們都能
過更有深度的生活。
10:06
Of course課程, the same相同 principle原理 applies適用
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當然,同樣的原則也適用於
10:08
in other strong強大 communities社區 as well --
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其他強大的社群──
10:10
good ones那些 and bad ones那些.
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好的和壞的都包含在內。
10:13
Gangs黑幫, cults邪教:
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幫派、邪教:
10:15
these are cultures文化 of meaning含義
that use the pillars支柱
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這些也是有意義的文化,
它們利用這些支柱,
給予人們活著和犧牲的意義。
10:18
and give people
something to live生活 and die for.
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10:22
But that's exactly究竟 why we as a society社會
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但那就是為什麼,
我們身為一個社會,
10:24
must必須 offer提供 better alternatives備擇方案.
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必須要提供更好的替代方案。
10:27
We need to build建立 these pillars支柱
within our families家庭 and our institutions機構
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我們需要在我們的家庭及
習俗制度當中建立這些支柱,
10:30
to help people become成為 their best最好 selves自我.
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來協助人們變成最好的自己。
10:34
But living活的 a meaningful富有意義的 life takes work.
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但一定要花心力,
才能讓人生過得有意義。
10:37
It's an ongoing不斷的 process處理.
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它是一個持續的過程。
10:39
As each day goes by,
we're constantly經常 creating創建 our lives生活,
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隨著每一天過去,
我們不斷地創造我們的人生,
10:42
adding加入 to our story故事.
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擴增我們的故事。
10:44
And sometimes有時 we can get off track跟踪.
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有時,我們可能會誤入歧途。
10:48
Whenever每當 that happens發生 to me,
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每當我遇到這狀況時,
10:50
I remember記得 a powerful強大 experience經驗
I had with my father父親.
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我會想起我與父親的一段經歷,
很有影響力的經歷。
10:55
Several一些 months個月 after
I graduated畢業 from college學院,
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我從大學畢業後幾個月,
10:58
my dad had a massive大規模的 heart attack攻擊
that should have killed殺害 him.
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我父親罹患了嚴重的心臟病,
本來他應該性命難保。
11:03
He survived倖存, and when I asked him
what was going through通過 his mind心神
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他活下來了,我問他,
當他在面對死亡時,
11:06
as he faced面對 death死亡,
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腦中想著的是什麼,
11:07
he said all he could think about
was needing需要 to live生活
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他說,他唯一能想的,
就是必須活下來,
11:10
so he could be there
for my brother哥哥 and me,
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這樣他才能陪伴我弟弟和我,
11:12
and this gave him the will
to fight鬥爭 for life.
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這點讓他有意志力能拼命活下來。
11:16
When he went under anesthesia麻醉
for emergency surgery手術,
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當他被麻醉準備接受緊急手術時,
11:19
instead代替 of counting數數 backwards向後 from 10,
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他做的不是從 10 開始倒數,
11:21
he repeated重複 our names like a mantra口頭禪.
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他把我們的名字像祈禱文般地覆頌。
11:25
He wanted our names to be
the last words he spoke on earth地球
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如果他會死,他希望他
在世上說的最後幾個字
11:29
if he died死亡.
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是我們的名字。
11:33
My dad is a carpenter木匠 and a Sufi蘇菲.
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我的父親是個木匠也是個蘇菲教徒。
11:37
It's a humble謙卑 life,
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他的人生是謙恭的人生,
11:38
but a good life.
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但很美好的人生。
11:40
Lying說謊 there facing面對 death死亡,
he had a reason原因 to live生活:
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躺在那裡,面對死亡,
他有一個活下去的理由:
11:44
love.
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愛。
11:45
His sense of belonging屬於 within his family家庭,
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他在他的家庭中的歸屬感、
11:48
his purpose目的 as a dad,
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他身為一名父親的目的、
11:50
his transcendent超然 meditation冥想,
repeating重複 our names --
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他超然的冥想,
不斷覆頌我們的名字──
11:53
these, he says, are the reasons原因
why he survived倖存.
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他說,這些是他活下來的原因。
11:56
That's the story故事 he tells告訴 himself他自己.
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那是他告訴他自己的故事。
11:59
That's the power功率 of meaning含義.
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那就是意義的力量。
12:02
Happiness幸福 comes and goes.
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快樂來來去去。
12:05
But when life is really good
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但當人生真的很美好時,
12:07
and when things are really bad,
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當事情真的很糟糕時,
12:09
having meaning含義 gives you
something to hold保持 on to.
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若人生有意義,你就會有
可以緊緊抓住的東西。
12:12
Thank you.
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謝謝。
12:13
(Applause掌聲)
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(掌聲)
Translated by Lilian Chiu
Reviewed by Yi-Fan Yu

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Emily Esfahani Smith - Journalist, author
In her book "The Power of Meaning," Emily Esfahani Smith rounds up the latest research -- and the stories of fascinating people she interviewed -- to argue that the search for meaning is far more fulfilling than the pursuit of personal happiness.

Why you should listen

Emily Esfahani Smith is the author of The Power of Meaning: Finding Fulfillment in a World Obsessed With Happiness. In her book and TED Talk, she argues that we're chasing the wrong goal -- a life of meaning, not happiness, should be our aim.

Our culture is obsessed with happiness. Even though we devote vast amounts of time and resources trying to be happier, many of us feel aimless and alienated nonetheless. With depression and loneliness trending upward for decades and the suicide rate rising around the world -- recently reaching a 30-year high in the United States -- it's clear that something is wrong. In recent years, social scientists have been trying to understand what exactly the problem is. What they've found is striking. What predicts the rising tide of despair sweeping across society is not a lack of happiness. It's a lack of something else -- a lack of having meaning in life. In fact, chasing and valuing happiness, the way our culture encourages us to do, can actually make people unhappy.

This set Smith on a journey to understand what constitutes a meaningful life. After extensive research and reporting, she came to see that there are four pillars of a meaningful life -- and she lays them out in her TED Talk. Ultimately, she discovered that the search for meaning is far more fulfilling than the pursuit of personal happiness -- and we all have the power to build more meaning in our lives.

Smith's articles and essays have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and The Atlantic. The former managing editor of The New Criterion, Smith is also an editor at the Stanford University's Hoover Institution, where she advises the Ben Franklin Circles project, a collaboration with the 92nd Street Y and Citizen University to build meaning in local communities.  

More profile about the speaker
Emily Esfahani Smith | Speaker | TED.com

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