TED2008
Amy Tan: Where does creativity hide?
Amy Tan sobre la creativitat
Filmed:
Readability: 3.2
3,221,031 views
La novel·lista Amy Tan profunditza en el procés creatiu, buscant indicis de com va evolucionar el seu.
Amy Tan - Novelist
Amy Tan is the author of such beloved books as The Joy Luck Club, The Kitchen God's Wife and The Hundred Secret Senses. Full bio
Amy Tan is the author of such beloved books as The Joy Luck Club, The Kitchen God's Wife and The Hundred Secret Senses. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:18
The Value of Nothing: Out of Nothing Comes Something.
0
0
4000
El valor del no res: del no res sorgeix quelcom.
00:22
That was an essay I wrote when I was 11 years old
1
4000
4000
Això era un assaig que vaig escriure quan tenia 11 anys.
00:26
and I got a B+. (Laughter)
2
8000
2000
Vaig treure un notable alt (riures)
00:28
What I'm going to talk about: nothing out of something, and how we create.
3
10000
4000
Això és del que parlaré ara: del no res que sorgeix d'alguna cosa, i de com creem.
00:32
And I'm gonna try and do that within
4
14000
2000
I vaig a intentar fer-ho dintre del
00:34
the 18-minute time span that we were told to stay within,
5
16000
5000
marge de 18 minuts als que ens han dit ens hem de circumscriure
00:39
and to follow the TED commandments:
6
21000
2000
tot seguint les directrius de TED:
00:41
that is, actually, something that creates
7
23000
3000
això és, en efecte, una situació que crea
00:44
a near-death experience,
8
26000
2000
una experiència propera a la mort,
00:46
but near-death is good for creativity.
9
28000
2000
però que sigui proper a la mort és bo per la creativitat.
00:48
(Laughter) OK.
10
30000
4000
(Riures) D'acord.
00:52
So, I also want to explain,
11
34000
2000
Així, doncs, també vull explicar,
00:54
because Dave Eggers said he was going to heckle me
12
36000
3000
perquè en Dave Eggers va dir que m'interrompria
00:57
if I said anything that was a lie, or not true to universal creativity.
13
39000
5000
si digués qualsevol cosa que fos mentida, o no fidel a la creativitat universal.
01:02
And I've done it this way for half the audience, who is scientific.
14
44000
3000
I ho he fet així per la meitat de l'audiència, que és científica.
01:05
When I say we, I don't mean you, necessarily;
15
47000
4000
Quan dic nosaltres, no m'estic referint a vostès, necessariàment;
01:09
I mean me, and my right brain, my left brain
16
51000
3000
Em refereixo a mi, al meu cervell dret, al meu cervell esquerre,
01:12
and the one that's in between that is the censor
17
54000
2000
i aquell que està al mig que és el censor
01:14
and tells me what I'm saying is wrong.
18
56000
2000
i que em diu que el que dic és erroni.
01:16
And I'm going do that also by looking at
19
58000
3000
I vull fer-ho també tot fent una ullada
01:19
what I think is part of my creative process,
20
61000
3000
al que jo considero és part del meu procés creatiu,
01:22
which includes a number of things that happened, actually --
21
64000
3000
el qual inclou un seguit de fets que van succeir, de fet
01:25
the nothing started even earlier than the moment
22
67000
3000
el no res va començar encara més aviat que el moment
01:28
in which I'm creating something new.
23
70000
3000
en el qual estic creant quelcom nou.
01:31
And that includes nature, and nurture,
24
73000
5000
I això inclou la naturalesa, i el nodriment,
01:36
and what I refer to as nightmares.
25
78000
3000
i el que jo anomeno malsons.
01:39
Now in the nature area, we look at whether or not
26
81000
4000
Pel que fa a l'àrea de la naturalesa, mirem si
01:43
we are innately equipped with something, perhaps
27
85000
3000
estem equipats naturalment amb alguna cosa o no, potser
01:46
in our brains, some abnormal chromosome
28
88000
3000
als nostres cervells, algún cromosoma anormal
01:49
that causes this muse-like effect.
29
91000
4000
que causa aquest efecte "musa".
01:53
And some people would say that we're born with it in some other means.
30
95000
6000
I alguna gent diria que som nascuts amb ell d'alguna altra manera,
01:59
And others, like my mother,
31
101000
2000
i altres, com la meva mare,
02:01
would say that I get my material from past lives.
32
103000
6000
dirien que obtinc el meu material de vides anteriors.
02:07
Some people would also say that creativity
33
109000
3000
Alguns dirien també que la creativitat
02:10
may be a function of some other neurological quirk --
34
112000
5000
podria ser una funció d'alguna altra particularitat neurològica --
02:15
van Gogh syndrome -- that you have a little bit of, you know, psychosis, or depression.
35
117000
5000
el síndrome Van Gogh -- que tinguis una mica de, ja saps, psicosi, o depressió.
02:20
I do have to say, somebody -- I read recently
36
122000
3000
Si que vull dir, algú -- recentment he llegit
02:23
that van Gogh wasn't really necessarily psychotic,
37
125000
3000
que en Van Gogh no era necessàriament un psicòtic,
02:26
that he might have had temporal lobe seizures,
38
128000
2000
que podria ser que patís convulsions temporals al lòbul
02:28
and that might have caused his spurt of creativity, and I don't --
39
130000
4000
i que això seria el que va causar la seva ratxa de creativitat, i jo no
02:32
I suppose it does something in some part of your brain.
40
134000
3000
jo suposo que això fa alguna cosa en alguna part del teu cervell.
02:35
And I will mention that I actually developed
41
137000
2000
I també vull mencionar que vaig desenvolupar
02:37
temporal lobe seizures a number of years ago,
42
139000
4000
convulsions temporals al lòbul fa uns quants anys,
02:41
but it was during the time I was writing my last book,
43
143000
3000
però va ser durant l'època en què escrivia el meu últim llibre,
02:44
and some people say that book is quite different.
44
146000
4000
i alguns diuen que aquell llibre és força diferent.
02:48
I think that part of it also begins with a sense of identity crisis:
45
150000
5000
Crec que part d'això també comença amb cert sentit de crisi d'identitat:
02:53
you know, who am I, why am I this particular person,
46
155000
4000
és a dir, qui soc, per què soc aquesta persona en particular,
02:57
why am I not black like everybody else?
47
159000
5000
perquè no sóc negra com la resta?
03:02
And sometimes you're equipped with skills,
48
164000
2000
I a vegades ets dotada d'habilitats,
03:04
but they may not be the kind of skills that enable creativity.
49
166000
4000
però potser no son el tipus d'habilitats que afavoreixen la creativitat.
03:08
I used to draw. I thought I would be an artist.
50
170000
3000
Jo solia dibuixar. Pensava que seria una artista.
03:11
And I had a miniature poodle.
51
173000
2000
I tenia un canitx de miniatura.
03:13
And it wasn't bad, but it wasn't really creative.
52
175000
2000
I no era del tot dolent, però no era quelcom veritablement creatiu.
03:15
Because all I could really do was represent in a very one-on-one way.
53
177000
5000
Perquè tot el que realment podia fer era representar-ho de forma molt 'tal qual'.
03:20
And I have a sense that I probably copied this from a book.
54
182000
4000
I tinc la sensació com si probablement l'hagués copiat d'un llibre.
03:24
And then, I also wasn't really shining in a certain area that I wanted to be,
55
186000
6000
I, llavors, tampoc és que estigués brillant en una àrea que jo volia,
03:30
and you know, you look at those scores, and it wasn't bad,
56
192000
4000
i, és a dir, mires els teus resultats, i no era tan dolent,
03:34
but it was not certainly predictive that I would one day make
57
196000
4000
però no era tampoc que es pogués predir que un dia jo
03:38
my living out of the artful arrangement of words.
58
200000
4000
em guanyaria la meva vida al voltant de l'arranjament enginyós de paraules.
03:42
Also, one of the principles of creativity is to have a little childhood trauma.
59
204000
6000
També, un dels principis de la creativitat es haver tingut un petit trauma d'infantesa.
03:48
And I had the usual kind that I think a lot of people had,
60
210000
4000
I jo vaig tenir el típic que crec és el mateix que ha tingut un munt de gent,
03:52
and that is that, you know, I had expectations placed on me.
61
214000
4000
que era, és a dir, hi havia moltes expectatives posades en mi.
03:56
That figure right there, by the way,
62
218000
3000
La figura que veieu allà, per cert,
03:59
figure right there was a toy given to me when I was but nine years old,
63
221000
5000
la figura d'allà era un juguet que em van donar quan jo tenia nou anys,
04:04
and it was to help me become a doctor from a very early age.
64
226000
5000
i havia d'ajudar-me a convertir-me en doctora desde molt petita.
04:09
I have some ones that were long lasting: from the age of five to 15,
65
231000
5000
Tinc alguns que van durar força: des dels cinc als quinze anys,
04:14
this was supposed to be my side occupation,
66
236000
3000
es suposava que això era la meva ocupació alternativa,
04:17
and it led to a sense of failure.
67
239000
3000
i em va comportar a una sensació de fracàs.
04:20
But actually, there was something quite real in my life
68
242000
3000
Però, en veritat, hi havia alguna cosa força real a la meva vida
04:23
that happened when I was about 14.
69
245000
2000
que va succeir quan jo tenia catorze anys.
04:25
And it was discovered that my brother, in 1967, and then my father,
70
247000
5000
I és que es va descobrir que el meu germà, al 1967, i després el meu pare,
04:30
six months later, had brain tumors.
71
252000
2000
sis mesos mes tard, van desenvolupar tumors cerebrals.
04:32
And my mother believed that something had gone wrong,
72
254000
5000
I la meva mare va creure que alguna cosa s'havia torçat,
04:37
and she was gonna find out what it was, and she was gonna fix it.
73
259000
3000
i que ella trobaria de què es tractava. I que ho arreglaria.
04:40
My father was a Baptist minister, and he believed in miracles,
74
262000
4000
El meu pare era un pastor baptista, i creia en els miracles,
04:44
and that God's will would take care of that.
75
266000
3000
i que la voluntat de Deu hi posaria remei.
04:47
But, of course, they ended up dying, six months apart.
76
269000
3000
Però, és clar, al final van morir, amb sis mesos de diferència.
04:50
And after that, my mother believed that it was fate, or curses
77
272000
4000
I després d'això, la meva mare va creure que es tractava del destí, o de malediccions
04:54
-- she went looking through all the reasons in the universe
78
276000
3000
va considerar profundament totes les raons del món
04:57
why this would have happened.
79
279000
2000
que expliquessin per què va ocórrer.
04:59
Everything except randomness. She did not believe in randomness.
80
281000
5000
Qualsevol cosa menys l'atzar. Ella no creia en l'atzar.
05:04
There was a reason for everything.
81
286000
2000
Tot tenia la seva raó de ser.
05:06
And one of the reasons, she thought, was that her mother,
82
288000
2000
I una de les raons, ella creia, era que la seva mare,
05:08
who had died when she was very young, was angry at her.
83
290000
5000
que havia mort quan ella era molt jove, estava enfadada amb ella.
05:13
And so, I had this notion of death all around me,
84
295000
3000
I, per tant, jo tenia aquesta noció de la mort tot envoltant-me
05:16
because my mother also believed that I would be next, and she would be next.
85
298000
5000
perquè la meva mare també creia que jo seria la següent, i desprès que ho seria ella
05:21
And when you are faced with the prospect of death very soon,
86
303000
3000
i quan t'enfrontes amb la possibilitat de la mort tan aviat,
05:24
you begin to think very much about everything.
87
306000
5000
comences a prendre tot en molta consideració.
05:29
You become very creative, in a survival sense.
88
311000
4000
Et tornes molt creatiu, en un sentit de supervivència.
05:33
And this, then, led to my big questions.
89
315000
4000
I això és, així doncs, el que em va portar a les meves preguntes essencials.
05:37
And they're the same ones that I have today.
90
319000
3000
que són les mateixes que em faig avui en dia.
05:40
And they are: why do things happen, and how do things happen?
91
322000
5000
I aquests són: Per què succeeixen les coses, i com succeeixen?
05:45
And the one my mother asked: how do I make things happen?
92
327000
7000
I una que es preguntava la meva mare: com faig que les coses succeeixin?
05:52
It's a wonderful way to look at these questions, when you write a story.
93
334000
5000
És una manera meravellosa de mirar aquestes qüestions, quan escrius una història.
05:57
Because, after all, in that framework, between page one and 300,
94
339000
6000
Perquè, després de tot, en aquest marc, entre la pàgina 1 i la 300,
06:03
you have to answer this question of why things happen, how things happen,
95
345000
4000
has de respondre a aquesta pregunta de per què succeeixen les coses, com succeeixen les coses,
06:07
in what order they happen. What are the influences?
96
349000
3000
i en quin ordre es produeixen. Quines són les influències?
06:10
How do I, as the narrator, as the writer, also influence that?
97
352000
4000
Com jo, sent la narradora, sent l'escriptora, puc influenciar-ho?
06:14
And it's also one that, I think, many of our scientists have been asking.
98
356000
4000
I també és una que jo crec que els nostres científics han estat responent.
06:18
It's a kind of cosmology, and I have to develop a cosmology of my own universe,
99
360000
6000
És com una mena de cosmologia, i jo haig de desenvolupar una cosmologia del meu propi univers,
06:24
as the creator of that universe.
100
366000
2000
com a creadora d'aquest univers.
06:26
And you see, there's a lot of back and forth
101
368000
4000
I, veieu, hi ha un munt d'anades i tornades
06:30
in trying to make that happen, trying to figure it out
102
372000
3000
en intentar que això succeeixi, tractant de resoldre-ho
06:33
-- years and years, oftentimes.
103
375000
4000
anys i anys, la majoria de vegades.
06:37
So, when I look at creativity, I also think that it is this sense or this inability
104
379000
7000
Per això, quan prenc en consideració la creativitat, crec també que és aquest sentit o aquesta incapacitat
06:44
to repress, my looking at associations in practically anything in life.
105
386000
4000
de reprimir la meva manera d'establir associacions en pràcticament tots i cadascun dels aspectes de la vida.
06:48
And I got a lot of them during what's been going on
106
390000
4000
I he tingut un munt d'elles a través del que ha estat succeint
06:52
throughout this conference,
107
394000
3000
al llarg d'aquesta conferència,
06:55
almost everything that's been going on.
108
397000
2000
casi tot del que ha estat succeint
06:57
And so I'm going to use, as the metaphor, this association:
109
399000
4000
I per això utilitzaré, com a metàfora, aquesta associació:
07:01
quantum mechanics, which I really don't understand,
110
403000
4000
la mecànica quàntica, la qual no acabo d'entendre del tot,
07:05
but I'm still gonna use it as the process
111
407000
2000
però tot i així l'intentaré usar com el procés
07:07
for explaining how it is the metaphor.
112
409000
4000
d'explicar com és la metàfora.
07:11
So, in quantum mechanics, of course, you have dark energy and dark matter.
113
413000
7000
Així, en la mecànica quàntica, sens dubte, tens l'energia fosca i la matèria fosca.
07:18
And it's the same thing in looking at these questions of how things happen.
114
420000
4000
I és el mateix en considerar aquestes qüestions de com succeeixen les coses.
07:22
There's a lot of unknown, and you often don't know what it is except by its absence.
115
424000
6000
Molta part és allò desconegut, i moltes vegades no saps què és si no fos per la seva absència.
07:28
But when you make those associations,
116
430000
2000
Però quan estableixes aquestes associacions,
07:30
you want them to come together in a kind of synergy in the story,
117
432000
4000
vols que s'uneixin en una mena de sinergia a l'historia,
07:34
and what you're finding is what matters. The meaning.
118
436000
4000
i el que importa és el que estàs descobrint. El sentit.
07:38
And that's what I look for in my work, a personal meaning.
119
440000
4000
I això és el que cerco en la meva obra, un sentit personal.
07:42
There is also the uncertainty principle, which is part of quantum mechanics,
120
444000
5000
Hi ha també el principi d'incertesa, que és part de la mecànica quantica,
07:47
as I understand it. (Laughter)
121
449000
2000
com jo l'entenc. (Riures)
07:49
And this happens constantly in the writing.
122
451000
4000
I això és quelcom que succeeix constantment a l'hora d'escriure.
07:53
And there's the terrible and dreaded observer effect,
123
455000
3000
I després hi ha el terrible i temut efecte observador,
07:56
in which you're looking for something, and
124
458000
2000
en el qual et trobes buscant alguna cosa, i
07:58
you know, things are happening simultaneously,
125
460000
3000
és a dir, ocorren fet simultàneament,
08:01
and you're looking at it in a different way,
126
463000
2000
i llavors ho consideres d'una manera diferent,
08:03
and you're trying to really look for the about-ness,
127
465000
4000
i estàs intentat de debò trobar de què tracta tot això.
08:07
or what is this story about. And if you try too hard,
128
469000
4000
O de què va la història. I si ho intentes amb massa insistència,
08:11
then you will only write the about.
129
473000
3000
només escriuràs sobre el es tracta.
08:14
You won't discover anything.
130
476000
3000
No descobriràs res de nou.
08:17
And what you were supposed to find,
131
479000
2000
I allò que suposava que havies de trobar,
08:19
what you hoped to find in some serendipitous way,
132
481000
3000
el que esperaves trobar, d'alguna manera fortuita,
08:22
is no longer there.
133
484000
3000
ja no hi és.
08:25
Now, I don't want to ignore
134
487000
2000
Ara, no vull ignorar
08:27
the other side of what happens in our universe,
135
489000
3000
l'altre part del que ocorre al nostre univers,
08:30
like many of our scientists have.
136
492000
3000
com molts dels nostres científics han fet.
08:33
And so, I am going to just throw in string theory here,
137
495000
3000
I per això, vaig ara parlar ara de la teoria de les cordes,
08:36
and just say that creative people are multidimensional,
138
498000
3000
i dir que les persones creatives son multi-dimensionals,
08:39
and there are 11 levels, I think, of anxiety.
139
501000
4000
i que hi ha onze nivells, crec, d'ansietat.
08:43
(Laughter) And they all operate at the same time.
140
505000
4000
(Riures) I sempre operen al mateix temps.
08:47
There is also a big question of ambiguity.
141
509000
3000
Hi ha també la gran pregunta de l'ambigüitat.
08:50
And I would link that to something called the cosmological constant.
142
512000
6000
I m'agradaria vincular-ho a quelcom anomenat la constant cosmològica.
08:56
And you don't know what is operating, but something is operating there.
143
518000
2000
I un no sap què opera, però hi ha alguna cosa operant en algun lloc.
08:58
And ambiguity, to me, is very uncomfortable
144
520000
4000
I l'ambigüitat, per mi, es molt incòmoda
09:02
in my life, and I have it. Moral ambiguity.
145
524000
3000
segons la meva manera de viure, però la tinc. Ambigüitat moral.
09:05
It is constantly there. And, just as an example,
146
527000
4000
Hi és constantment. I tan sols com a exemple,
09:09
this is one that recently came to me.
147
531000
3000
aquesta es una que m'ha vingut recentment.
09:12
It was something I read in an editorial by a woman
148
534000
2000
Va ser una cosa que vaig llegir en un nota editorial per una dona
09:14
who was talking about the war in Iraq. And she said,
149
536000
4000
que parlava de la guerra a l'Iraq. I ella deia,
09:18
"Save a man from drowning, you are responsible to him for life."
150
540000
3000
"si salves un home d'ofegar-se, ets responsable d'ell de per vida."
09:21
A very famous Chinese saying, she said.
151
543000
3000
Un proverbi xinès molt conegut, va dir ella.
09:24
And that means because we went into Iraq, we should stay there
152
546000
4000
I això vol dir que, com vàrem anar a Iraq, ens hauriem de quedar allà
09:28
until things were solved. You know, maybe even 100 years.
153
550000
4000
fins que les coses esdevinguessin solucionades. És a dir, potser inclús 100 anys.
09:32
So, there was another one that I came across,
154
554000
5000
Llavors, hi ha un altre que vaig trobar,
09:37
and it's "saving fish from drowning."
155
559000
3000
i deia "evitar que els peixos morin ofegats."
09:40
And it's what Buddhist fishermen say,
156
562000
2000
I és el que diuen els pescadors budistes,
09:42
because they're not supposed to kill anything.
157
564000
3000
perquè ells no poden treure la vida a cap èsser.
09:45
And they also have to make a living, and people need to be fed.
158
567000
3000
I també han de guanyar-se la vida, i hi ha gent que s'ha de nodrir.
09:48
So their way of rationalizing that is they are saving the fish from drowning,
159
570000
4000
Per això, la seva manera de racionalitzar-ho és dir que eviten que els peixos morin ofegats,
09:52
and unfortunately, in the process the fish die.
160
574000
3000
i, malauradament, en el procés, els peixos moren.
09:55
Now, what's encapsulated in both these drowning metaphors
161
577000
5000
Així doncs, el que resumeixen aquestes dues metàfores al voltant d'ofegar-se,
10:00
-- actually, one of them is my mother's interpretation,
162
582000
3000
en veritat, una d'elles és interpretació de la meva mare,
10:03
and it is a famous Chinese saying, because she said it to me:
163
585000
3000
i es un famós proverbi xinès perquè ella me'l va dir:
10:06
"save a man from drowning, you are responsible to him for life."
164
588000
3000
"si salves un home d'ofegar-se, ets responsable d'ell de per vida."
10:09
And it was a warning -- don't get involved in other people's business,
165
591000
4000
I es tractava d'un advertiment -- no et fiquis als assumptes dels altres,
10:13
or you're going to get stuck.
166
595000
2000
o t'hi quedaràs atrapat.
10:15
OK. I think if somebody really was drowning, she'd save them.
167
597000
4000
D'acord. Penso que si algú realment estigués a punt d'ofegar-se, ella el salvaria.
10:19
But, both of these sayings -- saving a fish from drowning,
168
601000
4000
Però aquests dos proverbis, evitar que un peix mori ofegat,
10:23
or saving a man from drowning -- to me they had to do with intentions.
169
605000
4000
o salvar un home d'ofegar-se, per mi tenien a veure amb les intencions.
10:27
And all of us in life, when we see a situation, we have a response.
170
609000
5000
I tots nosaltres a la vida, quan veiem una situació, tenim una reacció.
10:32
And then we have intentions.
171
614000
2000
I llavors, tenim intencions.
10:34
There's an ambiguity of what that should be that we should do,
172
616000
5000
Hi ha una ambigüitat respecte què es allò que hauriem de fer,
10:39
and then we do something.
173
621000
2000
i llavors fem alguna cosa.
10:41
And the results of that may not match what our intentions had been.
174
623000
3000
I els resultats poden no estar en línia amb el que eren les nostres intencions.
10:44
Maybe things go wrong. And so, after that, what are our responsibilities?
175
626000
5000
Potser les coses es compliquen. I llavors, desprès, quines son les nostres responsabilitats?
10:49
What are we supposed to do?
176
631000
2000
Què es suposa que hem de fer?
10:51
Do we stay in for life,
177
633000
2000
Insistim de per vida,
10:53
or do we do something else and justify and say, well, my intentions were good,
178
635000
5000
o fem alguna altra cosa i ens justifiquem, i diem, bé, les meves intencions eren bones,
10:58
and therefore I cannot be held responsible for all of it?
179
640000
6000
i per tant, no puc ser responsable de tot això?
11:04
That is the ambiguity in my life
180
646000
2000
Aquesta és l'ambigüitat a la meva vida
11:06
that really disturbed me, and led me to write a book called
181
648000
4000
la que realment m'ha causat neguit, i em va portar a escriure un llibre titulat
11:10
"Saving Fish From Drowning."
182
652000
2000
Evitar que els Peixos Morin Ofegats.
11:12
I saw examples of that. Once I identified this question, it was all over the place.
183
654000
7000
Vaig veure exemples d'això en el moment en que vaig identificar aquesta pregunta. Estava per tot arreu.
11:19
I got these hints everywhere.
184
661000
2000
Hi trobava indicis aquí i allà.
11:21
And then, in a way, I knew that they had always been there.
185
663000
3000
I llavors, en certa manera, vaig saber que sempre havien estat allà.
11:24
And then writing, that's what happens. I get these hints, these clues,
186
666000
3000
I llavors tot escrivint, això és el que succeeix. Trobo aquests indicis, aquestes pistes,
11:27
and I realize that they've been obvious, and yet they have not been.
187
669000
7000
i m'adono que havien estat obvis, i alhora no ho havien estat.
11:34
And what I need, in effect, is a focus.
188
676000
4000
I el que necessito, en efecte, és un enfocament.
11:38
And when I have the question, it is a focus.
189
680000
2000
I quan tinc la pregunta, llavors aquesta esdevé l'enfocament.
11:40
And all these things that seem to be flotsam and jetsam in life actually go through
190
682000
5000
I totes aquestes coses que semblen ser la disbauxa de la vida en veritat passen
11:45
that question, and what happens is those particular things become relevant.
191
687000
5000
a través d'aquesta pregunta, i el que ocorre és que aquestes coses concretes esdevenen rellevants.
11:50
And it seems like it's happening all the time.
192
692000
2000
I sembla ser que succeeix a cada moment.
11:52
You think there's a sort of coincidence going on, a serendipity,
193
694000
3000
Penses que deu haver-hi alguna mena de coincidència, de casualitat,
11:55
in which you're getting all this help from the universe.
194
697000
3000
en el que t'és donat tota mena d'ajut per part de l'univers.
11:58
And it may also be explained that now you have a focus.
195
700000
3000
I això també es pot explicar que ara tinguis un objectiu.
12:01
And you are noticing it more often.
196
703000
4000
I que et fixis en ell més sovint.
12:05
But you apply this.
197
707000
3000
Però ho apliques.
12:08
You begin to look at things having to do with your tensions.
198
710000
3000
Comences a veure que les coses han a veure amb les teves tensions.
12:11
Your brother, who's fallen in trouble, do you take care of him?
199
713000
3000
El teu germà, que travessa una mala època, l'aculls?
12:14
Why or why not?
200
716000
2000
Per què? O per què no?
12:16
It may be something that is perhaps more serious
201
718000
4000
Potser pot tractar-se d'alguna cosa més seriosa,
12:20
-- as I said, human rights in Burma.
202
722000
3000
com he mencionat, els drets humans a Birmània.
12:23
I was thinking that I shouldn't go because somebody said, if I did, it would show
203
725000
4000
Pensava que no hi devia anar perquè algú em va dir que si ho feia, demostraria
12:27
that I approved of the military regime there.
204
729000
3000
que estava d'acord amb el seu règim militar.
12:30
And then, after a while, I had to ask myself,
205
732000
3000
I llavors, tot seguit, m'havia de preguntar,
12:33
"Why do we take on knowledge, why do we take on assumptions
206
735000
2000
"Per què donem per cert que coneixem, per què donem per cert les assumpcions
12:35
that other people have given us?"
207
737000
3000
que altra gent ens ha donat?"
12:38
And it was the same thing that I felt when I was growing up,
208
740000
3000
I vaig sentir el mateix que quan estava madurant,
12:41
and was hearing these rules of moral conduct from my father,
209
743000
5000
i escoltava totes aquestes regles de conducta moral per part del meu pare,
12:46
who was a Baptist minister.
210
748000
2000
que era un pastor baptista.
12:48
So I decided that I would go to Burma for my own intentions,
211
750000
5000
Així doncs, vaig decidir que aniria a Birmània d'acord a les meves pròpies intencions,
12:53
and still didn't know that if I went there,
212
755000
3000
i encara no sabia que si hi anava,
12:56
what the result of that would be, if I wrote a book --
213
758000
3000
quin en seria el resultat si escrivia un llibre --
12:59
and I just would have to face that later, when the time came.
214
761000
4000
i tot just hauria d'enfrontar-m'hi més tard, quan fos el moment.
13:03
We are all concerned with things that we see in the world that we are aware of.
215
765000
5000
Tots estem preocupats per coses que veiem al món del que sóm conscients.
13:08
We come to this point and say, what do I as an individual do?
216
770000
5000
Arribem a aquest punt i diem, que puc fer com a individu?
13:13
Not all of us can go to Africa, or work at hospitals,
217
775000
4000
No tots nosaltres podem anar a Àfrica, o treballar als hospitals,
13:17
so what do we do, if we have this moral response, this feeling?
218
779000
7000
per tant, que fem si tenim aquesta reacció moral, aquest sentiment?
13:24
Also, I think one of the biggest things we are all looking at,
219
786000
3000
També, crec que una de les coses més grans que tots estem tenint en consideració,
13:27
and we talked about today, is genocide.
220
789000
3000
i tots hi hem parlat avui, és el genocidi.
13:30
This leads to this question.
221
792000
3000
Això ens porta a aquesta pregunta,
13:33
When I look at all these things that are morally ambiguous and uncomfortable,
222
795000
5000
quan miro a totes aquestes coses que son moralment ambigües i incòmodes,
13:38
and I consider what my intentions should be,
223
800000
2000
i considero quines haurien de ser les meves intencions,
13:40
I realize it goes back to this identity question that I had when I was a child
224
802000
5000
me n'adono que tot torna cap a la pregunta al voltant de la identitat que em feia quan era nena
13:45
-- and why am I here, and what is the meaning of my life,
225
807000
3000
-- com és que sóc aquí, i quin és el significat de la meva vida,
13:48
and what is my place in the universe?
226
810000
2000
i quin és el meu lloc a l'univers?
13:50
It seems so obvious, and yet it is not.
227
812000
3000
Sembla tan obvi, i, no obstant, no ho és.
13:53
We all hate moral ambiguity in some sense,
228
815000
5000
Tots odiem l'ambigüitat moral en certa manera,
13:58
and yet it is also absolutely necessary.
229
820000
4000
i, amb tot, també és absolutament necessària.
14:02
In writing a story, it is the place where I begin.
230
824000
4000
En escriure una història, aquí és on començo.
14:06
Sometimes I get help from the universe, it seems.
231
828000
4000
A vegades l'univers m'ajuda, sembla ser.
14:10
My mother would say it was the ghost of my grandmother from the very first book,
232
832000
3000
La meva mare diria que era el fantasma de la meva àvia ajudant-me des del primer llibre,
14:13
because it seemed I knew things I was not supposed to know.
233
835000
3000
perquè semblava que jo sabia coses que no devia haver sabut.
14:16
Instead of writing that the grandmother died accidentally,
234
838000
3000
En lloc d'escriure que l'àvia havia mort accidentalment,
14:19
from an overdose of opium, while having too much of a good time,
235
841000
3000
d'una sobredosi d'opi quan s'ho estava passant d'allò més bé,
14:22
I actually put down in the story that the woman killed herself,
236
844000
5000
En veritat vaig incloure en la història que la dona s'havia mort ella mateixa,
14:27
and that actually was the way it happened.
237
849000
2000
i realment va ser el que va succeir.
14:29
And my mother decided that that information must have come from my grandmother.
238
851000
5000
I la meva mare va decidir que aquella informació havia degut venir de la meva avia.
14:34
There are also things, quite uncanny,
239
856000
3000
També hi ha coses, força torbadores,
14:37
which bring me information that will help me in the writing of the book.
240
859000
4000
que em donen informació que m'ajudarà a escriure el llibre.
14:41
In this case, I was writing a story
241
863000
2000
En aquest cas, estava escrivint una història
14:43
that included some kind of detail, period of history, a certain location.
242
865000
4000
que duia inclòs alguna mena de detall, període de la història, un lloc en concret.
14:47
And I needed to find something historically that would match that.
243
869000
3000
I necessitava trobar alguna cosa que hi estigués vinculada històricament.
14:50
And I took down this book, and I --
244
872000
2000
I vaig agafar aquest llibre, i jo --
14:52
first page that I flipped it to was exactly the setting, and the time period,
245
874000
6000
la primera pàgina a la que vaig anar a parar era exactament el lloc i el moment.
14:58
and the kind of character I needed -- was the Taiping rebellion,
246
880000
3000
I el tipus de personatge que necessitava era la rebel·lió taiwanesa,
15:01
happening in the area near Guilin, outside of that,
247
883000
4000
ocorreguda a l'àrea propera a Qualin, fora d'allà,
15:05
and a character who thought he was the son of God.
248
887000
3000
i un personatge que creia ser el fill de déu.
15:08
You wonder, are these things random chance?
249
890000
3000
Et preguntes, és tot això només l'atzar fortuït?
15:11
Well, what is random? What is chance? What is luck?
250
893000
4000
Bé, què es l'atzar? Què es fortuït? Què és la sort?
15:15
What are things that you get from the universe that you can't really explain?
251
897000
4000
Què són les coses que l'univers et mostra que no es poden explicar?
15:19
And that goes into the story, too.
252
901000
2000
I això s'inclou en la història, també.
15:21
These are the things I constantly think about from day to day.
253
903000
3000
Això és el tipus de coses sobre les que penso dia a dia.
15:24
Especially when good things happen,
254
906000
2000
Especialment, quan ocorren coses bones,
15:26
and, in particular, when bad things happen.
255
908000
4000
i, en particular, quan n'ocorren de dolentes.
15:30
But I do think there's a kind of serendipity,
256
912000
2000
Però penso que hi ha alguna mena de casualitat,
15:32
and I do want to know what those elements are,
257
914000
3000
I m'agrada saber què són aquest elements,
15:35
so I can thank them, and also try to find them in my life.
258
917000
5000
així els hi puc donar gràcies, i també intentar trobar-los a la meva vida.
15:40
Because, again, I think that when I am aware of them, more of them happen.
259
922000
4000
Perquè, de nou, crec que quan sóc conscient d'ells, succeeixen encara més.
15:44
Another chance encounter is when I went to a place
260
926000
4000
Una altra troballa fortuïta va ser quan vaig anar a un lloc
15:48
-- I just was with some friends, and we drove randomly to a different place,
261
930000
4000
-- tot just estava amb uns amics, i ens dirigíem aleatòriament a un altre lloc,
15:52
and we ended up in this non-tourist location,
262
934000
4000
i vam anar a parar a un lloc per no turistes,
15:56
a beautiful village, pristine.
263
938000
2000
un poble preciós, immaculat.
15:58
And we walked three valleys beyond,
264
940000
2000
I vam caminar tres valls més enllà,
16:00
and the third valley, there was something quite mysterious and ominous,
265
942000
3000
i a la tercera vall, hi havia quelcom misteriós i pertorbador,
16:03
a discomfort I felt. And then I knew that had to be [the] setting of my book.
266
945000
6000
un malestar que vaig sentir. I llavors vaig saber que havia trobat l'emplaçament del meu llibre.
16:09
And in writing one of the scenes, it happened in that third valley.
267
951000
3000
I en escriure una de les escenes, aquesta va succeir en aquesta tercera vall.
16:12
For some reason I wrote about cairns -- stacks of rocks -- that a man was building.
268
954000
7000
Per alguna raó, vaig escriure sobre les fites -munt de pedres apilades- que un home construïa.
16:19
And I didn't know exactly why I had it, but it was so vivid.
269
961000
3000
I no sé ben bé per què ho vaig sentir, però era tan viu.
16:22
I got stuck, and a friend, when she asked if I would go for a walk with her dogs,
270
964000
5000
Em vaig quedar bloquejada, i una amiga, quan em va preguntar si voldria anar a fer una volta amb els seus gossos,
16:27
that I said, sure. And about 45 minutes later,
271
969000
3000
vaig dir, és clar. I més o menys uns 45 minuts més tard,
16:30
walking along the beach, I came across this.
272
972000
4000
passejant per la platja, em vaig trobar amb això.
16:34
And it was a man, a Chinese man,
273
976000
2000
Es tractava d'un home, un home xinès,
16:36
and he was stacking these things, not with glue, not with anything.
274
978000
3000
i estava apilant tot això, sense cola, sense res de res.
16:39
And I asked him, "How is it possible to do this?"
275
981000
3000
I li vaig preguntar, com es possible fer això?
16:42
And he said, "Well, I guess with everything in life, there's a place of balance."
276
984000
4000
I ell va dir, bé, imagino que com tot a la vida és qüestió d'equilibri.
16:46
And this was exactly the meaning of my story at that point.
277
988000
5000
I aquest era exactament el significat de la meva història en aquell punt.
16:51
I had so many examples -- I have so many instances like this, when I'm writing a story,
278
993000
5000
Tenia tants exemples -- m'ocorren tants casos com aquests quan estic escrivint una història,
16:56
and I cannot explain it.
279
998000
2000
i, no ho puc explicar.
16:58
Is it because I had the filter that I have such a strong coincidence
280
1000000
4000
És tot just perquè tenia el filtre que m'esdevé aquesta coincidència tan intensa
17:02
in writing about these things?
281
1004000
3000
en escriure sobre aquestes coses?
17:05
Or is it a kind of serendipity that we cannot explain, like the cosmological constant?
282
1007000
7000
O es tracta d'una mena de casualitat que no podem explicar, com la constant cosmològica?
17:12
A big thing that I also think about is accidents.
283
1014000
3000
Un gran tema sobre el qual també hi penso és el dels accidents.
17:15
And as I said, my mother did not believe in randomness.
284
1017000
3000
I, com he dit abans, la meva mare no creia en l'atzar.
17:18
What is the nature of accidents?
285
1020000
2000
Quina és la naturalesa dels accidents?
17:20
And how are we going to assign what the responsibility and the causes are,
286
1022000
4000
I com hem d'imputar quines són les responsabilitats i les causes,
17:24
outside of a court of law?
287
1026000
3000
fora d'un jutjat?
17:27
I was able to see that in a firsthand way,
288
1029000
3000
Vaig poder comprovar això de primera mà,
17:30
when I went to beautiful Dong village, in Guizhou, the poorest province of China.
289
1032000
6000
quan vaig anar al bonic poble de Dong, a Guizhou, la provincia més pobre de la Xina.
17:36
And I saw this beautiful place. I knew I wanted to come back.
290
1038000
2000
Vaig veure aquest lloc tan bonic. I vaig saber que hi voldria tornar.
17:38
And I had a chance to do that, when National Geographic asked me
291
1040000
3000
I vaig tenir l'oportunitat de fer-ho quan el National Geographic em va demanar
17:41
if I wanted to write anything about China.
292
1043000
2000
si volia escriure alguna cosa sobre la Xina.
17:43
And I said yes, about this village of singing people, singing minority.
293
1045000
5000
I vaig dir que si, que ho faria sobre aquesta poble on vivien els Singing, la minoria Singing.
17:48
And they agreed, and between the time I saw this place and the next time I went,
294
1050000
5000
Hi van estar d'acord, i entre la vegada que havia vist el lloc i la següent vegada que hi vaig anar,
17:53
there was a terrible accident. A man, an old man, fell asleep,
295
1055000
4000
un terrible accident havia ocorregut. Un home, un home vell, es va quedar adormit,
17:57
and his quilt dropped in a pan of fire that kept him warm.
296
1059000
3000
i la seva manta va caure sobre una cassola de foc amb que s'escalfava.
18:00
60 homes were destroyed, and 40 were damaged.
297
1062000
6000
60 cases van ser destruïdes, i 40 van quedar molt perjudicades.
18:06
Responsibility was assigned to the family.
298
1068000
2000
Es va imputar la responsabilitat a la familia.
18:08
The man's sons were banished to live three kilometers away, in a cowshed.
299
1070000
4000
Els fills de l'home van ser condemnats a viure a tres quilòmetres, en un cobert de vaques.
18:12
And, of course, as Westerners, we say, "Well, it was an accident. That's not fair.
300
1074000
4000
I, clar, com occidentals, diem, "bé, va ser un accident. No és just.
18:16
It's the son, not the father."
301
1078000
2000
És el fill, no el pare."
18:18
When I go on a story, I have to let go of those kinds of beliefs.
302
1080000
6000
I quan estic en mig d'una història, haig de desfer-me d'aquesta mena de creença.
18:24
It takes a while, but I have to let go of them and just go there, and be there.
303
1086000
4000
Costa una mica, però haig de desfer-me d'elles, i anar-hi, i ser-hi present.
18:28
And so I was there on three occasions, different seasons.
304
1090000
3000
I vaig ser allà en tres ocasions, en èpoques diferents.
18:31
And I began to sense something different about the history,
305
1093000
4000
I vaig sentir quelcom diferent al voltant de la història
18:35
and what had happened before, and the nature of life in a very poor village,
306
1097000
4000
i el que havia succeït abans, i la naturalesa de la vida en un poblet tan pobre,
18:39
and what you find as your joys, and your rituals, your traditions, your links
307
1101000
3000
i el que trobes com les teves alegries, els teus rituals, les teves tradicions, els teus vincles
18:42
with other families. And I saw how this had a kind of justice, in its responsibility.
308
1104000
10000
amb altres families. I vaig veure com hi havia cert sentit de justícia en la seva responsabilitat
18:52
I was able to find out also about the ceremony that they were using,
309
1114000
5000
També vaig poder descobrir el tipus de cerimònia a què es sotmetien,
18:57
a ceremony they hadn't used in about 29 years. And it was to send some men
310
1119000
8000
una cerimònia que no s'havia emprat desde feia uns 29 anys. Es tractava d'enviar alguns homes
19:05
-- a Feng Shui master sent men down to the underworld on ghost horses.
311
1127000
4000
-- un mestre de Feng Shui enviava homes a l'inframòn sobre cavalls fantasmes.
19:09
Now you, as Westerners, and I, as Westerners,
312
1131000
3000
Ara vosaltres, com a occidentals, i jo, com a occidental,
19:12
would say well, that's superstition. But after being there for a while,
313
1134000
3000
diríem, bé, això no són més que supersticions. Però després d'estar allà durant algun temps,
19:15
and seeing the amazing things that happened,
314
1137000
3000
i veure les coses tan sorprenents que van succeir,
19:18
you begin to wonder whose beliefs are those that are in operation in the world,
315
1140000
5000
et comences a preguntar quines creences son aquelles que operen en el món,
19:23
determining how things happen.
316
1145000
3000
determinant com succeeixen les coses.
19:26
So I remained with them, and the more I wrote that story,
317
1148000
3000
Així doncs, vaig restar amb ells, i quant més escrivia la història,
19:29
the more I got into those beliefs, and I think that's important for me
318
1151000
4000
més aprofundia en aquelles creences, i això crec que és important per mi.
19:33
-- to take on the beliefs, because that is where the story is real,
319
1155000
3000
-- assumir les creences, perquè és així que la història esdevé real,
19:36
and that is where I'm gonna find the answers
320
1158000
2000
i és així que hauré de trobar les respostes
19:38
to how I feel about certain questions that I have in life.
321
1160000
5000
de com em sento sobre determinades qüestions de la vida.
19:43
Years go by, of course, and the writing, it doesn't happen instantly,
322
1165000
3000
Els anys passen, és clar, i l'escriure, no succeeix instantàneament,
19:46
as I'm trying to convey it to you here at TED.
323
1168000
4000
com us ho estic intentat transmetre a vosaltres aquí, al TED.
19:50
The book comes and it goes. When it arrives, it is no longer my book.
324
1172000
5000
El llibre va i ve. Quan arriba, ja no és el meu llibre.
19:55
It is in the hands of readers, and they interpret it differently.
325
1177000
4000
És en possessió dels lectors, i ells ho interpreten de manera diferent.
19:59
But I go back to this question of, how do I create something out of nothing?
326
1181000
6000
Però torno a la pregunta de, com creo alguna cosa del no res?
20:05
And how do I create my own life?
327
1187000
3000
I com creo la meva pròpia vida?
20:08
And I think it is by questioning,
328
1190000
2000
I crec que es a base de qüestionar-se,
20:10
and saying to myself that there are no absolute truths.
329
1192000
5000
i de dir-me a mi mateixa que no hi ha veritats absolutes.
20:15
I believe in specifics, the specifics of story,
330
1197000
4000
Crec en els detalls, els detalls de la història,
20:19
and the past, the specifics of that past,
331
1201000
3000
i el passat, els detalls d'aquest passat,
20:22
and what is happening in the story at that point.
332
1204000
4000
i el que està succeint a la història en aquell punt.
20:26
I also believe that in thinking about things --
333
1208000
3000
També crec que en pensar sobre aquestes coses,
20:29
my thinking about luck, and fate, and coincidences and accidents,
334
1211000
4000
els meu pensament sobre la sort, el destí, les coincidències i els accidents,
20:33
God's will, and the synchrony of mysterious forces --
335
1215000
4000
la voluntat de déu, i la sincronia de forces misterioses,
20:37
I will come to some notion of what that is, how we create.
336
1219000
6000
arribaré a alguna noció de què es tot això, com creem.
20:43
I have to think of my role. Where I am in the universe,
337
1225000
4000
Haig de pensar en el meu rol. On sóc dins l'univers,
20:47
and did somebody intend for me to be that way, or is it just something I came up with?
338
1229000
5000
i si algú va pretendre que jo fos d'aquesta manera, i si va ser una cosa que va passar per que si?
20:52
And I also can find that by imagining fully, and becoming what is imagined --
339
1234000
8000
I també ho puc trobar per mitjà d'imaginar completament, i esdevenir allò imaginat,
21:00
and yet is in that real world, the fictional world.
340
1242000
3000
i amb tot és en aquest món real, el món fictiu.
21:03
And that is how I find particles of truth, not the absolute truth, or the whole truth.
341
1245000
8000
I així és com trobo partícules de veritat, no la veritat absoluta, o la veritat completa.
21:11
And they have to be in all possibilities,
342
1253000
2000
I deuen ser en totes les possibilitats,
21:13
including those I never considered before.
343
1255000
3000
incloent totes aquelles que mai abans havia considerat.
21:16
So, there are never complete answers.
344
1258000
3000
Per tant no hi ha mai respostes completes.
21:19
Or rather, if there is an answer, it is to remind
345
1261000
5000
O dit d'un altra manera, si hi ha una resposta, és per recordar-me
21:24
myself that there is uncertainty in everything,
346
1266000
4000
que hi ha incertesa en tot,
21:28
and that is good, because then I will discover something new.
347
1270000
5000
i això és bo. Perquè llavors descobriré quelcom nou.
21:33
And if there is a partial answer, a more complete answer from me,
348
1275000
4000
I si hi ha una resposta parcial, una resposta més completa per a mi,
21:37
it is to simply imagine.
349
1279000
3000
és, simplement, imaginar.
21:40
And to imagine is to put myself in that story,
350
1282000
4000
I imaginar es ficar-me dintre d'aquella història,
21:44
until there was only -- there is a transparency between me and the story that I am creating.
351
1286000
6000
fins que hi hagués -- hi ha una transparència entre jo i la història que estic creant.
21:50
And that's how I've discovered that if I feel what is in the story
352
1292000
6000
I així és com vaig descobrir que si sento el que hi ha dintre de la història
21:56
-- in one story -- then I come the closest, I think,
353
1298000
6000
-- en una història -- llavors m'hi apropo, crec,
22:02
to knowing what compassion is, to feeling that compassion.
354
1304000
4000
a saber què es la compassió, a sentir aquesta compassió.
22:06
Because for everything,
355
1308000
2000
Perquè per tot,
22:08
in that question of how things happen, it has to do with the feeling.
356
1310000
4000
en aquesta qüestió de com succeeixen les coses, té a veure amb el sentiment.
22:12
I have to become the story in order to understand a lot of that.
357
1314000
6000
Haig d'esdevenir la història per tal d'entendre quant més millor.
22:18
We've come to the end of the talk,
358
1320000
2000
Hem arribar al final de la xerrada,
22:20
and I will reveal what is in the bag, and it is the muse,
359
1322000
4000
i vaig a revelar que hi ha a la borsa, és la musa,
22:24
and it is the things that transform in our lives,
360
1326000
3000
i és les coses que transformen les nostres vides,
22:27
that are wonderful and stay with us.
361
1329000
10000
que són meravelloses i resten amb nosaltres.
22:37
There she is.
362
1339000
1000
Aquí la teniu.
22:38
Thank you very much!
363
1340000
2000
Moltíssimes gràcies!
22:40
(Applause)
364
1342000
6000
(Aplaudiments)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Amy Tan - NovelistAmy Tan is the author of such beloved books as The Joy Luck Club, The Kitchen God's Wife and The Hundred Secret Senses.
Why you should listen
Born in the US to immigrant parents from China, Amy Tan rejected her mother's expectations that she become a doctor and concert pianist. She chose to write fiction instead. Her much-loved, best-selling novels have been translated into 35 languages. In 2008, she wrote a libretto for The Bonesetter's Daughter, which premiered that September with the San Francisco Opera.
Tan was the creative consultant for Sagwa, the Emmy-nominated PBS series for children, and she has appeared as herself on The Simpsons. She's the lead rhythm dominatrix, backup singer and second tambourine with the Rock Bottom Remainders, a literary garage band that has raised more than a million dollars for literacy programs.
Amy Tan | Speaker | TED.com