Kate Bowler: "Everything happens for a reason" -- and other lies I've loved
קייט באולר: "לכל דבר יש סיבה" - ושקרים אחרים שאהבתי
Kate Bowler is reexamining her perspective on the "prosperity gospel": the belief that good things happen to good people. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
that nobody, absolutely nobody,
that I got a call in my office
בזמן שהייתי במשרד שלי
the life I wanted.
after years of infertility.
I applied for in academia,
שהתראיינתי לה באקדמיה,
I'd started feeling pain in my stomach
התחלתי להרגיש כאב בבטן
to find out why.
called me at work
to come to the hospital right away.
and he rushed to find me
that I have known.
the walk to the hospital,
a book called "Blessed."
that good things happen to good people.
דברים טובים קורים לאנשים טובים.
nicknamed "the prosperity gospel,"
שנקרא "בשורת ההצלחה",
that God wants you to prosper.
שהאל רוצה שתצליח.
a follower of the prosperity gospel.
כמאמינה של בשורת ההצלחה.
that God wants to reward you
very American theology
interviewing its celebrities.
וראיינתי את הסלבריטי שלה.
for divine money.
with spectacular hair
בעלי שיער מרהיב
החיים הטובים ביותר שלהם עכשיו.
in hospital waiting rooms
as destroyer of family vacations
כהורסת חופשות משפחתיות
at the fanciest megachurch in town.
במגה-כנסיות הכי מפוארות בעיר.
running through the sanctuary,
the whole idea of being "blessed"
כל הרעיון של להיות "מבורך"
עם הכיתוב "blessed#".
vanity license plates and T-shirts
עם הכיתוב "blessed#"
one of the most common cultural cliches,
לאחת הקלישאות התרבותיות הכי רווחות,
hashtags on Instagram,
the way that the prosperity gospel
the founding of America itself,
worshipped Americans.
I'm nothing like them,"
אני ממש לא דומה להם,"
how deeply invested I was
whether you are religious or not,
בין אם אתם דתיים או לא,
to avoid falling into the trap
and success go hand in hand.
והצלחה הולכות יד ביד.
that I had my own quiet version
את הגרסה השקטה משל עצמי
happen to good people.
shining awards along the way.
בכמה פרסים נוצצים לאורך הדרך.
were only detours
my long, long life.
שיהיו החיים הארוכים מאוד שלי.
it's a mindset that served me well.
זאת היתה תפיסה ששימשה אותי היטב.
I couldn't manage my way out of;
saying into the phone,
I could think of to say.
moment to accept:
personal prosperity gospel
or special about me could not save me --
לא יכל להציל אותי --
is built with paper walls,
שהחיים שלי בנויים מקירות של נייר,
that we are all a breath away
שכולנו נמצאים במרחק נשימה
destroy something irreplaceable
there are befores and afters.
that I would never go back,
שלעולם לא אחזור אחורה,
so much in perspective.
I wrote about this
at the "New York Times."
vulnerable moments of your life
את אחד הרגעים הכי פגיעים של החיים שלי
to feel less vulnerable.
of the questions I asked.
without quite so many reasons
הרבה סיבות
without outrageous formulas
נוסחאות מוגזמות
and so terrible was, of course,
וכל כך נורא היה, כמובן,
for the bad things that happened.
that there had to be a reason
לפיו חייבת להיות סיבה
to understand the reason.
that my cancer is all part of a plan.
שהסרטן שלי היה חלק מתכנית.
it was God's plan that I get cancer
היה חלק מתכנית אלוהית
by writing about it.
באמצעות הכתיבה על החוויה.
it is a test of my character
to this seeming chaos.
לכאוס לכאורה הזה.
my wife is dying."
our hard work will pay off,
תשתלם בסופו של דבר,
will always make our partners happy
תמיד תשמח את בני הזוג שלנו
in which not one ounce
or our deepest hopes will be for nothing.
או התקוות הכמוסות ביותר שלנו לא ילך לחינם.
in which nothing is lost.
in living with stage IV cancer
I've experienced more pain and trauma
חוויתי יותר כאב וטראומה
so many abdominal surgeries
כל כך הרבה ניתוחי בטן
I've experienced love,
Research Foundation,
about their brushes with death
if it hadn't reminded me
אם זה לא היה מזכיר לי
uncomfortable telling anyone:
that I was going to die,
I have experienced.
החוויות הכי סוריאליסטיות שחוויתי.
felt abandoned by God,
around me like worker bees,
with words of encouragement.
like it had revealed to me
הסבל האישי שלי חושף לי
of people just like me,
they were entitled to
realize they had made.
somehow, with other people,
איכשהו, עם אנשים אחרים,
stayed with me for months.
at the prospect of losing it.
historians, nuns I liked,
היסטוריונים, נזירות שחיבבתי,
when that loving feeling is gone?"
what I was talking about,
experienced it themselves
in great works of Christian theology.
של התיאולוגיה הנוצרית.
for how to get it back."
this little piece of reassurance,
the thousands of emails I get
לאלפי האימיילים שאני מקבלת
to divine health
that are wonderful and terrible,
שהנם נפלאים ונוראיים,
that these opposites
שהניגודים האלה
appear to be working,
and waiting with scans.
to embarrass my son
lose his beautiful hair.
that nothing will be lost.
of prosperity gospel that I believe in.
שאני מאמינה בו.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Kate Bowler - Divinity professor, authorKate Bowler is reexamining her perspective on the "prosperity gospel": the belief that good things happen to good people.
Why you should listen
After being diagnosed with stage IV cancer at age 35, Duke tenured professor and author Kate Bowler launched a national conversation about why it feels so difficult to speak frankly about suffering. She delves into how we live and cope with pain and suffering in Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I've Loved, a New York Times bestselling memoir, and in her popular podcast, Everything Happens. She is also the author of Blessed: A History of the American Prosperity Gospel, which received widespread media and academic attention as the first history of a movement based on divine promises of health, wealth and happiness. She has appeared on NPR and The TODAY Show, Amanpour & Company as well as in the New York Times, Washington Post and TIME Magazine. Her work has also been praised by a wide variety of religious and political publications, from liberal print media to conservative talk radio.
Kate Bowler | Speaker | TED.com