AJ Jacobs: My journey to thank all the people responsible for my morning coffee
A・J・ジェイコブズ: 私の朝のコーヒーを担うすべての人々に感謝する旅
Immersing himself in alternate lifestyles and long, hilarious experiments (usually with himself the guinea pig), writer AJ Jacobs tests the limits of behavior, customs, culture, knowledge -- and his wife's sense of humor. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
to be annoyed about.
and a single insult,
1つの侮辱を聞いて
the research, I'm not alone.
私だけではないようです
is wired to focus on the negative.
悪いことに注目するようにできています
when we were cave people,
捕食動物を避けるのに
to go through life.
of anxiety and depression.
the brain's negative bias?
マイナス思考とどう闘うか?
one of the best weapons is gratitude.
最適な方法は感謝だそうです
in our house a couple of years ago.
私の家では新たな心掛けを始めました
正しくありません
神への感謝というより
who helped make my food a reality.
関わった人々への感謝です
who grew these tomatoes,
「このトマトを育てた農家の方々—
these tomatoes to the store,
トラックの運転手さん—
who rang these tomatoes up."
店員さんに感謝します」
pretty well, this tradition.
aren't in our apartment.
ここにいないよ
and thank them in person."
That's an interesting idea."
I like to go on adventures.
本を書くために冒険するのが好きで
my son up on his challenge.
to be not so simple at all.
全然 簡単ではなかったのです
that my coffee would not be possible
何百もの人々がいなかったら
I take for granted.
届かなかったことに気付いたからです
to the coffee shop.
without the road.
道路があるおかげです
who paved the road.
お礼を言いました
who made the asphalt for the pavement.
作った人々にお礼を言いました
私のコーヒーは
from all walks of life.
designers, miners, goat herds,
鉱夫、ヤギ飼い—
(本当にありがとう)」です
thanking over a thousand people.
感謝の気持ちを伝えたからです
but it was also wonderful.
素晴らしい経験でした
普段 目につく
that go right every day,
3つや4つのことではなく
or four that go wrong.
目を向けるようになったからです
interconnectedness or our world.
繋がっていることも感じました
during this project,
at my local coffee shop,
ジョー・コーヒーです
upbeat people you will ever meet.
being a barista is hard.
バリスタは大変な仕事です
people in a very dangerous state.
yell at her until she cried,
涙を流すこともあります
that Chung did on her hot chocolate.
クリームの形が気に食わないと怒られたことも
お礼をしてくれました
into an infinite thanking loop.
like a human being.
I'm realizing I've done that.
自分もそうだと気づきました
I'm going to take those two seconds
2秒間かけて 相手に顔を向け
you're dealing with a human being
実感するためです
人間なんです
humanity and happiness.
すごく大切なことです
And the fertilizer.
それと土や肥料の香りも
they serve at my local coffee shop.
コーヒーを選ぶ仕事をしています
to South America, to Africa,
世界中を歩いて
how to taste coffee like a pro.
方法を教えてくれました
and you dip it in the coffee
to spray the coffee all over your mouth.
霧状のコーヒーを行き渡らせるためです
in the side of your cheeks,
ハニークリスプ種のリンゴ
メープルシロップの風味があるね」
コーヒーの味だ
for five seconds --
舌の上に留まらせるようにしました
but I could spare five seconds,
5秒くらいはとれます
and the acidity and the sweetness.
じっくり考えるんです
同じような味わい方をはじめました
is so important to gratitude.
and holding on to it as long as possible.
それを できるだけ長く保つこと
遅くすることだそうです
in one big blur, as it often does.
よくありますが そうならないように
all around you.
隠れた傑作に気付くことです
conversations during this year
my coffee cup lid.
発明した人との会話です
zero thought to coffee cup lids.
考えることなんて ほぼ皆無でした
to this inventor, Doug Fleming,
話すのはとても楽しかったです
he put into this lid,
台無しにするそうです
that's got an upside-down hexagon
逆さの六角形があり
and get maximum aroma.
香りを最大限楽しむことができます
hundreds of masterpieces all around us
傑作があることに気づかされました
has a little indentation for my thumb
親指にぴったりフィットする
その背後にあるプロセスは
is largely invisible.
and enrich our lives.
人生を豊かにできるんです
I was just in a thanking frenzy.
私は感謝熱に浮かされていました
and spend a couple hours,
お礼を伝えました
「一体 何なんだ?
what do you want, what are you selling?"
何が欲しいんだ?何を売ってる?」
驚くほど感動してくれました
who does the pest control
where my coffee is served --
for keeping the bugs out of my coffee."
お礼が言いたくて」
that does sound strange,
it affected me.
私にも影響を与えました
in my default mood, which is grumpiness,
寝起きは不機嫌なのですが
to write a thank-you note
感謝の手紙を一通書き
that if you act as if you're grateful,
感謝しているように振る舞えば
芽生えるということに
to change our mind is astounding.
行動の力は本当にすごいものです
that thought changes behavior,
思いがちですが
changes our thought.
よくあるんです
I want to tell you about is:
on this gratitude trail
どの場所でも どこに停まろうと
that I could thank.
the farmers who grow my coffee beans.
コロンビアまで行きました
along these curvy, cliffside roads.
崖っぷちの道路を行くことになりました
we went around a hairpin turn
「十字を切ってくれてありがとう—
while keeping your hands on the wheel?
ちゃんと握ってくれるかい?
the Guarnizo brothers.
グアニーゾ兄弟に会いました
おいしいコーヒーを作っています
fair-trade prices for it.
売れるそうです
how the coffee is grown.
this fruit called the coffee cherry.
果実の中にあります
"Well, we couldn't do our job
is made in Brazil,
ブラジルで作られ
they drive around the farm,
from all over the world.
できています
鉄も輸出されています
and I thanked the steel makers.
鉄の生産者にお礼を言いました
to make a cup of coffee.
作るために必要なのは
to make a cup of coffee.
世界なんだって
this globalization,
グローバル化には
upsides are far greater,
すごく大きいし
in the last 50 years,
いろいろな面で向上しました
自分たちだけの世界に
抵抗すべきなんです
as a spark to action.
that gratitude has a downside.
心配する人もいます
that we'll be complacent.
現状に満足してしまって
wonderful, I'm so grateful."
という気持ちになりやしないかと
the more likely you are to help others.
他者を助けようとするようになります
on your own needs.
want to pay it forward.
他の誰かに手を差し伸べたくなるんです
a huge amount of the time.
まだ かなり多いです
before this project.
マシになっています
搾取が行われていることに気付いたからです
that what I take for granted
of people around the world.
手には届かないことに気づきました
the people at the New York reservoir,
私に水を届けてくれる数百人と
安全な水が使えるという奇跡に
turn a lever and get safe water.
around the world don't have this luxury
そんな贅沢は与えられず
安全な水が手に入らないのですから
to help people get more access,
自分に何ができるか考えるようになり
and found a wonderful group
(安全な水を施す会)」という
the Nobel Prize committee
it's a little something.
ちょっとした実践です
people, friends, family,
友人や家族に
辿るように勧めるのです
life-transforming experience.
経験だからです
it could be a light bulb.
you can just do a little gesture,
ちょっとした感謝の印は表せます
to the designer of a logo you love.
デザインした人に感謝の手紙を書いたり
involved in every little thing we do.
大勢の人が関わっていることに気付いてください
there's someone in a factory
あなたが今 座っている椅子の布地を
you're sitting in right now.
and got the copper for this microphone
このマイクを作れたおかげで
for listening to my story.
本当にありがとう
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
AJ Jacobs - AuthorImmersing himself in alternate lifestyles and long, hilarious experiments (usually with himself the guinea pig), writer AJ Jacobs tests the limits of behavior, customs, culture, knowledge -- and his wife's sense of humor.
Why you should listen
AJ Jacobs' writings stand at the intersection of philosophy, Gonzo journalism and performance art. Stubbornly curious and slyly perceptive, he takes immersive learning to its irrational and profoundly amusing extreme -- extracting wisdom and meaning after long stints as a self-styled guinea pig. For his widely circulated Esquire article "My Outsourced Life," he explored the phenomenon of outsourcing by hiring a team in Bangalore to take care of every part of his life -- from reading his emails to arguing with his wife to reading bedtime stories to his own son. A previous article, "I Think You're Fat," chronicled a brief, cringe-inducing attempt to live his life in Radical Honesty, telling all the truth, all the time.
Jacobs is author of The Know-It-All, which documents the year he spent reading the Encyclopedia Britannica from A to Z, uncovering both funny and surprising factoids but also poignant insight into history and human nature. In 2007 he released The Year of Living Biblically, in which he attempted to follow every single rule in the Bible as literally as possible for an entire year. His recent book The Guinea Pig Diaries: My Life as an Experiment is a collection of numerous personal experiments. including living according to George Washington's rules of conduct, outsourcing every single task to India, and posing as a woman on an online dating site.
AJ Jacobs | Speaker | TED.com