Casey Gerald: The gospel of doubt
凯西·杰拉德: 质疑的福音
Casey Gerald chronicles the current state of the American Dream and explores ways to sustain it for a new generation. Full bio
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into a Texas church
一个德克萨斯州的教堂里,
draped in worn-down red fabric,
挂着破烂的红布条,
and a choir at my back
唱诗班在我的背后,
built into the wall behind them.
in the back not paying attention.
是如此不公平,
that Jesus would return
for all that I had done,
my house in order very quickly.
as one might listen for noise,
就像人害怕噪声一样,
hadn't pulled a fast one on me
that were all the rage at the time.
《末日迷踪》书里读到的。
in the rapture at midnight,
我却没有被带走,
taking the mark of the beast,
and the Antichrist himself.
还要打倒反基督者。
out of the pews and down to the altar
走到下面的圣坛,
when midnight struck.
午夜来临的一刻一起祈祷。
as I like to call them --
“浸会资产阶级”
has a VIP section.
都有VIP专座的。
had been bent under hot suns
在东德州的棉花田里
a creaseless noble brown,
被灼成了高贵的棕色,
for what life might become
那些美好的幻想和梦境,
were the stars of the show for me.
才是我的偶像、明星。
for this moment,
had longed for the end of the world,
渴盼世界末日一样,
waited for the Oprah Winfrey Show
奥普拉脱口秀一样,
every day at 4 o'clock.
to her hand during this prayer,
紧紧握住她的手,
to the call of the prayer
to add the dirge.
left in the field.
being separated from the chaff.
糟粕被落下。
any signs of disappointment,
没有展现哪怕一丁点失落,
as best I could.
to turn on the television
announce the new millennium
been strange anyway,
even more ridiculous --
I did not stop believing.
I had were wrong,
a mountain of certitude,
to its foundation,
prepared for Y2K in a very different way,
迎接千禧年的方式大不相同,
the same thing that I have done
做过与我一样的事情,
and my father stayed away
父亲离家出走之后的事,
我搜寻着,
from Oak Cliff, Texas
all the challenges I had known,
我所历经的困苦与艰难,
and broken bodies I had seen.
残疾的躯体。
one winter break,
couldn't save me.
最好的教育也救不了我。
at Lehman Brothers
这座金融的圣殿
couldn't save me.
最好的工作也救不了我。
in Washington DC as a young staffer,
做一个年轻记者时,我搜寻着,
call out from Illinois,
(指奥巴马竞选演说)
has come to America."
美国将迎来变革。”
began to feel like a cruel joke,
都变成了残酷的冷笑话,
the political second coming
政治的新生也救不了我。
of the American Dream,
虔诚地跪拜着,
that I would either believe
to yet another mecca,
simply accept the salvation
我不能简单地接受
of a crowded party,
miserable Cambridge winter,
for something real have asked
or how we'd get there,
as Jack Kerouac wrote,
就像杰克·凯鲁亚克写的:
and disappear somewhere,"
消失在遥远的天际。”
other voices who said
and the proof too thin,
也没什么收获,
in the summer of 2013,
跨美国旅行了13000公里,
through the desolation of Detroit,
走过底特律的废弃都市,
with men and women
为他们打工,
at the West Point of capitalism,
学习过后,
called MBAs Across America,
名叫“工管硕士走遍美国”,
on this stage today.
站在台上的主要原因。
a great hunger in our generation
我们在这代人中发现了强烈的渴望,
countless entrepreneurs
美国的旮旯角落里,
改变他人生命,
to which I would not go
of a broken country,
这个破碎的国家的伤口,
in New York City,
of Harvard Business School.
and their good deeds.
还有他们的伟业。
and assets under management
sitting in an urban farm
tell me of the kids
讲一些孩子的事,
all of their belongings in a backpack
都装在背包里,
in a homeless shelter.
with money from his pension,
靠的都是自己的养老金,
himself a salary,
the program struggled for resources.
但资源还是极其匮乏。
I felt the sting and salt of tears
我心中一阵刺痛,泪水沾湿眼角。
had half a trillion dollars,
畅谈美好世界,
that made me want to cry,
令我热泪盈眶,
homeless kids,
饥饿、无家可归的孩子们,
because I had finally realized
是因为我终于意识到,
a kidney transplant.
stood in for all those
themselves up by their bootstraps,
that never went to Harlem
却从未到达哈林区,
新奥尔良下九区;
for all those voices
too unwashed, too unaccommodated.
未加修饰、格格不入的声音。
in front of the television,
announce the new millennium
from that altar
the world would end,
as a necessary act of God
as any time that came before.
都在相信一些东西。
in the prophecy of Brené Brown
托尼·罗宾斯的预言。
of The New Yorker
《哈佛商业评论》的箴言。
at the church of TED,
所崇拜的事物,
of charismatic leaders
魅力四射的领导者的言谈举止,
of the capitalism that is our god,
资本主义“上帝”给我们的恩赐,
the human price we pay
我们付出的人道的代价,
our whole foundation.
这些违背天理的事情
that we have come to accept,
of disruption or innovation
不是什么突破、创新,
to share with you today, in fact.
要与大家分享。
that you stop believing,
we have are wrong,
themselves are wrong.
that it is possible that we,
在这个房间里,
“为什么?”
that we hold in our hands,
that we are putting my organization,
我创立的组织,
and closed our doors
关门大吉了,
their power to do this work
“救世主”的帽子,
and our odds are too long
there will be no miracles here.
seem to lead to our demise,
要将我们引入歧途,
no comfort to our wounds,
into the darkness of our lives
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Casey Gerald - AmericanCasey Gerald chronicles the current state of the American Dream and explores ways to sustain it for a new generation.
Why you should listen
Casey Gerald has witnessed every facet of the American Dream -- from his harrowing childhood in Texas, to his tenure at the heights of America's elite institutions, to his journeys through the cities and towns of the American heartland where he has spent his recent years as cofounder and CEO of MBAs Across America. Now his work as a writer, speaker, and business leader centers on the question: will the American dream survive another generation?
Gerald began his career in economic policy and government innovation at the Center for American Progress, and he has worked as a strategist with startup social ventures such as The Future Project as well as companies like The Neiman Marcus Group.
Born and raised in Dallas, Gerald received an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he delivered the 2014 commencement address, and a BA in Political Science from Yale College. He has been featured on MSNBC, in The New York Times, Financial Times, The Guardian, and he has appeared on the cover of Fast Company, which also named him one of the "Most Creative People in Business." He currently serves on the advisory board of NPR's Generation Listen.
Casey Gerald | Speaker | TED.com