Kate Bowler: "Everything happens for a reason" -- and other lies I've loved
Kate Bowler: "Todo ocurre por una razón"... y otras mentiras que amaba
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,
que nadie, absolutamente nadie,
that I got a call in my office
cuando recibí una llamada en mi oficina
the life I wanted.
con la que siempre había soñado.
after years of infertility.
tras varios años de infertilidad.
barra dinosaurio,
I applied for in academia,
trabajo en el ámbito académico,
unos dolores en el estómago
I'd started feeling pain in my stomach
to find out why.
para saber por qué.
called me at work
to come to the hospital right away.
al hospital inmediatamente.
por la cabeza era:
and he rushed to find me
y vino corriendo a buscarme
that I have known.
más sinceras que sentía.
the walk to the hospital,
de camino al hospital,
a book called "Blessed."
un libro titulado "Blessed", Bendita.
that good things happen to good people.
a la gente buena le pasan cosas buenas.
nicknamed "the prosperity gospel,"
conocida como "evangelio de prosperidad",
that God wants you to prosper.
de que Dios quiere que prosperen.
a follower of the prosperity gospel.
una seguidora de este evangelio.
that God wants to reward you
cree que Dios quiere premiarte
very American theology
por esta teología tan estadounidense
interviewing its celebrities.
entrevistando a sus celebridades.
hablando con televangelistas
for divine money.
para dinero divino.
with spectacular hair
de megaiglesias con un pelazo increíble
in hospital waiting rooms
en salas de espera de hospital
con gente en silla de ruedas,
as destroyer of family vacations
de vacaciones familiares
at the fanciest megachurch in town.
más sofisticadas de la ciudad.
running through the sanctuary,
volando libremente en el auditorio,
the whole idea of being "blessed"
toda esta idea de estar "bendito"
de artículos del hogar con el #bendito.
vanity license plates and T-shirts
camisetas y murales de neón
one of the most common cultural cliches,
se convertiría en un cliché cultural,
hashtags on Instagram,
más usados en Instagram,
the way that the prosperity gospel
cómo el evangelio de prosperidad
en la gran religión civil,
the founding of America itself,
la propia fundación de EE.UU.,
worshipped Americans.
venera a los estadounidenses.
en un evangelio de optimismo,
I'm nothing like them,"
yo no soy para nada como ellos",
how deeply invested I was
lo comprometida que estaba
whether you are religious or not,
sean religiosos o no,
to avoid falling into the trap
evitar caer en la trampa
and success go hand in hand.
y el éxito van de la mano.
that I had my own quiet version
de que tenía mi propia versión
happen to good people.
le pasan cosas buenas.
shining awards along the way.
were only detours
no eran más que simples desvíos
my long, long life.
sería una vida muy, muy larga.
it's a mindset that served me well.
esta era una mentalidad que me funcionaba.
me llevaba a tener éxito,
I couldn't manage my way out of;
de lo que no podía escapar;
saying into the phone,
I could think of to say.
que se me ocurrió decir.
moment to accept:
personal prosperity gospel
mi evangelio personal de prosperidad
or special about me could not save me --
que tenía, no podía salvarme...
is built with paper walls,
no era más que castillos en el aire,
that we are all a breath away
que tan solo un aliento nos separa
destroy something irreplaceable
algo irremplazable
there are befores and afters.
existen los antes y después.
that I would never go back,
me piden que diga que no volvería atrás,
so much in perspective.
I wrote about this
pocos meses tras enfermar
at the "New York Times."
al editor de The New York Times.
de los más vulnerables de su vida
vulnerable moments of your life
to feel less vulnerable.
de sentirse menos vulnerable.
of the questions I asked.
without quite so many reasons
without outrageous formulas
sin fórmulas extravagantes
le pasa lo que le pasa?
and so terrible was, of course,
y, por supuesto, lo más terrible,
que les estaba pidiendo calma,
for the bad things that happened.
para las cosas malas que ocurren.
that there had to be a reason
de que tenía que existir un motivo
to understand the reason.
que entendiese el motivo.
that my cancer is all part of a plan.
que mi cáncer era todo parte de un plan.
it was God's plan that I get cancer
que tener cáncer era el plan de Dios
by writing about it.
escribiendo sobre el tema.
it is a test of my character
es una prueba de mi carácter
to this seeming chaos.
tras este aparente caos.
por el que mi mujer se está muriendo".
my wife is dying."
our hard work will pay off,
merecerá la pena,
will always make our partners happy
hará siempre felices a nuestras parejas
in which not one ounce
donde ni una milésima
or our deepest hopes will be for nothing.
o más profundas esperanzas sean por nada.
in which nothing is lost.
donde nada se pierde para siempre.
in living with stage IV cancer
viviendo con cáncer en estadio IV,
I've experienced more pain and trauma
he experimentado más trauma y dolor
me han hecho tantas cirugías abdominales
so many abdominal surgeries
I've experienced love,
sobre los descubrimientos
Research Foundation,
de Experiencias Cercanas a la Muerte,
sobre sus encontronazos con la muerte
about their brushes with death
if it hadn't reminded me
si no me hubiese recordado
uncomfortable telling anyone:
that I was going to die,
I have experienced.
que he experimentado.
felt abandoned by God,
me debería sentir abandonada por Dios,
around me like worker bees,
a mi alrededor como abejas,
with words of encouragement.
like it had revealed to me
que mi sufrimiento me había revelado
of people just like me,
de gente igual que yo,
they were entitled to
que tenían derecho
realize they had made.
somehow, with other people,
más conectada con otra gente
stayed with me for months.
at the prospect of losing it.
ante la posibilidad de perderlo.
historians, nuns I liked,
historiadores, monjas que me caían bien:
when that loving feeling is gone?"
sentimiento de amor desaparezca?"
what I was talking about,
de lo que estaba hablando,
experienced it themselves
lo habían experimentado
in great works of Christian theology.
en grandes obras de teología cristiana.
for how to get it back."
this little piece of reassurance,
esta pequeña consolación,
retrocedan como la marea,
the thousands of emails I get
a todos los correos que recibo
to divine health
de cinco pasos para una divina salud
that are wonderful and terrible,
que son maravillosos y terribles,
that these opposites
que estos opuestos
appear to be working,
parece que están funcionando,
and waiting with scans.
y esperando los escáneres.
to embarrass my son
para avergonzar a mi hijo
lose his beautiful hair.
perder su precioso pelo.
that nothing will be lost.
de que jamás perderé nada.
of prosperity gospel that I believe in.
de prosperidad en el que creo.
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