ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Debra Jarvis - Chaplain + author
Debra Jarvis isn't your typical hospital chaplain. With wry wit, she aims to comfort patients -- and also challenge them.

Why you should listen

For writer, ordained minister and hospital chaplain Debra Jarvis, humor is a powerful balm. She is not afraid to be funny even when doing very serious work with the sick and dying as a hospice chaplain, a pastoral consultant for volunteer groups caring for people with AIDS and MS, and a staff chaplain at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. Debra is the author of It’s Not About the Hair: And Other Certainties of Life & Cancer and numerous other books. Currently on sabbatical in Geneva, Debra’s last job was as writer-in-residence for the University Congregational United Church of Christ in Seattle. In her free time, Debra accompanies her Cairn terrier Max in his therapy dog work.

More profile about the speaker
Debra Jarvis | Speaker | TED.com
TEDMED 2014

Debra Jarvis: Yes, I survived cancer. But that doesn't define me

Debra Jarvis: Si, sobrevivín ao cancro, pero iso non me define

Filmed:
1,110,917 views

Debra Jarvis levaba case 30 anos traballando de capelá nun hospital cando lle diagnosticaron un cancro. E como paciente aprendeu bastantes cousas. Nunha charla atrevida e mordaz explica como a identidade de "sobrevivente de cancro" pode parecer estática. Pídenos que superemos as nosas experiencias máis duras e que nos deamos espazo para crecer e evolucionar.
- Chaplain + author
Debra Jarvis isn't your typical hospital chaplain. With wry wit, she aims to comfort patients -- and also challenge them. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:13
I just met you on a bus,
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Acabamos de encontrarnos no bus,
00:16
and we would really like
to get to know each other,
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gustaríanos moito coñecernos,
00:19
but I've got to get off at the next stop,
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pero eu teño que baixarme
na próxima parada,
00:21
so you're going to tell me
three things about yourself
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así que vanme dicir tres cousas
sobre vostedes
00:26
that just define you as a person,
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que os definan como persoas,
00:30
three things about yourself
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tres cousas sobre vostedes
00:31
that will help me understand who you are,
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que me axuden a entender quen son,
00:35
three things that just
get to your very essence.
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tres cousas que sexan
algo esencial para vostedes.
00:39
And what I'm wondering
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E pregúntome
00:42
is, of those three things,
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destas tres cousas,
00:45
is any one of them
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algunha delas
00:47
surviving some kind of trauma?
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é sobrevivir a algún tipo de trauma?
00:52
Cancer survivor, rape survivor,
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sobrevivir a un cancro,
sobrevivir a unha violación,
00:58
Holocaust survivor, incest survivor.
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sobrevivir a un Holocausto,
sobrevivir a un incesto.
01:03
Ever notice how we tend to identify ourselves
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Algunha vez repararon
en como tendemos a identificarnos
01:07
by our wounds?
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polas nosas feridas?
01:09
And where I have seen this survivor identity
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E onde vin que esta identidade
de sobrevivente
01:14
have the most consequences
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ten máis consecuencias
01:16
is in the cancer community.
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é entre os enfermos de cancro.
01:19
And I've been around this
community for a long time,
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Levo moito tempo en contacto
con esta comunidade,
01:21
because I've been a hospice
and a hospital chaplain
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porque fun capelá en unidades
de paliativos e hospitais
01:25
for almost 30 years.
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durante case 30 anos.
01:28
And in 2005, I was working at a big cancer center
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En 2005 estaba traballando
nun gran centro oncolóxico
01:34
when I received the news that
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cando recibín a noticia de que
01:36
my mother had breast cancer.
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a miña nai tiña cancro de mama.
01:39
And then five days later,
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E entón, cinco días despois,
01:42
I received the news that I had breast cancer.
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recibín a noticia de que
eu tiña cancro de mama.
01:47
My mother and I can be competitive —
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A miña nai e máis eu
podemos ser competitivas...
01:50
(Laughter) —
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(Risas)
01:51
but I was really not trying to
compete with her on this one.
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pero eu non intentaba
competir con ela neste caso.
01:56
And in fact, I thought, well,
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E de feito, pensei:
ben, se tes que ter cancro,
01:58
if you have to have cancer,
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02:00
it's pretty convenient to be working
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é moi práctico estar traballando
nun lugar onde o curan.
02:02
at a place that treats it.
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02:03
But this is what I heard from
a lot of outraged people.
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Pero isto é o que oín
a moita xente indignada:
02:06
What?
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"Que?
02:07
You're the chaplain.
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Ti es a capelá.
02:09
You should be immune.
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Deberías ser inmune."
02:11
Like, maybe I should have just gotten off
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Como se debese recibir
02:14
with a warning instead of an actual ticket,
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un aviso en lugar dunha multa,
02:16
because I'm on the force.
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por traballar na policía.
02:20
So I did get my treatment at the
cancer center where I worked,
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Así que recibín tratamento no
centro no que traballaba,
02:23
which was amazingly convenient,
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o cal foi moi práctico,
02:25
and I had chemotherapy
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e fixen quimioterapia
e unha mastectomía, e puxéronme
un implante de solución salina,
02:27
and a mastectomy, and a saline implant put in,
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02:30
and so before I say another word,
let me just say right now,
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e antes de continuar,
déixenme dicilo
02:32
this is the fake one. (Laughter)
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esta é a falsa. (Risas)
02:37
I have found that I need to get that out of the way,
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Descubrín que preciso sacar iso de enriba,
02:40
because I'll see somebody go
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antes de ver a alguén dicindo:
02:42
"Oh, I know it's this one."
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"Oi, seguro que é esa."
02:44
And then I'll move or I'll
gesture and they'll go,
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E entón moveríame ou
faría un xesto e dirían,
02:47
"No, it's that one."
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"Non, é a outra."
02:49
So now you know.
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Así que agora xa o saben.
02:51
I learned a lot being a patient,
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Aprendín moito sendo paciente,
02:53
and one of the surprising things was
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e unha cousa sorprendente foi
02:55
that only a small part of the cancer experience
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que só unha pequena parte
da experiencia do cancro
02:59
is about medicine.
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ten que ver coa medicina.
03:01
Most of it is about feelings and faith
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A maior parte vai sobre sentimentos e fe
03:06
and losing and finding your identity
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e sobre perder e atopar a túa identidade
03:08
and discovering strength
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e descubrir a forza
03:10
and flexibility you never even knew you had.
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e a flexibilidade que
nin sabías que tiñas.
03:14
It's about realizing that
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Ten que ver con darse conta
03:16
the most important things in life are
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de que o máis importante na vida
03:19
not things at all, but relationships,
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non son as cousas, senón as relacións,
03:22
and it's about laughing in the face of uncertainty
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e ten que ver con rir na cara da incerteza
03:26
and learning that the way to
get out of almost anything
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e aprender que a forma
de liberarse de case todo
03:30
is to say, "I have cancer."
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é dicir, "teño cancro."
03:34
So the other thing I learned was that
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A outra cousa que aprendín foi que
03:36
I don't have to take on "cancer survivor"
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non preciso asumir
"sobrevivente de cancro"
como a miña identidade.
03:40
as my identity,
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03:42
but, boy, are there powerful forces
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pero por Deus que hai forzas poderosas
03:46
pushing me to do just that.
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que me levan a facer exactamente iso.
03:49
Now, don't, please, misunderstand me.
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Non me interpreten mal, por favor.
03:53
Cancer organizations
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As organizacións contra o cancro
03:55
and the drive for early screening
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e as campañas para a detección precoz
03:57
and cancer awareness and cancer research
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e a concienciación e a investigación
04:00
have normalized cancer,
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normalizaron o cancro,
04:02
and this is a wonderful thing.
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e iso é estupendo.
04:03
We can now talk about cancer
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Agora podemos falar do cancro
04:05
without whispering.
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sen necesidade de baixar a voz.
04:07
We can talk about cancer and
we can support one another.
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Podemos falar do cancro e
podemos apoiarnos mutuamente.
04:12
But sometimes, it feels
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Pero ás veces, parece
04:15
like people go a little overboard
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que a xente esaxera un pouco
04:16
and they start telling us how we're going to feel.
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e comeza a dicirnos como nos imos sentir.
04:21
So about a week after my surgery,
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Unha semana despois da miña cirurxía,
04:25
we had a houseguest.
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tivemos un convidado na casa.
04:28
That was probably our first mistake.
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Ese foi probablemente
o noso primeiro erro.
04:31
And keep in mind that
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E teñan presente que
04:32
at this point in my life
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neste punto da miña vida
04:34
I had been a chaplain for over 20 years,
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eu fora capelá durante máis de 20 anos,
04:37
and issues like dying and death
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e temas como morrer e a morte
04:40
and the meaning of life,
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e o significado da vida,
04:41
these are all things I'd been
yakking about forever.
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eran cousas das que falaba desde sempre.
04:45
So at dinner that night,
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Aquela noite na cea,
04:47
our houseguest proceeds to
stretch his arms up over his head,
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o noso convidado estirou os brazos
por detrás da cabeza,
04:50
and say, "You know, Deb,
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e dixo: "Sabes, Deb,
04:53
now you're really going to learn what's important.
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agora vas aprender realmente
o que é importante.
04:57
Yes, you are going to make some big changes
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Si, vas facer grandes cambios
04:59
in your life,
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na túa vida,
05:01
and now you're going to start
thinking about your death.
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e vas comezar a pensar na túa morte.
05:04
Yep, this cancer is your wakeup call."
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Si, este cancro é
a túa chamada de atención."
05:10
Now, these are golden words
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Estas son palabras valiosas
05:13
coming from someone who is speaking about
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cando proveñen de alguén que fala
05:15
their own experience,
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da súa propia experiencia,
05:17
but when someone is telling you
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pero cando alguén che está dicindo
05:20
how you are going to feel,
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como te vas sentir,
05:22
it's instant crap.
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é unha estupidez.
05:24
The only reason I did not kill him
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A única razón pola que non o matei
05:27
with my bare hands
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coas miñas propias mans
05:29
was because I could not lift my right arm.
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foi que non podía levantar
o brazo dereito.
05:33
But I did say a really bad word to him,
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Pero díxenlle unha palabra fea,
05:37
followed by a regular word, that —
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e unha palabra normal, que...
05:40
(Laughter) —
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(Risas)
05:41
made my husband say, "She's on narcotics."
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levou ao meu marido a dicir:
"Está medicada."
05:45
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
05:47
And then after my treatment, it just felt like
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E despois do tratamento,
05:49
everyone was telling me what my
experience was going to mean.
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era como que todos me dicían
o que ía significar esta experiencia,
05:53
"Oh, this means you're going to be doing the walk."
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"Isto significa que vas á andaina."
05:55
"Oh, this means you're coming to the luncheon."
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"Iso significa que vés á comida."
05:57
"This means you're going to be wearing
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"Iso significa que vas poñer o lazo rosa
05:58
the pink ribbon and the pink t-shirt
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e a camiseta rosa
06:01
and the headband and the earrings
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e a fita do pelo e os pendentes
06:03
and the bracelet and the panties."
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e a pulseira e as bragas."
06:06
Panties. No, seriously, google it.
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Bragas. Non, en serio, búsqueno en Google.
06:10
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
06:12
How is that raising awareness?
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Como axuda iso a concienciar?
06:14
Only my husband should be seeing my panties.
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Só o meu marido me debería ver as bragas.
06:16
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
06:17
He's pretty aware of cancer already.
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El xa está bastante concienciado
sobre o cancro.
06:22
It was at that point where I felt like, oh my God,
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Foi nese punto cando pensei: "Meu Deus,
06:25
this is just taking over my life.
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isto estase apoderando da miña vida."
06:28
And that's when I told myself,
claim your experience.
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E aí foi cando me dixen a min mesma:
"Supera a túa experiencia.
06:33
Don't let it claim you.
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Non deixes que ela te supere a ti."
06:37
We all know that
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Todos sabemos que
06:39
the way to cope with trauma, with loss,
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a forma de lidar cun trauma, cunha perda,
06:43
with any life-changing experience,
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con calquera experiencia
que che cambia a vida
06:45
is to find meaning.
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é encontrarlle sentido.
06:48
But here's the thing:
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Pero aí está a cuestión:
06:50
No one can tell us
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Ninguén nos pode dicir
06:51
what our experience means.
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o que significa a nosa experiencia.
06:54
We have to decide what it means.
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Temos que decidilo nós.
06:58
And it doesn't have to be some gigantic,
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E non ten que ser un significado
enorme e extravertido.
07:00
extroverted meaning.
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07:02
We don't all have to start a foundation
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Non todos temos que crear unha fundación
07:04
or an organization or write a book
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ou unha organización ou escribir un libro
07:06
or make a documentary.
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ou facer un documental.
07:09
Meaning can be quiet
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O significado pode ser discreto
07:12
and introverted.
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e introvertido.
07:14
Maybe we make one small decision about our lives
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Pode que tomemos unha pequena decisión
sobre as nosas vidas
07:20
that can bring about big change.
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que provoque un cambio grande.
07:25
Many years ago, I had a patient,
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Hai moitos anos, tiven un paciente,
07:27
just a wonderful young man
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un mozo estupendo,
07:29
who was loved by the staff,
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o persoal adorábao,
07:32
and so it was something of a shock to us to realize
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e por iso nos sorprendeu tanto descubrir
07:35
that he had no friends.
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de que non tiña amigos.
07:39
He lived by himself,
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Vivía só,
07:41
he would come in for chemotherapy by himself,
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viña á quimioterapia só,
07:45
he would receive his treatment,
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recibía o seu tratamento,
07:47
and then he'd walk home alone.
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e volvía a casa só.
07:51
And I even asked him. I said, "Hey,
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Eu ata lle preguntei:
07:52
how come you never bring a friend with you?"
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"Porque nunca traes un amigo contigo?"
07:55
And he said, "I don't really have any friends."
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E el dixo: “Eu non teño amigos.”
08:00
But he had tons of friends on the infusion floor.
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Pero tiña moitos amigos
na sala de tratamento.
08:02
We all loved him, and people were going
in and out of his room all the time.
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Todos o queriamos,
a xente entraba e saía
continuamente do seu cuarto.
08:07
So at his last chemo,
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Na última quimio
08:10
we sang him the song
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cantámoslle unha canción,
08:11
and we put the crown on his
head and we blew the bubbles,
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puxémoslle unha coroa na cabeza
e fixemos pompas de xabón.
08:14
and then I asked him, I said,
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E eu pregunteille:
08:16
"So what are you going to do now?"
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“Entón, que vas facer agora?”
08:20
And he answered,
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E contestou:
08:22
"Make friends."
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“Facer amigos.”
08:24
And he did.
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E así o fixo.
08:26
He started volunteering
and he made friends there,
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Comezou a facer voluntariado
e fixo amigos alí,
08:30
and he began going to a church
and he made friends there,
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e empezou a frecuentar unha igrexa
e fixo amigos alí.
08:32
and at Christmas he invited my husband
and me to a party in his apartment,
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No Nadal o meu home e eu fomos
a unha festa no seu apartamento,
08:35
and the place was filled with his friends.
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e o lugar estaba cheo de amigos seus.
08:40
Claim your experience.
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Supera a túa experiencia.
08:43
Don't let it claim you.
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Non deixes que ela te supere a ti.
08:44
He decided that the meaning of his experience
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El decidiu que o significado
da súa experiencia
08:49
was to know the joy of friendship,
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era coñecer a alegría da amizade,
08:53
and then learn to make friends.
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e aprender a facer amigos.
08:58
So what about you?
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E vostedes?
09:01
How are you going to find meaning
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Como lle van encontrar significado
09:04
in your crappy experience?
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á súa espantosa experiencia?
09:06
It could be a recent one,
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Pode ser unha experiencia recente,
09:08
or it could be one that you've been carrying around
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ou algo co que levan cargando
moito tempo.
09:10
for a really long time.
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09:14
It's never too late to change what it means,
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Nunca é demasiado tarde
para cambiar o que significa,
09:19
because meaning is dynamic.
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porque o significado é algo dinámico.
09:21
What it means today
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O significado de hoxe
09:22
may not be what it means a year from now,
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pode que non sexa o mesmo
de aquí a un ano, ou a dez.
09:24
or 10 years from now.
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09:27
It's never too late to become someone other
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Nunca e é demasiado tarde
para chegar a ser algo máis
09:30
than simply a survivor.
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ca un simple sobrevivente.
09:33
Hear how static that word sounds?
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Perciben o estática que soa esta palabra?
09:37
Survivor.
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Sobrevivente.
09:39
No movement, no growth.
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4391
Sen movemento, sen crecemento.
09:43
Claim your experience.
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1887
Superen a súa experiencia.
09:45
Don't let it claim you, because if you do,
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2621
Non deixen que ela os supere,
porque senón,
09:48
I believe you will become trapped,
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creo que acabarán atrapados,
09:51
you will not grow, you will not evolve.
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non van crecer, non van evolucionar.
09:57
But of course, sometimes it's not outside pressures
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Pero ás veces non son as presións externas
10:00
that cause us to take on that identity of survivor.
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as que nos fan asumir
esa identidade de sobrevivente.
10:04
Sometimes we just like the perks.
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Ás veces só queremos os beneficios.
10:08
Sometimes there's a payoff.
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Ás veces hai unha recompensa.
10:12
But then we get stuck.
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Pero entón atascámonos.
10:16
Now, one of the first things I learned
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1811
Unha das primeiras cousas que aprendín
10:17
as a chaplain intern was the three C's
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4106
cando fun capelá foron os tres C
10:22
of the chaplain's job:
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2391
do traballo de capelá:
10:24
Comfort, clarify and, when necessary, confront
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6962
Consolar, clarificar e,
se é preciso, confrontar
10:31
or challenge.
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2155
ou desafiar.
10:33
Now, we all pretty much love the comforting
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1946
A todos nos encanta consolar
10:35
and the clarifying.
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1857
e clarificar.
10:37
The confronting, not so much.
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Confrontar non tanto.
10:42
One of the other things that I loved
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630070
1994
Outra cousa que me encantaba
10:44
about being a chaplain was
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2458
de ser capelá era
10:46
seeing patients a year, or even several years
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4473
ver os pacientes un ou varios anos
10:51
after their treatment, because
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1841
despois do tratamento, porque
10:53
it was just really cool to see
how they had changed
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640836
2700
era xenial ver como cambiaran
10:55
and how their lives had evolved
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2216
e como evolucionaran as súas vidas
10:57
and what had happened to them.
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e que lles acontecera.
10:59
So I was thrilled one day
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Un día emocioneime
11:02
to get a page down into the lobby of the clinic
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2448
cando me chamou ao vestíbulo da clínica
11:04
from a patient who I had seen the year before,
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unha paciente que atendera o ano anterior.
11:08
and she was there with her two adult daughters,
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2474
Estaba alí con dúas fillas adultas
11:10
who I also knew, for her one year follow-up exam.
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4259
que eu tamén coñecía, para o exame
de seguimento do ano despois
11:15
So I got down to the lobby, and they were ecstatic
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662924
3537
Así que baixei ao vestíbulo,
e elas estaban eufóricas
11:18
because she had just gotten
all of her test results back
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2251
porque recibiran os resultados das probas
11:20
and she was NED: No Evidence of Disease.
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6188
e indicaban Sen Evidencia de Enfermidade.
11:27
Which I used to think meant Not Entirely Dead.
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4757
Como eu dicía, Non Completamente Morta.
11:31
So they were ecstatic, we sat down to visit,
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5493
Así que estaban eufóricas,
sentamos a charlar,
11:37
and it was so weird, because
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2807
e foi moi raro, porque
11:40
within two minutes, she
started retelling me the story
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3882
en 2 minutos empezoume
a contar de novo a historia
11:44
of her diagnosis and her
surgery and her chemo,
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4530
da súa diagnose, da cirurxía e da quimio,
11:48
even though, as her chaplain,
I saw her every week,
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3468
aínda que, ao ser a capelá,
eu a visitaba todas as semanas,
11:52
and so I knew this story.
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2891
e coñecía a historia.
11:54
And she was using words like suffering,
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702728
3042
E usaba palabras como sufrimento,
11:57
agony, struggle.
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3995
agonía, loita.
12:01
And she ended her story with,
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2614
E rematou a historia con:
12:04
"I felt crucified."
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4794
“Sentinme crucificada.”
12:09
And at that point, her two
daughters got up and said,
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2664
E nese momento, as dúas fillas
levantáronse e dixeron:
12:12
"We're going to go get coffee."
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3912
“Imos por un café.”
12:15
And they left.
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3141
E marcharon.
12:19
Tell me three things about
yourself before the next stop.
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2835
Díganme tres cousas sobre vostedes
antes da próxima parada.
12:21
People were leaving the bus before she even got
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2756
A xente estaba baixando do bus
antes de que ela chegase
12:24
to number two or number three.
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732481
5377
ao número dous ou ao tres.
12:30
So I handed her a tissue,
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737858
3487
Entón deille un pano da man,
12:33
and I gave her a hug,
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3297
e unha aperta,
12:36
and then, because I really cared for this woman,
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3510
e despois, como ela
me importaba de verdade,
12:40
I said,
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748152
2086
díxenlle:
12:42
"Get down off your cross."
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2306
“Baixa da túa cruz.”
12:44
And she said, "What?"
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4266
E ela dixo: “Que?”
12:49
And I repeated, "Get down off your cross."
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756810
5414
E eu repetín: “Baixa da túa cruz.”
12:54
And to her credit, she could
talk about her reasons
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4645
Tiña ao seu favor
que podía falar das razóns
12:59
for embracing and then clinging to this identity.
254
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5119
para adoptar esta identidade
e agarrarse a ela.
13:04
It got her a lot of attention.
255
771988
2022
Prestábanlle moita atención.
13:06
People were taking care of her for a change.
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774010
3105
Os demais coidaban dela, para variar.
13:09
But now, it was having the opposite effect.
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777115
3695
Pero agora,
estaba a ter o efecto contrario.
13:13
It was pushing people away.
258
780810
2483
Estaba afastando a xente.
13:15
People kept leaving to get coffee.
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3747
A xente marchaba por un café.
13:19
She felt crucified by her experience,
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3901
Sentíase crucificada pola experiencia,
13:23
but she didn't want to let that crucified self die.
261
790941
6222
pero non quería deixar morrer
o seu eu crucificado.
13:29
Now, perhaps you are thinking
262
797163
2917
Se cadra están pensando
13:32
I was a little harsh with her,
263
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2950
que fun un pouco dura con ela,
13:35
so I must tell you that
264
803030
2108
así que debo dicirlles
13:37
I was speaking out of my own experience.
265
805138
3692
que estaba falando por experiencia propia.
13:41
Many, many years before,
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2844
Moitos anos antes,
13:43
I had been fired from a job that I loved,
267
811674
3326
botáranme dun traballo que adoraba,
13:47
and I would not stop talking about my innocence
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815000
3716
e non paraba de falar da miña inocencia
13:50
and the injustice and the betrayal and the deceipt,
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818716
3404
e da inxustiza, a traizón, a decepción,
13:54
until finally, just like this woman,
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822120
1130
ata que ao final, como con esta muller,
13:55
people were walking away from me,
271
823250
2041
a xente escapaba de min,
13:57
until I finally realized
272
825291
3236
ata que me dei conta
14:00
I wasn't just processing my feelings,
273
828527
3872
de que non estaba procesando
os meus sentimentos,
14:04
I was feeding them.
274
832399
2708
estaba alimentándoos.
14:07
I didn't want to let that crucified self die.
275
835107
4063
Non quería deixar morrer
o meu eu crucificado.
14:11
But we all know that with any resurrection story,
276
839170
5422
Pero todos sabemos que
nunha historia de resurrección,
14:16
you have to die first.
277
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2628
hai que morrer primeiro.
14:19
The Christian story,
278
847220
1823
Na historia cristiá,
14:21
Jesus was dead a whole day in the tomb
279
849043
3272
Xesús pasou un día enteiro no cadaleito
14:24
before he was resurrected.
280
852315
2495
antes de resucitar.
14:27
And I believe that for us,
281
854810
1838
Eu creo que para nós,
14:28
being in the tomb
282
856648
2132
estar no cadaleito
14:30
means doing our own deep inner work
283
858780
3986
significa facer un fondo traballo interior
14:34
around our wounds
284
862766
2704
sobre as nosas feridas
14:37
and allowing ourselves to be healed.
285
865470
4473
e permitirnos a nós mesmos curar.
14:42
We have to let that crucified self die
286
869943
3057
Temos que deixar
que o eu crucificado morra
14:45
so that a new self, a truer self,
287
873000
3604
para que un novo eu, un eu verdadeiro,
14:48
is born.
288
876604
2382
poida nacer.
14:51
We have to let that old story go
289
878986
2858
Temos que deixar marchar
esa historia vella
14:54
so that a new story, a truer story,
290
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4147
para que unha nova historia,
máis verdadeira,
14:58
can be told.
291
885991
3039
poida ser contada.
15:01
Claim your experience. Don't let it claim you.
292
889030
5543
Superen a súa experiencia.
Non deixen que ela os supere.
15:06
What if there were no survivors,
293
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2581
E se non existisen sobreviventes?
15:09
meaning, what if people decided
294
897154
2796
É dicir, e se a xente decidise
15:12
to just claim their trauma as an experience
295
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2870
reivindicar o seu trauma como experiencia
15:15
instead of taking it on as an identity?
296
902820
4170
en vez de asumilo como identidade?
15:19
Maybe it would be the end of being
297
906990
2002
Quizais acabaría o de estar
15:21
trapped in our wounds
298
908992
2358
atrapado nas nosas feridas
15:23
and the beginning of amazing
299
911350
3554
e sería o comezo dunha sorprendente
15:27
self-exploration and discovery and growth.
300
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3926
autoexploración, descubrimento
e crecemento.
15:31
Maybe it would be the start of defining ourselves
301
918830
4795
Quizais comezariamos
a definirnos a nós mesmos
15:35
by who we have become
302
923625
2580
polo que chegamos a ser
15:38
and who we are becoming.
303
926205
4170
e en que nos estamos convertendo.
15:42
So perhaps survivor was not
304
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5771
Ao mellor supervivente non era
15:48
one of the three things that you would tell me.
305
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5207
unha das tres cousas que me dirían.
15:53
No matter.
306
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1317
Non importa.
15:54
I just want you all to know that
307
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2240
Só quero que saiban
15:57
I am really glad that we are on this bus together,
308
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4313
que estou moi contenta
de que esteamos xuntos neste bus,
16:01
and this is my stop.
309
949223
3896
e esta é a miña parada.
16:05
(Applause)
310
953119
3705
(Aplausos)
Translated by Susana Brandariz
Reviewed by Mario Cal

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Debra Jarvis - Chaplain + author
Debra Jarvis isn't your typical hospital chaplain. With wry wit, she aims to comfort patients -- and also challenge them.

Why you should listen

For writer, ordained minister and hospital chaplain Debra Jarvis, humor is a powerful balm. She is not afraid to be funny even when doing very serious work with the sick and dying as a hospice chaplain, a pastoral consultant for volunteer groups caring for people with AIDS and MS, and a staff chaplain at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. Debra is the author of It’s Not About the Hair: And Other Certainties of Life & Cancer and numerous other books. Currently on sabbatical in Geneva, Debra’s last job was as writer-in-residence for the University Congregational United Church of Christ in Seattle. In her free time, Debra accompanies her Cairn terrier Max in his therapy dog work.

More profile about the speaker
Debra Jarvis | Speaker | TED.com