Casey Gerald: The gospel of doubt
קייסי ג'רלד: הבשורה של ספק
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
draped in worn-down red fabric,
מרופדים בבד אדום משומש
and a choir at my back
built into the wall behind them.
in the back not paying attention.
that Jesus would return
for all that I had done,
my house in order very quickly.
as one might listen for noise,
כמו מישהו שהיה מקשיב לרעש,
hadn't pulled a fast one on me
that were all the rage at the time.
שהיו המילה האחרונה באותו זמן.
in the rapture at midnight,
taking the mark of the beast,
היה להמנע מלקחת את סימן השטן,
and the Antichrist himself.
out of the pews and down to the altar
when midnight struck.
as I like to call them --
כמו שאני אוהב לקרוא להם --
has a VIP section.
יש מקומות לאח"מים.
had been bent under hot suns
השלוחח תחת שמשות חמות
a creaseless noble brown,
בצבע חום אצילי נטול קמטים,
for what life might become
were the stars of the show for me.
היו הכוכבים של המופע בשבילי.
for this moment,
had longed for the end of the world,
השתוקקו לסוף העולם,
waited for the Oprah Winfrey Show
לתוכנית של אופרה ווינפרי
every day at 4 o'clock.
to her hand during this prayer,
to the call of the prayer
to add the dirge.
left in the field.
being separated from the chaff.
any signs of disappointment,
as best I could.
to turn on the television
announce the new millennium
מודיע על המילניום החדש
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,
לבאג 2000 בדרכים מאוד שונות,
the same thing that I have done
and my father stayed away
from Oak Cliff, Texas
all the challenges I had known,
את כל האתגרים שהכרתי,
and broken bodies I had seen.
one winter break,
חזרה בבית בחופשת חורף אחת,
couldn't save me.
לא יכול להציל אותי.
at Lehman Brothers
couldn't save me.
לא יכולה להציל אותי.
in Washington DC as a young staffer,
כאיש צוות צעיר,
call out from Illinois,
has come to America."
began to feel like a cruel joke,
כמו בדיחה גרועה,
the political second coming
of the American Dream,
that I would either believe
to yet another mecca,
simply accept the salvation
לקבל את הישועה
of a crowded party,
miserable Cambridge winter,
מוקדם ואומלל בקיימברידג',
for something real have asked
or how we'd get there,
as Jack Kerouac wrote,
and disappear somewhere,"
other voices who said
and the proof too thin,
in the summer of 2013,
לרוחב אמריקה בקיץ 2013,
through the desolation of Detroit,
דרך השממה של דטרויט,
with men and women
at the West Point of capitalism,
called MBAs Across America,
שנקרא MBA לרוחב אמריקה,
on this stage today.
a great hunger in our generation
countless entrepreneurs
to which I would not go
of a broken country,
את הפצעים של מדינה שבורה,
in New York City,
of Harvard Business School.
and their good deeds.
and assets under management
sitting in an urban farm
tell me of the kids
all of their belongings in a backpack
in a homeless shelter.
with money from his pension,
את "גדל בהארלם" מכספי הפנסיה שלו,
himself a salary,
the program struggled for resources.
התוכנית נאבקה על משאבים.
I felt the sting and salt of tears
הרגשתי את העקיצה והמלח של הדמעות
had half a trillion dollars,
את הארוחה היחידה שלה באותו יום.
that made me want to cry,
שגרם לי לרצות לבכות,
homeless kids,
because I had finally realized
a kidney transplant.
stood in for all those
themselves up by their bootstraps,
that never went to Harlem
שמעולם לא הגיע להארלם
for all those voices
too unwashed, too unaccommodated.
יותר מדי מלוכלכים, יותר מדי חסרי בית.
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.
כמו כל זמן לפני כן.
in the prophecy of Brené Brown
בנבואה של ברנה בראון
of The New Yorker
at the church of TED,
of charismatic leaders
of the capitalism that is our god,
של הקפיטליזם שהוא האל שלנו,
the human price we pay
שאנחנו משלמים
our whole foundation.
יערער את כל היסודות שלנו.
that we have come to accept,
of disruption or innovation
to share with you today, in fact.
לחלוק איתכם היום, למעשה.
that you stop believing,
we have are wrong,
themselves are wrong.
that it is possible that we,
היא שזה אפשרי שאנחנו,
that we hold in our hands,
that we are putting my organization,
and closed our doors
their power to do this work
לעשות את העבודה הזו
and our odds are too long
והסיכויים שלנו ארוכים מדי
there will be no miracles here.
seem to lead to our demise,
מובילה לכליון שלנו,
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