Anjali Kumar: My failed mission to find God -- and what I found instead
Aнджали Кумар: Не найдя Бога, я нашла нечто другое
Anjali Kumar is a Brooklyn-born, first-generation Indian American author, attorney, advisor, speaker and “idea acupuncturist.” Full bio
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right up front that I failed,
gave me a lot of hope.
and significance of our differences.
и значимостью наших различий.
by Indian parents -- culturally Hindu,
в культурном смысле индуистов,
unknown religion outside of India
и малоизвестной за пределами Индии
of just how minority that makes me:
roughly one percent of the US population;
Teddy Bear Factory each year
of the Jain religion in America.
фабрики Teddy Bear в Вермонте.
my parents then decided,
повысить мою уникальность:
её в католическую школу!»
Let's send her to Catholic school" --
were the only non-white,
in the entire school.
и не-католичками во всей школе.
in Flossmoor, Illinois --
в Флоссмуре, штат Иллинойс —
that there is a single Supreme Being
в существование Всевышнего,
to moral shepherding to eternal life.
до морального пастырствования,
entirely different.
as individuals,
spending our entire lives
becoming our own godlike, perfect selves.
божественной, идеальной сути.
principles of Jainism
лежит «учение о сомнении».
that no single person
что ни один человек
of absolute truth,
о религиозных верованиях.
in your Catholic school.
в католической школе.
I was from my peers.
a highly spiritual person,
кого называют теперь «духовными»,
or a clever play on words,
угнетающее обозначение для тех,
who checks off the box "none"
об их религиозной принадлежности.
about their religious affiliation.
things about Nones are:
о людях из этой категории:
religiously unaffiliated Nones
for over one-third of adults
выбирает более трети людей
to me about Nones
with some degree of certainty,
к категории «Никаких»,
and had found that information out
что я в этом не одинока.
в Америке много,
not-so-reassuring takeaway
то, что нас очень много,
people are currently godless,
не могут найти Бога.
as easy as I had originally hoped.
that on my spiritual journey,
начать духовное путешествие.
into the spiritual fringe
пограничные с «духовностью», —
to keep a fairly open mind,
full of volcanic water
из 19-литровых канистр
in the convention center --
heat-infused sweat lodge
to convene with the dead,
через медиума, пьющую текилу
my deceased mother-in-law
с моей умершей свекровью
of the hip-hop group The Roots.
хип-хоп группы The Roots.
she was really happy
on all the pasta I was eating.
that it wasn't his dead mother
out of South Africa;
к южноафриканской группе по смехойоге;
a 45-minute orgasm --
испытывает 45-минутный оргазм, —
the energy of the universe --
in the Nevada desert at Burning Man,
в пустыне Невада на фестивале Burning Man,
lie on top of me,
of the Universe to heal my "yoni,"
чтобы исцелить мою «йони»,
at TED -- even TEDWomen --
даже TEDWomen, —
faith healer John of God
с бразильским целителем Иоанном
a full-trance medium,
he can talk to dead people.
to channel a very specific group
whatever's wrong with you.
not have a medical degree
where there is no cutting,
невидимые операции без разрезов
who is thousands of miles away
излечивая людей на расстоянии,
of rules and regulations.
you can visit John of God
that you would like fixed,
в исправлении трёх вещей.
and doctors to work on your behalf
чтобы усопшие святые и врачи
was kind of weird and inconclusive,
казалось странным и неубедительным,
than I already started out.
чем в начале пути.
I came home empty-handed.
to my trip to Brazil,
to some friends
нескольким друзьям
с ещё несколькими людьми,
to a couple more people
coffee shop I go to each morning,
куда я захожу каждое утро,
next to me on the subway.
со мной в метро незнакомку.
куда направляюсь
of theirs down to Brazil,
по три желания в Бразилию,
to see John of God
папка «Входящие» была переполнена.
apparently told more friends,
and the guys at their coffee shops,
before I left for Brazil
have my email address.
was that I had offered too much
что предложила слишком много
those messages a few years later,
спустя несколько лет,
three commonalities,
about how they could be reached.
как с ними можно связаться.
or their friends had told them,
of the three things they wanted fixed,
and their date of birth.
имя и дату рождения.
like, apartment numbers and zip codes,
с номерами квартир и индексами городов
to stop by their house
or send along a package.
that their wishes were granted
если каким-то невероятным образом
that they weren't delivered
к другому или по другому адресу.
что желания исполнятся,
was just as curious,
the Muslim, the devout Catholic --
the same three things.
and yes, a few people asked for cash.
и да, кое-кто просил о богатстве.
ultimately a handful of anomalies,
for themselves and their families.
себе и своей семье.
health issue to be fixed,
конкретную болезнь,
asked for good health in general.
просто просили о хорошем здоровье.
specific subtype of happiness, too --
that could sustain us,
absolutely everything else.
в жизни вроде бы и не осталось.
of romantic love,
in epic romantic novels,
till the end of our days.
race or religion,
образования, расы или религии,
that I really wanted,
of the basic human needs
основных человеческих потребностей,
like Abraham Maslow and Manfred Max-Neef.
типа Маслоу и Макс-Нифа.
to the big existential questions
на фундаментальные вопросы
like I had set out to find.
за которыми я отправилась.
to war or global hunger.
или покончить с голодом.
for absolutely anything,
happiness and love.
a third commonality as well.
their wishes all the way to Brazil,
that we have so much in common
как мы похожи,
all to hear, especially now,
on the things that make us different,
только на различия,
that I am not a statistician,
что я не предлагаю статистику
that I just accumulated in my in-box
данные из писем в электронной почте,
more qualitative than quantitative.
на отдельных наблюдениях.
а не количественные.
with data would tell you,
or demographically balanced sample.
или демографически сбалансирована.
thinking about those emails
возвращаюсь к этим письмам,
on the bias and prejudice
о предубеждениях и предрассудках,
or a senseless tragedy
или ужасной трагедии,
might be insurmountable.
может быть непреодолимой.
что у меня есть основания думать,
когда есть возможность
with the opportunity
джинна или золотой рыбки,
no matter who we are,
want these things so badly
здоровья, счастья и любви,
confused as well --
and email her our deepest wishes,
самыми сокровенными желаниями,
the remote possibility
by someone who is not a god,
a member of our chosen religion,
к нашей религии,
look at him on paper,
candidate to deliver.
к своим духовным поискам,
fractured by religious,
and racial divides,
политических и расовых барьеров,
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Anjali Kumar - General counsel, author, "idea acupuncturist"Anjali Kumar is a Brooklyn-born, first-generation Indian American author, attorney, advisor, speaker and “idea acupuncturist.”
Why you should listen
Anjali Kumar is the Chief People Officer and General Counsel at Cheddar, author and "idea acupuncturist." She was formerly the Head of Social Innovation and Founding General Counsel at Warby Parker, a transformative lifestyle brand offering designer eyewear at affordable prices while leading the way for socially conscious businesses. Prior to joining Warby Parker, Kumar was Senior Counsel at Google where she was a commercial and product attorney on areas ranging from Google X to YouTube. She is an Adjunct Professor at Columbia Business School and Fordham University and serves as an advisor to prominent technology companies, luxury fashion brands, consumer products and non-profit organizations including Malala Fund, IDEO.org and organize.org. She serves on the Board of Directors of Happy Money, GloScience Professional, Amplifier Foundation, Edible Schoolyard NY, and GrowNYC and the Guggenheim museum’s Global Innovation Group. Anjali’s first book, Stalking God: My Unorthodox Search for Something to Believe In, comes out January 2018 via Seal Press.
Anjali Kumar | Speaker | TED.com