EG 2007
AJ Jacobs: My year of living biblically
Mwaka wa kuishi Kibiblia wa A.J. Jacobs.
Filmed:
Readability: 3.5
2,923,764 views
Akiongea katika mkutano wa hivi karibuni wa EG, mwandishi wa vitabu na habari na mwanafilosofia A.J. Jacobs anaongelea mwaka ambao aliishi akifuata maagizo ya Biblia katika kila eneo kadiri alivyoweza.
AJ Jacobs - Author
Immersing himself in alternate lifestyles and long, hilarious experiments (usually with himself the guinea pig), writer AJ Jacobs tests the limits of behavior, customs, culture, knowledge -- and his wife's sense of humor. Full bio
Immersing himself in alternate lifestyles and long, hilarious experiments (usually with himself the guinea pig), writer AJ Jacobs tests the limits of behavior, customs, culture, knowledge -- and his wife's sense of humor. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:16
I thought I'd tell you a little about what I like to write.
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Nimeona niwaeleze kidogo kuhusu kile ninachopenda kuandika
00:20
And I like to immerse myself in my topics.
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Napenda kujikita hasa katika mada zangu.
00:24
I just like to dive right in and become sort of a human guinea pig.
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Napenda kuzamia humo na kuwa kama nguruwe.
00:29
And I see my life as a series of experiments.
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ninaona maisha yangu kama mkusanyiko wa majaribio
00:34
So, I work for Esquire magazine, and a couple of years ago,
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Nafanya kazi na Jarida la Esquire, na miaka michache iliyopita
00:38
I wrote an article called "My Outsourced Life,"
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Niliandika makala iliyoitwa "Maisha yangu kwenda kwa wengine"
00:41
where I hired a team of people in Bangalore, India,
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ambapo niliajiri watu katika mji wa Bangalore, India
00:45
to live my life for me.
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Kuyaishi kwa niaba yangu
00:47
So, they answered my emails.
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Kwa hiyo walikuwa wanajibu barua pepe zangu
00:49
They answered my phone.
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walijibu simu zangu
00:51
They argued with my wife for me, and they read my son bedtime stories.
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Waligombana na mke wangu kwa niaba yangu,na kumsomea hadithi mtoto wangu wa kiume
00:58
It was the best month of my life,
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ulikuwa ni mwezi mzuri sana wa maisha yangu
01:00
because I just sat back and I read books and watched movies.
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Kwa sababu nilikaa tu nikisoma vitabu na kuangalia filamu
01:05
It was a wonderful experience.
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Hii ilikuwa hali nzuri sana
01:07
More recently, I wrote an article for Esquire called --
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Hivi karibuni, nimeandika makala kwa ajili ya jarida la Esquire
01:10
about radical honesty.
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Kuhusu kuwa mwaminifu hasa
01:13
And this is a movement where --
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Na huu ni muunganiko wa watu
01:15
this is started by a psychologist in Virginia,
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ulioanzishwa na mwanasaikolojia katika mji wa Virginia
01:19
who says that you should never, ever lie,
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Ambaye anasema usiseme uongo kabisa.
01:22
except maybe during poker and golf, his only exceptions.
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labda tu wakati unacheza kamari au mchezo wa golf.
01:27
And, more than that, whatever is on your brain
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Na zaidi ya hapo, chochote kilicho katika ubongo wako
01:29
should come out of your mouth.
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kinatakiwa kitoke katika mdomo wako
01:31
So, I decided I would try this for a month.
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Niliamua kuwa nitajaribu kwa mwezi mmoja.
01:34
This was the worst month of my life.
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Huu ulikuwa ni mwezi mbaya sana wa maisha yangu
01:37
(Laughter)
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(Vicheko)
01:38
I do not recommend this at all.
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Sipendekezi hatua hii kwa mtu yeyote
01:40
To give you a sense of the experience,
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Kukujulisha jinsi hali inavyokuwa,
01:42
the article was called, "I Think You're Fat."
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Makala iliitwa "Nafikiri wewe ni mnene"
01:46
(Laughter)
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(Vicheko)
01:48
So, that was hard.
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Kwa hiyo,ilikuwa ngumu
01:50
My most recent book -- my previous book was called "The Know-It-All,"
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Kitabu cha karibuni, kitabu cha zamani kinaitwa "kujua yote"
01:55
and it was about the year I spent reading the Encyclopedia Britannica
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Ulikuwa ni mwaka niliosoma kitabu cha Encyclopedia Britannica.
01:59
from A to Z in my quest to learn everything in the world,
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Kutokea mwanzo mpaka mwisho, katika nia yangu ya kujifunza kila kitu katika Dunia
02:03
or more precisely from Aak, which is a type of East Asian music,
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au pia kutoka A-ak ambao ni aina ya muziki kutoka Mashariki ya Asia.
02:08
all the way to Zwyiec, which is -- well, I don't want to ruin the ending.
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Mpaka Zwyiec,ambayo ni -- sitaki kuharibu mwisho wake.
02:12
(Laughter)
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(Vicheko)
02:13
It's a very exciting twist ending, like an O. Henry novel, so I won't ruin it.
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Ina mabadiliko ya ajabu mwishoni kama kitabu cha hadithi cha Henry, kwa hiyo sitaki kuharibu.
02:17
But I love that one,
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lakini naipenda hiyo
02:19
because that was an experiment about how much information
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Kwa sababu hili lilikuwa ni zoezi kuhusu taarifa kiasi gani.
02:23
one human brain could absorb.
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ubongo mmoja unaweza kuchukua,
02:25
Although, listening to Kevin Kelly, you don't have to remember anything.
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ingawa ukimsikiliza Kevin Kelly, hauhitaji kukumbuka chochote.
02:29
You can just Google it.
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unaweza ukaitafuta katika mtandao wa Google
02:31
So, I wasted some time there.
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kwa hiyo nilipoteza muda kidogo hapo
02:33
I love those experiments,
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nayapenda majaribio kama hayo
02:36
but I think that the most profound
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lakini nadhani jaribio muhimu zaidi
02:38
and life-changing experiment that I've done
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na lililobadilisha maisha yangu
02:42
is my most recent experiment, where I spent a year
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ni hili la karibuni, ambapo nilikaa mwaka moja
02:46
trying to follow all of the rules of the Bible,
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nikijitahidi kufuata maelekezo ya Biblia
02:49
"The Year of Living Biblically."
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"Mwaka wa kuishi Kibiblia"
02:52
And I undertook this for two reasons.
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na nilifanya hivi kwa sababu mbili
02:55
The first was that I grew up with no religion at all.
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Kwanza, ni kwa sababu nilikua bila dini kabisa
02:59
As I say in my book, I'm Jewish in the same way
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Kama navyosema katika kitabu changu, ni Myahudi kama vile
03:03
the Olive Garden is Italian.
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Kama vile bustani ya mizeituni ilivyo ya kiitaliano
03:05
(Laughter)
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(vicheko)
03:07
So, not very.
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Kwa hiyo sio sana
03:09
But I've become increasingly interested in religion.
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Lakini nimevutiwa sana na dini
03:12
I do think it's the defining issue of our time,
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Na amini ni jambo muhimu sana kwa kipindi hiki
03:14
or one of the main ones.
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moja muhimu kati ya mengi
03:16
And I have a son. I want to know what to teach him.
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Na nina mtoto wa kiume na nataka nijue jinsi ya kumfundisha.
03:19
So, I decided to dive in head first, and try to live the Bible.
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kwa hiyo nikaamua kuishi kwa kufuata Biblia
03:24
The second reason I undertook this is because
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Sababu ya pili ni kuwa
03:27
I'm concerned about the rise of fundamentalism,
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ninaguswa na mwongezeko wa uhafidhina
03:30
religious fundamentalism, and people who say
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uhafidhina wa kidini, na watu wanaosema
03:33
they take the Bible literally, which is, according to some polls,
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Wanaifuata Biblia kama ilivyo, na kwa mujibu wa tafiti mbalimbali
03:36
as high as 45 or 50 percent of America.
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Asilimia karibu 45 au 50 ya wamarekani
03:40
So I decided, what if you really did take the Bible literally?
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Kwa hiyo nikaamua, itakuwaje kama utaifuata Biblia kama ilivyo?
03:44
I decided to take it to its logical conclusion
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nikaamua kuifuata
03:48
and take everything in the Bible literally,
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kufuata kila kama kilivyo
03:50
without picking and choosing.
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bila kuchuja wala kubagua
03:53
The first thing I did was I got a stack of bibles.
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Kitu cha kwanza nilichofanya ilikuwa ni kutafuta Biblia nyingi
03:56
I had Christian bibles.
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Nilikuwa na Biblia ya Kikristo
03:58
I had Jewish bibles.
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Nilikuwa na Biblia ya Kiyahudi
04:00
A friend of mine sent me something called a hip-hop bible,
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Rafiki yangu alinitumia Biblia ya kufoka foka,
04:03
where the twenty-third Psalm is rendered as, "The Lord is all that,"
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Ambayo Zaburi ya 23, inasema "Bwana ndiye kila kitu",
04:07
as opposed to what I knew it as, "The Lord is my shepherd."
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Badala ya "Bwana ndiye mchungaji wangu" kama ninavyojua
04:11
Then I went down and I read several versions,
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Na nikaendelea na kusoma tafsiri mbalimbali
04:15
and I wrote down every single law that I could find.
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Na nikaandika kila agizo ambalo niliweza kuliona
04:18
And this was a very long list -- over 700 rules.
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hii ilikuwa orodha ndefu -- zaidi ya maagizo 700
04:23
And they range from the famous ones that I had heard of --
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Kuanzia yale maarufu ambayo niliwahi kuyasikia
04:26
The Ten Commandments, love your neighbor, be fruitful and multiply.
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Amri kumi, mpende jirani yako,enendeni mkaijaze nchi.
04:29
So I wanted to follow those.
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Kwa hiyo nikataka kuzifuata
04:31
And actually, I take my projects very seriously,
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Na kwa kweli nilichukulia jambo kwa uzito sana
04:34
because I had twins during my year,
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Kwa sababu nilipata watoto mapacha katika mwaka huo
04:36
so I definitely take my projects seriously.
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kwa hiyo nilichukulia jambo hili kwa uzito unaostahili
04:39
But I also wanted to follow the hundreds
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lakini pia nilitaka kufuata mamia
04:42
of arcane and obscure laws that are in the Bible.
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ya maagizo ambayo hayajulikani na wengi ndani ya Biblia
04:45
There is the law in Leviticus,
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Kuna agizo katika Walawi
04:47
"You cannot shave the corners of your beard."
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Linalosema hauwezi kunyoa kona ya masharubu yako
04:49
I didn't know where my corners were,
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sikujua kona yangu itakuwa wapi,
04:51
so I decided to let the whole thing grow,
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kwa hiyo nikaacha ziendelee kukua
04:54
and this is what I looked like by the end.
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na hivi ndivyo nilivyokuwa mwishowe
04:57
As you can imagine, I spent a lot of time at airport security.
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Na kama unavyoweza kufikiri, nilikuwa nasimamishwa sana na watu wa usalama katika viwanja vya ndege
05:01
(Laughter)
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(Vicheko)
05:03
My wife wouldn't kiss me for the last two months.
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Mke wangu hakutaka kunibusu katika miezi miwili ya mwisho
05:06
So, certainly the challenge was there.
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Kwa kweli,ilikuwa ni changamoto
05:08
The Bible says you cannot wear clothes made of mixed fibers,
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Biblia inasema hauwezi kuvaa nguo zinazotokana na mchanganyiko wa nyuzi
05:13
so I thought, "Sounds strange, but I'll try it."
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kwa hiyo nikaona kuwa ni kitu kigeni lakini nikasema nitajaribu
05:15
You only know if you try it.
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hauwezi kujua bila kujaribu
05:17
I got rid of all my poly-cotton T-shirts.
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nikaachana na fulana zangu za mchanganyiko mbalimbali
05:20
The Bible says that if two men are in a fight,
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Biblia inasema kama wanaume wawili wanapigana
05:24
and the wife of one of those men grabs the testicles of the other man,
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na mke wa mmoja wao akashika sehemu za siri za mwingine
05:30
then her hand shall be cut off.
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mkono wake unatakiwa ukatwe
05:32
So, I wanted to follow that rule.
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kwa hiyo nikataka nifuate agizo hilo
05:34
(Laughter)
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(Vicheko)
05:35
That one I followed by default,
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kwa hiyo nikalifuata bila kutaka
05:38
by not getting in a fight with a man whose wife was standing nearby,
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kwa kutopigana na mwanaume ambaye mke wake alikuwa anasimama karibu,
05:42
looking like she had a strong grip.
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ambaye alionekana kama anaweza akanishika vizuri
05:45
(Laughter)
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(Vicheko)
05:48
So -- oh, there's another shot of my beard.
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na hii pia ni picha yangu nyingine ya sharubu zangu
05:52
I will say it was an amazing year
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ulikuwa ni mwaka wa ajabu
05:54
because it really was life changing, and incredibly challenging.
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kwa kuwa nilibadilishwa na pia ilikuwa ni changamoto ya ajabu
05:57
And there were two types of laws that were particularly challenging.
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kulikuwa na maagizo mawili ambayo yalinipa changamoto za kipekee
06:00
The first was avoiding the little sins that we all commit every day.
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Kwanza ilikuwa ni kujiepusha na dhambi ndogo tunazozifanya kila siku
06:04
You know, I could spend a year not killing,
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Ninaweza kukaa mwaka mzima bila kuua
06:06
but spending a year not gossiping, not coveting, not lying --
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Lakini kukaa mwaka mzima bila kusengenya,bila kutamani,au kudanganya--
06:11
you know, I live in New York, and I work as a journalist,
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Ninaishi New York, na nafanya kazi kama mwandishi wa habari
06:14
so this was 75, 80 percent of my day I had to do it.
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kwa hiyo asilimia 75, 80 ya siku ilibidi nifanye
06:19
But it was really interesting, because I was able to make some progress,
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lakini ilikuwa ni ya kupendekeza, na nilifanikiwa kupiga hatua
06:24
because I couldn't believe how much
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kwa kuwa sikuamini kwa kiasi gani
06:26
my behavior changed my thoughts.
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matendo yangu yalibadilisha mawazo yangu
06:29
This was one of the huge lessons of the year,
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ili lilikuwa ni somo kubwa sana kwa mwaka huo,
06:31
is that I almost pretended to be a better person,
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ni kwamba nilijifanya kuwa mtu mzuri
06:34
and I became a little bit of a better person.
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na nikafanikiwa kuwa mtu mzuri kidogo
06:37
So I had always thought, you know, "You change your mind,
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nimekuwa kila wakati nikifikiri, "Badilisha mawazo yako,
06:42
and you change your behavior," but it's often the other way around.
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na utabadilisha pia matendo yako, lakini mara nyingi inakuwa ni kinyume.
06:45
You change your behavior, and you change your mind.
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Unabadilisha matendo yako, na pia unabadilisha mawazo yako.
06:50
So, you know, if you want to become more compassionate,
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Kwa hiyo kama unataka kuwa mwema
06:53
you visit sick people in the hospital,
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unatembelea wagonjwa hospitalini
06:55
and you will become more compassionate.
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na utakuwa mwema
06:57
You donate money to a cause,
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unachangia pesa katika jambo fulani,
06:59
and you become emotionally involved in that cause.
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na unajihusisha na jambo hilo
07:02
So, it really was cognitive psychology --
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kwa hiyo ilikuwa ni fikra za kisaikolojia
07:05
you know, cognitive dissonance -- that I was experiencing.
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unajua ilikuwa ni hali kutojisikia vizuri ambayo ilinikumba
07:08
The Bible actually talks about cognitive psychology,
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Biblia inaongelea kuhusu fikra za kisaikolojia
07:11
very primitive cognitive psychology.
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fikra za kisaikolojia za kizamani sana
07:13
In the Proverbs, it says that if you smile, you will become happier,
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Katika Mithali, inasema kama ukitabasamu,utakuwa na furaha.
07:17
which, as we know, is actually true.
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Ambavyo kama tunavyojua ni kweli
07:20
The second type of rule that was difficult to obey
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Aina ya pili ya agizo ambayo ilikuwa ngumu kufuata,
07:24
was the rules that will get you into a little trouble
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Ilikuwa ni agizo ambalo litakuingiza katika matatizo kidogo
07:27
in twenty-first-century America.
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Katika Marekani ya karne ya 21.
07:30
And perhaps the clearest example of this is stoning adulterers.
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Na mfano mzuri wa hii ni kuwapiga mawe wazinzi
07:35
(Laughter)
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(Vicheko)
07:36
But it's a big part of the Bible,
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Lakini ni sehemu kubwa ya Biblia
07:40
so I figured I had to address it.
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Kwa hiyo nikaona ni vizuri niiongelee
07:43
So, I was able to stone one adulterer.
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Kwa hiyo niliweza kumpiga mawe mzinzi mmoja
07:45
It happened -- I was in the park, and I was dressed in my biblical clothing,
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ilitokea, nilikuwa katika bustani, na nilikuwa nimevaa mavazi yangu ya kibiblia
07:50
so sandals and sort of a white robe,
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sandoz na kanzu nyeupe
07:53
you know, because again, the outer affects the inner.
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kama unavyojua tena, nje kunaathiri ndani.
07:55
I wanted to see how dressing biblically affected my mind.
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Nilitaka kuona uvaaji wa kibiblia utaathiri vipi mawazo yangu
07:59
And this man came up to me and he said,
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na mtu mmoja akaja akaniambia
08:01
"Why are you dressed like that?"
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Kwa nini umevaa hivyo?
08:03
And I explained my project,
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Nikamweleza kuhusu zoezi langu,
08:05
and he said, "Well, I am an adulterer, are you going to stone me?"
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Na akasema mimi ni mzinzi je utanipiga mawe?
08:08
And I said, "Well, that would be great!"
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Nikasema, "nadhani hiyo itakuwa nzuri"
08:11
(Laughter)
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(Vicheko)
08:16
And I actually took out a handful of stones from my pocket
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Nikachukua mawe kadhaa kutoka katika mfuko wangu
08:21
that I had been carrying around for weeks,
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ambayo nilikuwa nimeyabeba kwa wiki kadhaa
08:23
hoping for just this interaction -- and, you know, they were pebbles --
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nikitumaini kupata nafasi kama hii, na yalikuwa mawe madogo tu
08:27
but he grabbed them out of my hand.
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lakini aliyachukua kutoka katika mkono wangu
08:30
He was actually an elderly man, mid-70s, just so you know.
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alikuwa ni mtu mzima,katikati ya miaka sabini.
08:33
But he's still an adulterer, and still quite angry.
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lakini bado alikuwa ni mzinzi, na mwenye hasira
08:35
He grabbed them out of my hand
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aliyachukua kutoka mkononi mwangu
08:37
and threw them at my face, and I felt that I could --
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akanirushia usoni, na nikahisi kuwa
08:40
eye for an eye -- I could retaliate, and throw one back at him.
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jicho kwa jicho, ningeweza kumrudishia, nikamrushia moja.
08:44
So that was my experience stoning, and it did allow me
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Kwa hiyo,huo ndio ulikuwa uzoefu wangu,kuhusu kupiga mawe,na uliniruhusu
08:47
to talk about, in a more serious way, these big issues.
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kuongelea kwa uzito zaidi mambo mazito haya
08:52
How can the Bible be so barbaric in some places,
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Kwa nini Biblia ni ya kikatili katika sehemu nyingine,
08:56
and yet so incredibly wise in others?
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Na papo hapo imejaa hekima kupindukia katika maeneo mengine
08:59
How should we view the Bible?
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Tuiangalieje Biblia?
09:01
Should we view it, you know, as original intent,
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Je tuiangalie katika dhumuni lake halisi
09:03
like a sort of a Scalia version of the Bible?
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Kama tafsiri ya Scalia ya Biblia?
09:08
How was the Bible written?
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Je Biblia iliandikwaje?
09:10
And actually, since this is a tech crowd,
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Na kwa kuwa hii ni hadhara ya watu wa teknolojia
09:12
I talk in the book about how the Bible actually reminds me
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Ninaongelea katika kitabu jinsi Biblia ambavyo inanikumbusha,
09:16
of the Wikipedia, because it has all of these authors and editors
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Kuhusu Wikipedia wa sababu ina waandishi na wahariri
09:19
over hundreds of years.
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mbalimbali kwa zaidi ya mamia ya miaka
09:21
And it's sort of evolved.
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Na imeendela kubadilika
09:23
It's not a book that was written and came down from on high.
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Sio kitabu kilichoandikwa na kushuka kutoka juu
09:28
So I thought I would end by telling you
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Nafikiri nimalizie kwa kuwaeleza
09:32
just a couple of the take-aways, the bigger lessons
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kuhusu mambo makubwa
09:35
that I learned from my year.
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niliyojifunza katika mwaka huu
09:38
The first is, thou shalt not take the Bible literally.
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Cha kwanza, Usichukue neno katika Biblia bila kulielewa
09:42
This became very, very clear, early on.
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Hii ilikuwa dhahiri kwangu mwanzoni kabisa
09:45
Because if you do, then you end up acting like a crazy person,
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Kwa sababu kama ukifanya hivyo,utakuwa kama mtu aliyechanganyikiwa
09:48
and stoning adulterers, or -- here's another example.
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kuwapiga mawe wazinzi au mfano mwingine
09:51
Well, that's another. I did spend some time shepherding.
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nilikaa nikichunga kondoo
09:56
(Laughter)
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(Vicheko)
09:57
It's a very relaxing vocation. I recommend it.
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ni kazi nzuri, napendekeza kwa wengine
10:01
But this one is -- the Bible says that you cannot touch women
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Lakini pia Biblia inasema hauwezi kumshika mwanamke
10:05
during certain times of the month, and more than that,
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akiwa katika siku zake za hedhi
10:08
you cannot sit on a seat where a menstruating woman has sat.
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Hauruhusiwi kukaa katika kiti ambacho mwanamke aliye katika hedhi alikaa
10:12
And my wife thought this was very offensive,
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Mke wangu hakuipenda hii
10:14
so she sat in every seat in our apartment,
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kwa hiyo akawa anakaa katika kila kiti katika nyumba yetu
10:16
and I had to spend much of the year standing
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ilibidi niishi karibia mwaka wote nikiwa nasimama
10:19
until I bought my own seat and carried it around.
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mpaka niliponunua kiti changu na kuwa nakibeba
10:25
So, you know, I met with creationists.
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nilikutana na watu wanaoamini kuhusu uumbaji
10:29
I went to the creationists' museum.
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nikaenda katika makumbusho ya watu hawa
10:31
And these are the ultimate literalists.
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hawa ni wale wanaochukua maneno kama yalivyo
10:33
And it was fascinating, because they were not stupid people at all.
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ilipendeza sana, kwa kuwa hawakuwa wajinga kabisa.
10:36
I would wager that their IQ is exactly the same as the average evolutionist.
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ufahamu wao ulikuwa ni sawa sawa na wale wasioamini juu ya uumbaji
10:39
It's just that their faith is so strong
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Tofauti ni kuwa imani ni kubwa sana
10:42
in this literal interpretation of the Bible
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Katika tafsiri hii ya Biblia
10:44
that they distort all the data to fit their model.
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ambayo imebadilishwa ili kwendana na mawazo yao
10:49
And they go through these amazing mental gymnastics to accomplish this.
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Na wanabadilisha vitu ili kufanikisha hii.
10:53
And I will say, though, the museum is gorgeous.
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Ingawa nitasema kuwa makumbusho ni nzuri sana.
10:58
They really did a fantastic job.
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walifanya kazi nzuri sana
11:00
If you're ever in Kentucky,
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kama itatokea kuwa Kentucky,
11:01
there's, you can see a movie of the flood,
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Pale -- unaweza kuona filamu ya gharika,
11:04
and they have sprinklers in the ceiling
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na wana vibomba vidogo vidogo katika dari
11:06
that will sprinkle on you during the flood scenes.
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ambavyo vitakumwagia maji katika sehemu ambayo filamu inaonyesha mafuriko
11:10
So, whatever you think of creationism -- and I think it's crazy --
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Kwa hiyo vyovyote unavyofikiri kuhusu uumbaji
11:13
they did a great job.
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walifanya kazi nzuri
11:16
(Laughter)
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(Vicheko)
11:18
Another lesson is that thou shalt give thanks.
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Somo jingine ni kuwa unatakiwa uwe ni mtu wa shukrani
11:22
And this one was a big lesson because I was praying,
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na hili lilikuwa ni somo kubwa kwa kuwa nilikuwa ninaomba
11:26
giving these prayers of thanksgiving, which was odd for an agnostic.
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nikitoa maombi ya shukrani,
11:30
But I was saying thanks all the time, every day,
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Nilikuwa nasema asante wakati wote, kila siku,
11:34
and I started to change my perspective.
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nikaanza kubadilisha mtazamo wangu
11:37
And I started to realize the hundreds of little things
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nikaanza kutambua vitu vidogo vidogo vingi
11:40
that go right every day, that I didn't even notice,
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ambavyo vinatokea kila siku, ambavyo sikuweza hata kuvijua
11:44
that I took for granted, as opposed to focusing
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ambavyo sikuvizingatia, toauti na kutiliaa maanani
11:46
on the three or four that went wrong.
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kati ya vitatu au vinne ambavyo havikwenda vizuri
11:50
So, this is actually a key to happiness for me,
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kwa huu ndiyo ufunguo wa furaha kwangu mimi
11:53
is to just remember when I came over here,
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ni kukumbuka kuwa nilipokuja hapa
11:55
the car didn't flip over, and I didn't trip coming up the stairs.
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gari halikupinduka, na sikuteleza wakati napanda ngazi
11:59
It's a remarkable thing.
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ni kitu cha ajabu sana
12:03
Third, that thou shall have reverence.
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Tatu,unatakiwa uwe na hofu ya Mungu
12:05
This one was unexpected because I started the year
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Hii sikuitegemea, kwa sababu nilianza mwaka
12:08
as an agnostic, and by the end of the year,
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Kama mtu asiye na hakika na uwepo wa Mungu, lakini mwishoni mwa mwaka
12:10
I became what a friend of mine calls a reverent agnostic, which I love.
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Nikawa kama rafiki yangu anavyopenda kusema,asiyeamini mwenye hofu ya Mungu,kitu ambacho nakipenda
12:15
And I'm trying to start it as a movement.
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Na nataka nianzishe muungano wa watu wa namna hii
12:17
So, if anyone wants to join,
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kama mtu yoyote anataka kujiunga
12:19
the basic idea is, whether or not there is a God,
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wazo kuu ni, kama Mungu yupo au la,
12:22
there's something important and beautiful about the idea of sacredness,
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Kuna kitu muhimu na kizuri kuhusu utakatifu
12:26
and that our rituals can be sacred.
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na mambo yetu ya kila siku yanaweza yakawa matakatifu
12:28
The Sabbath can be sacred.
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Sabato inaweza ikawa takatifu
12:31
This was one of the great things about my year, doing the Sabbath,
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Hiki kile ni kitu kizuri sana katika mwaka huu kwa kuifuata Sabato
12:34
because I am a workaholic, so having this one day
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Kwa sababu napenda sana kufanya kazi,kwa hiyo kupata hii siku moja
12:38
where you cannot work, it really, that changed my life.
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ambayo haufanyi kazi ,ilibadilisha maisha yangu.
12:42
So, this idea of sacredness, whether or not there is a God.
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Kwa hiyo wazo hili la utakatifu,bila kujali kama Mungu yupo au la,
12:47
Thou shall not stereotype.
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Usilidharau
12:49
This one happened because
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Hii imetokea kwa sababu
12:51
I spent a lot of time with various religious communities
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kwa sababu natumia muda mwingi na jamii za dini mbalimbali
12:54
throughout America because I wanted it to be more
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katika maeneo mengi ya Marekani, na nilitaka pia
12:56
than about my journey.
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iwe zaidi tu ya safari yangu
12:58
I wanted it to be about religion in America.
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Nilitaka iwe ni kuhusu dini nchini Marekani
13:01
So, I spent time with evangelical Christians, and Hasidic Jews, and the Amish.
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Kwa nakaa na wakristo waliookoka, na wayahudi.
13:05
I'm very proud because
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Ninajivunia kwa kuwa
13:07
I think I'm the only person in America
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nadhani ni mtu pekee Marekani yote
13:09
to out Bible-talk a Jehovah's Witness.
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Kuongelea Biblia kumshinda Shahidi wa Yehova
13:12
(Laughter)
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(Vicheko)
13:13
After three and a half hours, he looked at his watch,
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Baada ya masaa matatu aliangalia saa yake,
13:16
he's like, "I gotta go."
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na akasema,"inabidi niondoke"
13:18
(Laughter)
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(Vicheko)
13:20
Oh, thank you very much.
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Asante sana
13:25
Thank you. Bless you, bless you.
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Asante sana. mbarikiwe
13:27
But it was interesting
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lakini pia cha kuvutia
13:29
because I had some very preconceived notions about, for instance,
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ni kwa sababu nilikuwa na mawazo yangu mwenyewe kuhusu kwa mfano,
13:32
evangelical Christianity, and I found that
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Ukristo wa kuokoka, na nilikuja kujua
13:36
it's such a wide and varied movement
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Ni eneo pana na lenye tofauti mbalimbali
13:38
that it is difficult to make generalizations about it.
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Na hauwezi ukawa na maelezo ya jumla juu ya kundi hili
13:44
There's a group I met with called the Red Letter Christians,
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Kuna nikundi nilikutana nacho kiitwacho Wakristo wa Barua nyekundu,
13:47
and they focus on the red words in the Bible,
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Na wao wanaangalia maneno mekundu katika Biblia,
13:50
which are the ones that Jesus spoke.
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Ambayo ndiyo yale yaliyotamkwa na Yesu
13:52
That's how they printed them in the old Bibles.
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ambayo ndivyo yalivyochapishwa katika Biblia za zamani.
13:54
And their argument is that Jesus never talked about homosexuality.
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Na wao wanasema kuwa Yesu hakusema chochote kuhusu ushoga na usagaji.
13:59
They have a pamphlet that says,
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Wana kijarida ambacho kinasema,
14:01
"Here's what Jesus said about homosexuality,"
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"hivi Ndivyo Yesu alivyosema kuhusu Usagaji na Ushoga"
14:03
and you open it up, and there's nothing in it.
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Na ukifungua,Hautakuta kitu chochote.
14:06
So, they say Jesus did talk a lot about helping the outcasts,
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Kwa hiyo wanasema Yesu aliongelea sana kuhusu kuwasaidia watu waliotengwa,
14:12
helping poor people.
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Kuwasaidia maskini.
14:15
So, this was very inspiring to me.
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Kwa hiyo ilikuwa changamoto kubwa kwangu.
14:19
I recommend Jim Wallis and Tony Campolo.
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Ninawapendekeza kwenu Jim Wallace na Tony Campolo.
14:24
They're very inspiring leaders, even though I disagree
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Ni viongozi wanaotoa hamasa sana,ingawa sikubaliana,
14:28
with much of what they say.
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Na mengi wanayoyasema.
14:30
Also, thou shalt not disregard the irrational.
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Pia hautakiwi kudharau kitu kisichoeleweka
14:33
This one was very unexpected because, you know,
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Hii sikuitegemea kwa kuwa
14:37
I grew up with the scientific worldview,
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Nimekulia katika ulimwengu wa sayansi,
14:40
and I was shocked learning how much of my life
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na nilishangaa kuona jinsi maisha yangu
14:47
is governed by irrational forces.
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yanavyoongozwa na nguvu zisizoeleweka.
14:50
And the thing is, if they're not harmful,
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Na kama kitu hakiumizi,
14:54
they're not to be completely dismissed.
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si kitu cha kudharau moja kwa moja.
14:56
Because I learned that -- I was thinking, I was
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Kwa sababu nimejifunza kuwa-- nilikuwa nafikiri
15:00
doing all these rituals, these biblical rituals,
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kufanya mambo yote haya, ya Kibiblia,
15:03
separating my wool and linen, and I would ask these religious people
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kutenganisha nguo zangu,na nilikuwa nikiwauliza watu wa dini,
15:07
"Why would the Bible possibly tell us to do this? Why would God care?"
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Kwa nini Biblia itueleze hivi?Kwa nini Mungu ajali?
15:11
And they said, "We don't know,
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Na wakasema,"Hatujui,
15:13
but it's just rituals that give us meaning."
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lakini ni mambo ambayo yanatupa sisi maana"
15:17
And I would say, "But that's crazy."
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Na nikawa nasema, "Lakini huu ni ujinga."
15:19
And they would say, "Well, what about you?
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na wao wakasema,"je vipi kuhusu wewe?
15:21
You blow out candles on top of a birthday cake.
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unapuliza mishumaa iliyo juu ya keki ya siku ya kuzaliwa.
15:26
If a guy from Mars came down and saw, here's one guy
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Kama mtu kutoka sayari ya Mars akija na kuona mtu
15:30
blowing out the fire on top of a cake
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anapuliza moto juu ya keki
15:34
versus another guy not wearing clothes of mixed fabrics,
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na mtu mwingine ambaye havai mavazi ya vitambaa mchanganyiko
15:38
would the Martians say, 'Well, that guy, he makes sense,
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Je watu hawa kutoka sayari ya Mars unafikiri watasema, "mtu huyu anafanya kitu cha kueleweka
15:42
but that guy's crazy?'"
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Lakini huyu anafanya ujinga?"
15:44
So no, I think that rituals are, by nature, irrational.
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Kwa hiyo nafikiri mapokeo mengi ni vitu visivyoeleweka.
15:49
So the key is to choose the right rituals,
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Kwa hiyo muhimu ni kuchagua mapokeo mazuri,
15:52
the ones that are not harmful -- but rituals by themselves
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yale ambayo hayakuumizi, lakini mapokeo yenyewe
15:58
are not to be dismissed.
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hayatakiwi kudharauliwa
16:01
And finally I learned that thou shall pick and choose.
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Na pia nilijifunza pia kuwa unatakiwa kuangalia vizuri na kuchagua.
16:05
And this one I learned because
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Na hii nilijifunza kwa sababu
16:07
I tried to follow everything in the Bible.
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Nilijaribu kufuata kila kitu katika Biblia.
16:09
And I failed miserably.
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Na nikashindwa vibaya sana
16:11
Because you can't.
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Kwa kuwa haiwezekani.
16:13
You have to pick and choose. And anyone who follows the Bible
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inabidi uchague, na yoyote anayeifuata Biblia
16:16
is going to be picking and choosing.
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atakuwa anachagua.
16:18
The key is to pick and choose the right parts.
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Muhimu ni kuchagua sehemu muhimu.
16:23
There's the phrase called cafeteria religion,
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kuna msemo unaosema Dini ya mgahawa,
16:27
and the fundamentalists will use it in a denigrating way,
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watu wanaofuata sana dini wataisema katika hali ya kumshusha mtu,
16:31
and they'll say, "Oh, it's just cafeteria religion.
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Kuwa ni " Dini ya mgahawa.
16:33
You're just picking and choosing."
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Unachagua tu"
16:34
But my argument is, "What's wrong with cafeterias?"
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lakini msimamo ni kuwa, " Kuna tatizo gani na migahawa?"
16:38
I've had some great meals at cafeterias.
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Nimefanikiwa kula vyakula vizuri sana katika migahawa.
16:40
I've also had some meals that make me want to dry heave.
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lakini pia nimekula vyakula ambavyo vilinifanya nitake kutapika.
16:44
So, it's about choosing the parts of the Bible about compassion,
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Kwa hiyo, ni kuchagua sehemu za Biblia zinazohusu huruma,
16:48
about tolerance, about loving your neighbor,
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ma uvumilivu,kuhusu kuwapenda jirani zako,
16:51
as opposed to the parts about homosexuality is a sin,
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badala ya sehemu za ushoga na usagaji kuwa ni dhambi,
16:56
or intolerance, or violence,
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au kukosa uvumilivu na machafuko.
16:58
which are very much in the Bible as well.
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ambavyo vipo katika Biblia pia.
17:00
So if we are to find any meaning in this book,
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Kama tunataka kupata maana katika kitabu hiki,
17:04
then we have to really engage it, and wrestle with it.
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tunahitaji kukitafakari hasa,
17:08
And I thought I'd end with just a couple more.
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Na nafikiri nimalizie na vitu vichache.
17:11
There's me reading the Bible.
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hapa ni mimi nikisoma Biblia.
17:13
That's how I hailed taxicabs.
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Hivi ndivyo nilivyoziita teksi.
17:15
(Laughter)
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(Vicheko)
17:18
Seriously, and it worked. And yes,
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na ilifanya kazi
17:20
that was actually a rented sheep,
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huyo alikuwa ni kondoo wa kukodiwa,
17:23
so I had to return that in the morning, but it served well for a day.
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kwa hiyo ilibidi nimrudishe asubuhi, lakini ilinisaidia kwa siku moja,
17:28
So, anyway, thank you so much for letting me speak.
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Kwa hiyo nashukuru sana kwa kuniruhusu kuongea nanyi.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
AJ Jacobs - AuthorImmersing himself in alternate lifestyles and long, hilarious experiments (usually with himself the guinea pig), writer AJ Jacobs tests the limits of behavior, customs, culture, knowledge -- and his wife's sense of humor.
Why you should listen
AJ Jacobs' writings stand at the intersection of philosophy, Gonzo journalism and performance art. Stubbornly curious and slyly perceptive, he takes immersive learning to its irrational and profoundly amusing extreme -- extracting wisdom and meaning after long stints as a self-styled guinea pig. For his widely circulated Esquire article "My Outsourced Life," he explored the phenomenon of outsourcing by hiring a team in Bangalore to take care of every part of his life -- from reading his emails to arguing with his wife to reading bedtime stories to his own son. A previous article, "I Think You're Fat," chronicled a brief, cringe-inducing attempt to live his life in Radical Honesty, telling all the truth, all the time.
Jacobs is author of The Know-It-All, which documents the year he spent reading the Encyclopedia Britannica from A to Z, uncovering both funny and surprising factoids but also poignant insight into history and human nature. In 2007 he released The Year of Living Biblically, in which he attempted to follow every single rule in the Bible as literally as possible for an entire year. His recent book The Guinea Pig Diaries: My Life as an Experiment is a collection of numerous personal experiments. including living according to George Washington's rules of conduct, outsourcing every single task to India, and posing as a woman on an online dating site.
AJ Jacobs | Speaker | TED.com