ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Amy Tan - Novelist
Amy Tan is the author of such beloved books as The Joy Luck Club, The Kitchen God's Wife and The Hundred Secret Senses.

Why you should listen

Born in the US to immigrant parents from China, Amy Tan rejected her mother's expectations that she become a doctor and concert pianist. She chose to write fiction instead. Her much-loved, best-selling novels have been translated into 35 languages. In 2008, she wrote a libretto for The Bonesetter's Daughter, which premiered that September with the San Francisco Opera.

Tan was the creative consultant for Sagwa, the Emmy-nominated PBS series for children, and she has appeared as herself on The Simpsons. She's the lead rhythm dominatrix, backup singer and second tambourine with the Rock Bottom Remainders, a literary garage band that has raised more than a million dollars for literacy programs.

More profile about the speaker
Amy Tan | Speaker | TED.com
TED2008

Amy Tan: Where does creativity hide?

Si Amy Tan tungkol sa Pagkamalikhain

Filmed:
3,221,031 views

Sinusuri ng nobelistang si Amy Tan ang proseso ng paglikha, naghahanap ng tanda ng pagyabong ng sariling pagkamalikhain
- Novelist
Amy Tan is the author of such beloved books as The Joy Luck Club, The Kitchen God's Wife and The Hundred Secret Senses. Full bio

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

00:18
The Value of Nothing: Out of Nothing Comes Something.
0
0
4000
Ang halaga ng wala: mula sa wala, sumisibol ang isang bagay.
00:22
That was an essay I wrote when I was 11 years old
1
4000
4000
Isang sanaysay ito na sinulat ko noong ako'y 11ng taong gulang
00:26
and I got a B+. (Laughter)
2
8000
2000
at ang nakuha ko ay B+ (Tawanan)
00:28
What I'm going to talk about: nothing out of something, and how we create.
3
10000
4000
Ang tatalakayin ko: wala mula sa mayroon, at kung paano tayo lumilikha.
00:32
And I'm gonna try and do that within
4
14000
2000
At susubukin kong gawin ito so loob
00:34
the 18-minute time span that we were told to stay within,
5
16000
5000
ng 18-minuto na pataan sa atin,
00:39
and to follow the TED commandments:
6
21000
2000
at sundin ang "the TED commandments":
00:41
that is, actually, something that creates
7
23000
3000
kung baga'y, ang totoo'y, isang bagay na lumilikha
00:44
a near-death experience,
8
26000
2000
ng karanasang bingit-sa-kamatayan,
00:46
but near-death is good for creativity.
9
28000
2000
pero ang bingit-sa-kamatayan ay mabuti sa pagkamalikhain.
00:48
(Laughter) OK.
10
30000
4000
(Tawanan) OK.
00:52
So, I also want to explain,
11
34000
2000
Kaya, gusto ko ring ipaliwanag,
00:54
because Dave Eggers said he was going to heckle me
12
36000
3000
dahil sinabi ni Dave Eggers na bubuligligin niya ako
00:57
if I said anything that was a lie, or not true to universal creativity.
13
39000
5000
kung may sasabihin akong isang kasinungalingan, o hindi totoo tungkol sa unibersal na pagkamalikhain
01:02
And I've done it this way for half the audience, who is scientific.
14
44000
3000
At nagawa ko ito sa ganitong paraan para sa kalahati ng naririto, na siyentipiko.
01:05
When I say we, I don't mean you, necessarily;
15
47000
4000
Kapag sinasabi kong tayo, hindi ko ibig tukuying kayo nga.
01:09
I mean me, and my right brain, my left brain
16
51000
3000
Ang ibig kong sabihin ay ako, at ang kanan kong utak, ang kaliwa kong utak,
01:12
and the one that's in between that is the censor
17
54000
2000
at ang nakapagitan na siyang tagasulit
01:14
and tells me what I'm saying is wrong.
18
56000
2000
at nagsasabi sa akin na ang sinasabi ko ay mali.
01:16
And I'm going do that also by looking at
19
58000
3000
At gagawin ko iyan na tumitingin din sa
01:19
what I think is part of my creative process,
20
61000
3000
ipinapalagay ko na bahagi ng aking pamamaraan sa paglikha,
01:22
which includes a number of things that happened, actually --
21
64000
3000
na binubuo ng ilang bagay na nangyari, ang totoo –
01:25
the nothing started even earlier than the moment
22
67000
3000
ang wala ay nagsimula nang mas nauna pa sa sandali
01:28
in which I'm creating something new.
23
70000
3000
ng paglikha ko ng isang bagay na bago.
01:31
And that includes nature, and nurture,
24
73000
5000
Kasama na rito ang kalikasan, at pag-aaruga
01:36
and what I refer to as nightmares.
25
78000
3000
at ang tinutukoy ko na mga bangungot.
01:39
Now in the nature area, we look at whether or not
26
81000
4000
Ngayon sa larang ng kalikasan, tinitingnan natin kung totoo o hindi
01:43
we are innately equipped with something, perhaps
27
85000
3000
na mayroon tayong likas na kung ano, baka
01:46
in our brains, some abnormal chromosome
28
88000
3000
sa ating utak, may di-pangkaraniwang chromosome
01:49
that causes this muse-like effect.
29
91000
4000
na siyang sanhi ng mala-musang epekto.
01:53
And some people would say that we're born with it in some other means.
30
95000
6000
May mga taong magsasabi na ipinanganak tayong mayroon nito,
01:59
And others, like my mother,
31
101000
2000
at ang iba, tulad ng ina ko,
02:01
would say that I get my material from past lives.
32
103000
6000
ay magsasabi na nakukuha ko ang mga materyal ko sa nangakaraang buhay.
02:07
Some people would also say that creativity
33
109000
3000
May mga tao rin na magsasabi na ang pagkamalikhain
02:10
may be a function of some other neurological quirk --
34
112000
5000
ay maaaring dala ng kapansanang neurological --
02:15
van Gogh syndrome -- that you have a little bit of, you know, psychosis, or depression.
35
117000
5000
syndrome ni van Gogh -- na mayroon ka kahit kapiraso, alam mo na, psychosis, o depression.
02:20
I do have to say, somebody -- I read recently
36
122000
3000
Dapat kong sabihin, may isang tao – nabasa ko kamakailan lang
02:23
that van Gogh wasn't really necessarily psychotic,
37
125000
3000
na baka hindi naman talagang psychotic si van Gogh,
02:26
that he might have had temporal lobe seizures,
38
128000
2000
na mayroon siyang temporal lobe seizures,
02:28
and that might have caused his spurt of creativity, and I don't --
39
130000
4000
at maaaring siyang sanhi ng bugso ng pagkamalikhain, at hindi ko –
02:32
I suppose it does something in some part of your brain.
40
134000
3000
siguro ikako may epekto iyon sa isang parte ng iyong utak.
02:35
And I will mention that I actually developed
41
137000
2000
At gusto ko ring banggitin na ang totoo'y nagkaroon ako
02:37
temporal lobe seizures a number of years ago,
42
139000
4000
ng temporal lobe seizures ilang taon na ang nararaan,
02:41
but it was during the time I was writing my last book,
43
143000
3000
pero iyon ay noong sinusulat ko ang huli kong libro,
02:44
and some people say that book is quite different.
44
146000
4000
at may ilang nagsasabi na ang librong iyon ay talagang naiiba.
02:48
I think that part of it also begins with a sense of identity crisis:
45
150000
5000
Palagay ko'y may bahagi ito na nagsisimula sa nararamdamang identity crisis:
02:53
you know, who am I, why am I this particular person,
46
155000
4000
alam mo na, sino ako, bakit ako ay itong partikular na taong ito,
02:57
why am I not black like everybody else?
47
159000
5000
bakit hindi ako itim na tulad ng lahat?
03:02
And sometimes you're equipped with skills,
48
164000
2000
At kung minsa'y mayroon kang mga kasanayan
03:04
but they may not be the kind of skills that enable creativity.
49
166000
4000
pero hindi sila ang uri ng kasanayan na nakapagbibigay ng pagkamalikhain.
03:08
I used to draw. I thought I would be an artist.
50
170000
3000
Dati'y nagdo-drowing ako. Akala ko'y magiging pintor ako.
03:11
And I had a miniature poodle.
51
173000
2000
At mayroon akong isang munting poodle.
03:13
And it wasn't bad, but it wasn't really creative.
52
175000
2000
At okey naman din siya, pero hindi talagang malikhain.
03:15
Because all I could really do was represent in a very one-on-one way.
53
177000
5000
Dahil sa ang nagagawa ko lang ay maglarawan sa isang paraang isa-sa-isa.
03:20
And I have a sense that I probably copied this from a book.
54
182000
4000
At may pakiramdam ako na maaaring kinopya ko ito sa isang libro.
03:24
And then, I also wasn't really shining in a certain area that I wanted to be,
55
186000
6000
At saka hindi rin ako sumisikat sa isa pang gawaing gusto ko,
03:30
and you know, you look at those scores, and it wasn't bad,
56
192000
4000
at alam mo na, titingnan mo ang mga marka, at hindi naman masama,
03:34
but it was not certainly predictive that I would one day make
57
196000
4000
pero walang sinasabi kung isang araw ay
03:38
my living out of the artful arrangement of words.
58
200000
4000
mabubuhay ako sa makasining na pag-aayos ng mga salita.
03:42
Also, one of the principles of creativity is to have a little childhood trauma.
59
204000
6000
Isa pa, isa sa mga prinsipyo ng pagkamalikhain ay ang magkaroon ng konting childhood trauma.
03:48
And I had the usual kind that I think a lot of people had,
60
210000
4000
At naranasan ko ang karaniwang uri na naranasan ng maraming tao,
03:52
and that is that, you know, I had expectations placed on me.
61
214000
4000
at ito ang, alam mo na, mga inaasahan sa akin.
03:56
That figure right there, by the way,
62
218000
3000
Ang pigurang iyon, mabanggit ko,
03:59
figure right there was a toy given to me when I was but nine years old,
63
221000
5000
ang pigurang iyon ay isang laruang ibinigay sa akin noong ako'y siyam na taon pa lang,
04:04
and it was to help me become a doctor from a very early age.
64
226000
5000
at ito ay para tulungan akong maging doktor nang bata pa.
04:09
I have some ones that were long lasting: from the age of five to 15,
65
231000
5000
Mayroon akong ilan na matagal ang inabot: mula sa limang anyos hanggang sa 15,
04:14
this was supposed to be my side occupation,
66
236000
3000
ito ay para maging sideline ko,
04:17
and it led to a sense of failure.
67
239000
3000
at humantong ito sa kasiphayuan.
04:20
But actually, there was something quite real in my life
68
242000
3000
Pero ang totoo'y mayroong isang bagay na totoong may realidad sa aking buhay
04:23
that happened when I was about 14.
69
245000
2000
na nangyari noong ako ay mga 14.
04:25
And it was discovered that my brother, in 1967, and then my father,
70
247000
5000
At ito'y natuklasan na ang kapatid kong lalaki, noong 1967, at sumunod ang aking ama,
04:30
six months later, had brain tumors.
71
252000
2000
pagkaraan ng anim na buwan, ay mayroon tumor sa utak.
04:32
And my mother believed that something had gone wrong,
72
254000
5000
Ang paniwala ng nanay ko ay may hindi mabuting nangyari,
04:37
and she was gonna find out what it was, and she was gonna fix it.
73
259000
3000
at tutuklasin niya kung ano iyon. At aayusin niya.
04:40
My father was a Baptist minister, and he believed in miracles,
74
262000
4000
Isang ministrong Baptist ang ama ko, at naniniwala siya sa milagro,
04:44
and that God's will would take care of that.
75
266000
3000
at ang kagustuhan ng Diyos ay ang mag-aalaga doon.
04:47
But, of course, they ended up dying, six months apart.
76
269000
3000
Pero namatay din sila, anim na buwan ang pagitan.
04:50
And after that, my mother believed that it was fate, or curses
77
272000
4000
At pagkatapos noon, naniwala ang ina ko na kapalaran iyon, o mga sumpa
04:54
-- she went looking through all the reasons in the universe
78
276000
3000
– ginalugad ang buong mundo para sa dahilan
04:57
why this would have happened.
79
279000
2000
kung bakit kailangang mangyari ito.
04:59
Everything except randomness. She did not believe in randomness.
80
281000
5000
Lahat liban sa ala-suwerte. Hindi siya naniniwala sa ala-suwerte.
05:04
There was a reason for everything.
81
286000
2000
May dahilan ang lahat.
05:06
And one of the reasons, she thought, was that her mother,
82
288000
2000
At isa sa mga dahilan, sa isip niya, ay dahil sa ang kayang ina,
05:08
who had died when she was very young, was angry at her.
83
290000
5000
na namatay noong bata pa siya, ay galit sa kanya.
05:13
And so, I had this notion of death all around me,
84
295000
3000
Kaya't nasa aking isip ang kamatayan ng lahat ng nasa paligid ko
05:16
because my mother also believed that I would be next, and she would be next.
85
298000
5000
dahil sa ang ina ko ay naniniwala na ako ang susunod, at siya ang susunod.
05:21
And when you are faced with the prospect of death very soon,
86
303000
3000
At kapag napaharap ka sa posibilidad ng nalalapit na kamatayan,
05:24
you begin to think very much about everything.
87
306000
5000
sinisimulan mong pag-isipan ang lahat.
05:29
You become very creative, in a survival sense.
88
311000
4000
Nagiging malikhain ka, para mabuhay.
05:33
And this, then, led to my big questions.
89
315000
4000
At ito, kung gayon, ang nagbunsod sa malalaking tanong.
05:37
And they're the same ones that I have today.
90
319000
3000
Ito ang mga tanong na nasa harap ko ngayon.
05:40
And they are: why do things happen, and how do things happen?
91
322000
5000
Tulad ng: Bakit nangyayari ang mga pangyayari, at paano nangyayari ang mga pangyayari?
05:45
And the one my mother asked: how do I make things happen?
92
327000
7000
At ang itinanong ng aking ina: Paano ako makagagawa ng mga pangyayari?
05:52
It's a wonderful way to look at these questions, when you write a story.
93
334000
5000
Isang magandang paraan ng pagtingin sa mga tanong na ito, kapag sumusulat ka ng kuwento.
05:57
Because, after all, in that framework, between page one and 300,
94
339000
6000
Sapagka't sa kabila ng lahat, sa gayong framework, sa pagitan ng unang pahina at 300,
06:03
you have to answer this question of why things happen, how things happen,
95
345000
4000
sasagutin mo ang tanong kung bakit at paano nangyayari ang mga pangyayari,
06:07
in what order they happen. What are the influences?
96
349000
3000
ang sunuran ng mga pangyayari. Ano ang mga impluwensya?
06:10
How do I, as the narrator, as the writer, also influence that?
97
352000
4000
Paano ako, bilang siyang tagapagsalaysay, bilang siyang manunulat, nakakaimpluwensya (sa mga pangyayari)?
06:14
And it's also one that, I think, many of our scientists have been asking.
98
356000
4000
At isa ring ito sa mga tanong ng marami sa ating mga syentipiko.
06:18
It's a kind of cosmology, and I have to develop a cosmology of my own universe,
99
360000
6000
Isang uri ng cosmology, at kailangang kong humubog ng cosmology ng aking sariling sansinukob [universe],
06:24
as the creator of that universe.
100
366000
2000
bilang manlilikha ng nasabing sansinukob.
06:26
And you see, there's a lot of back and forth
101
368000
4000
At makikita mo, maraming urong at sulong
06:30
in trying to make that happen, trying to figure it out
102
372000
3000
sa pagtatangkang maisakatuparan, masuri
06:33
-- years and years, oftentimes.
103
375000
4000
– magbibilang ng maraming taon, kadalasan.
06:37
So, when I look at creativity, I also think that it is this sense or this inability
104
379000
7000
Kaya't kapag tinitingnan ko ang pagkamalikhain, naiisip ko rin na ito ay ang di-kakayahang
06:44
to repress, my looking at associations in practically anything in life.
105
386000
4000
pigilin ko ang paghanap ko ng mga ugnayan sa halos kahit anong bagay sa buhay.
06:48
And I got a lot of them during what's been going on
106
390000
4000
At marami akong napulot sa mga nangyayari dito ngayon
06:52
throughout this conference,
107
394000
3000
sa buong konperensya,
06:55
almost everything that's been going on.
108
397000
2000
sa halos lahat ng nagaganap.
06:57
And so I'm going to use, as the metaphor, this association:
109
399000
4000
Kung kaya, gagamitin ko, bilang metapora, ang ugnayang ito:
07:01
quantum mechanics, which I really don't understand,
110
403000
4000
ang quantum mechanics, na hindi ko talagang naiintindihan,
07:05
but I'm still gonna use it as the process
111
407000
2000
pero gagamitin ko pa rin ito bilang isang paraan
07:07
for explaining how it is the metaphor.
112
409000
4000
para ipaliwanag kung bakit ito ang metapora.
07:11
So, in quantum mechanics, of course, you have dark energy and dark matter.
113
413000
7000
Sa quantum mechanics, gaya ng alam na natin, mayroon dark energy at dark matter.
07:18
And it's the same thing in looking at these questions of how things happen.
114
420000
4000
Katulad din ito ng pagtingin sa tanong kung bakit nangyayari ang mga pangyayari.
07:22
There's a lot of unknown, and you often don't know what it is except by its absence.
115
424000
6000
Maraming hindi alam, at madalas ay hindi mo alam kung ano ito liban na lang ang kawalan nito.
07:28
But when you make those associations,
116
430000
2000
Pero kapag binuo mo ang mga ugnayan,
07:30
you want them to come together in a kind of synergy in the story,
117
432000
4000
gusto mong magkatugma sila sa isang uri ng synergy sa kuwento,
07:34
and what you're finding is what matters. The meaning.
118
436000
4000
at ang nakikita mo ang may katuturan. Ang kahulugan.
07:38
And that's what I look for in my work, a personal meaning.
119
440000
4000
Ito ang hinahanap ko sa aking mga gawa, isang pansariling kahulugan.
07:42
There is also the uncertainty principle, which is part of quantum mechanics,
120
444000
5000
Nariyan din ang uncertainty principle, na bahagi ng quantum mechanics,
07:47
as I understand it. (Laughter)
121
449000
2000
sa pagkakaintindi ko. (Tawanan)
07:49
And this happens constantly in the writing.
122
451000
4000
At patuloy itong nangyayari sa pagsulat.
07:53
And there's the terrible and dreaded observer effect,
123
455000
3000
At nariyan ang terible at kinatatakutang observer effect,
07:56
in which you're looking for something, and
124
458000
2000
na kung ano'y sinusuri mo ang isang bagay, at
07:58
you know, things are happening simultaneously,
125
460000
3000
alam mo na, sabay-sabay na nangyayari ang mga bagay,
08:01
and you're looking at it in a different way,
126
463000
2000
at tinitingnan mo ito sa kakaibang paraan,
08:03
and you're trying to really look for the about-ness,
127
465000
4000
at talagang pinipilit mong makita ang ka-"tungkol"-an.
08:07
or what is this story about. And if you try too hard,
128
469000
4000
O kung tungkol saan ang kuwento. At kung sobra ang pagpipilit mo,
08:11
then you will only write the about.
129
473000
3000
masusulat mo lang ang tungkol.
08:14
You won't discover anything.
130
476000
3000
Hindi ka makakatuklas ng kahit ano.
08:17
And what you were supposed to find,
131
479000
2000
Ang dapat sanang matagpuan mo,
08:19
what you hoped to find in some serendipitous way,
132
481000
3000
ang inaasahan mong matagpuan, sa isang mala-suwerteng paraan,
08:22
is no longer there.
133
484000
3000
ay wala na doon.
08:25
Now, I don't want to ignore
134
487000
2000
Ngayon, hindi ko naman gustong hindi-pansinin
08:27
the other side of what happens in our universe,
135
489000
3000
ang kabila ng mga pangyayari sa ating universe.
08:30
like many of our scientists have.
136
492000
3000
tulad ng marami sa ating mga siyentipiko.
08:33
And so, I am going to just throw in string theory here,
137
495000
3000
Kung kaya't gusto ko rin isama rito ang string theory,
08:36
and just say that creative people are multidimensional,
138
498000
3000
at sabihin na lang na ang mga taong malikhain ay multi-dimensional,
08:39
and there are 11 levels, I think, of anxiety.
139
501000
4000
at mayroon labing-isang antas, sa isip ko, ng kagulumihaman.
08:43
(Laughter) And they all operate at the same time.
140
505000
4000
(Tawanan) At nangyayari sila nang sabay-saby.
08:47
There is also a big question of ambiguity.
141
509000
3000
Nariyan din ang malaking tanong tungkol sa alinlangan [ambiguity].
08:50
And I would link that to something called the cosmological constant.
142
512000
6000
At iuugnay ko ito sa tinatawag na cosmological constant.
08:56
And you don't know what is operating, but something is operating there.
143
518000
2000
Hindi mo alam kung ano ang nangyayari doon, pero may nangyayari doon.
08:58
And ambiguity, to me, is very uncomfortable
144
520000
4000
At ang alinlangan, para sa akin, ay napaka-di-komportable
09:02
in my life, and I have it. Moral ambiguity.
145
524000
3000
sa aking buhay, at taglay ko ito. Alinlangang moralidad.
09:05
It is constantly there. And, just as an example,
146
527000
4000
Laging naroroon ito. At isang halimbawa na lang,
09:09
this is one that recently came to me.
147
531000
3000
isa itong kailan lang ay dumating sa akin.
09:12
It was something I read in an editorial by a woman
148
534000
2000
Isang bagay ito na nabasa ko na editoryal ng isang babae
09:14
who was talking about the war in Iraq. And she said,
149
536000
4000
tungkol sa giyera sa Iraq. Sinabi niya,
09:18
"Save a man from drowning, you are responsible to him for life."
150
540000
3000
"Iligtas mo ang isang tao sa pagkalunod, mananagot ka sa kanya sa buong buhay."
09:21
A very famous Chinese saying, she said.
151
543000
3000
Isang tanyag na kasabihan sa Tsino, sabi niya.
09:24
And that means because we went into Iraq, we should stay there
152
546000
4000
At ang ibig sabihin nito dahil sa nagpunta tayo sa Iraq, dapat tayong manatili doon
09:28
until things were solved. You know, maybe even 100 years.
153
550000
4000
hanggang sa malutas ang mga bagay-bagay. Alam mo na, kahit baka mga 100ng taon.
09:32
So, there was another one that I came across,
154
554000
5000
Meron pang isang nadaanan ko
09:37
and it's "saving fish from drowning."
155
559000
3000
at ito ang "iligtas ang mga isda sa pagkalunod."
09:40
And it's what Buddhist fishermen say,
156
562000
2000
Ito ang sinasabi ng mga mangingisdang Buddhist,
09:42
because they're not supposed to kill anything.
157
564000
3000
dahil sa hindi sila dapat pumatay ng kahit ano.
09:45
And they also have to make a living, and people need to be fed.
158
567000
3000
Kailangan din nilang mabuhay, at ang mga tao ay kailangang kumain.
09:48
So their way of rationalizing that is they are saving the fish from drowning,
159
570000
4000
Kung kaya ang pangngangatwiran nila ay iligtas ang mga isda sa pagkalunod.
09:52
and unfortunately, in the process the fish die.
160
574000
3000
at sa kasawiang-palad, habang inililigtas sa pagkalunod, namamatay ang mga isda.
09:55
Now, what's encapsulated in both these drowning metaphors
161
577000
5000
Ngayon ano ang nakatiim sa dalawang talinghaga sa pagkalunod
10:00
-- actually, one of them is my mother's interpretation,
162
582000
3000
– ang totoo, isa sa kanila ay interpretasyon ng aking ina,
10:03
and it is a famous Chinese saying, because she said it to me:
163
585000
3000
at isang tanyag na kasabihan ito sa Tsino dahil sa sinabi niya ito sa akin:
10:06
"save a man from drowning, you are responsible to him for life."
164
588000
3000
"Iligtas mo ang isang tao sa pagkalunod, mananagot ka sa kanya sa buong buhay."
10:09
And it was a warning -- don't get involved in other people's business,
165
591000
4000
At ito ay isang babala – huwag kang makisangkot sa buhay ng iba,
10:13
or you're going to get stuck.
166
595000
2000
o baka ka lang maipit.
10:15
OK. I think if somebody really was drowning, she'd save them.
167
597000
4000
OK. Kung talagang may nalulunod, ililigtas niya siya.
10:19
But, both of these sayings -- saving a fish from drowning,
168
601000
4000
Pero ang mga kasabihang ito, iligtas ang isda sa pagkalunod,
10:23
or saving a man from drowning -- to me they had to do with intentions.
169
605000
4000
o iligtas ang isang tao sa pagkalunod, sa akin ay may kinalaman sila sa intensyon.
10:27
And all of us in life, when we see a situation, we have a response.
170
609000
5000
At lahat ng tao, kapag nakakita tayo ng isang sitwasyon, mayoon tayong gagawin.
10:32
And then we have intentions.
171
614000
2000
At mayroon tayong mga intensyon.
10:34
There's an ambiguity of what that should be that we should do,
172
616000
5000
May alinlangan kung ano nga iyon na dapat nating gawin,
10:39
and then we do something.
173
621000
2000
at pagkatapos ay ginagawa nga natin ito.
10:41
And the results of that may not match what our intentions had been.
174
623000
3000
At ang resulta ay maaaring hindi tugma sa ating intensyon.
10:44
Maybe things go wrong. And so, after that, what are our responsibilities?
175
626000
5000
Siguro may masamang pangyayari. Kaya, pagkatapos noon, ano ang ating mga responsibilidad?
10:49
What are we supposed to do?
176
631000
2000
Ano ang dapat nating gawin?
10:51
Do we stay in for life,
177
633000
2000
Mananatili ba tayo habang buhay,
10:53
or do we do something else and justify and say, well, my intentions were good,
178
635000
5000
o babaling tayo sa ibang bagay at mangangatwiran at sasabihing mabuti ang ating intensyon,
10:58
and therefore I cannot be held responsible for all of it?
179
640000
6000
kaya hindi ako masasabing mananagot sa lahat?
11:04
That is the ambiguity in my life
180
646000
2000
Ito ang alinlangan sa aking buhay
11:06
that really disturbed me, and led me to write a book called
181
648000
4000
na gumulo sa aking isip, at siyang nagsulong sa akin na sulatin ang librong
11:10
"Saving Fish From Drowning."
182
652000
2000
"Saving Fish From Drowning."
11:12
I saw examples of that. Once I identified this question, it was all over the place.
183
654000
7000
Nakakita ako ng maraming halimbawa, nang luminaw sa aking isip ang tanong. Ang dami sa ating paligid.
11:19
I got these hints everywhere.
184
661000
2000
Nakakuha ako ng mga higing sa lahat ng bagay.
11:21
And then, in a way, I knew that they had always been there.
185
663000
3000
Kung sa bagay, alam ko na lagi silang naroroon.
11:24
And then writing, that's what happens. I get these hints, these clues,
186
666000
3000
At ang pagsulat, ito ang nangyayari. Nakakukuha ako ng mga higing, ng mga pahaging,
11:27
and I realize that they've been obvious, and yet they have not been.
187
669000
7000
at naliho ko na madali silang mapansin, pero hindi rin.
11:34
And what I need, in effect, is a focus.
188
676000
4000
At ang kailangan ko, sa katuusan, ay pokus.
11:38
And when I have the question, it is a focus.
189
680000
2000
At nang makuha ko ang tanong, ito ay pokus.
11:40
And all these things that seem to be flotsam and jetsam in life actually go through
190
682000
5000
At lahat ng mga bagay na ito na parang mga bagay na itinapong kuyagot sa buhay ay dumaraan
11:45
that question, and what happens is those particular things become relevant.
191
687000
5000
sa tanong na iyon, at ang nangyayari ay ang mga bagay na iyon ay may kaugnayan.
11:50
And it seems like it's happening all the time.
192
692000
2000
At parang laging nangyayari ito.
11:52
You think there's a sort of coincidence going on, a serendipity,
193
694000
3000
Iisipin mong nagkakataon lang, isang serendipity,
11:55
in which you're getting all this help from the universe.
194
697000
3000
na kung saa'y nakakakuha ka ng tulong mula sa sangkalawakan.
11:58
And it may also be explained that now you have a focus.
195
700000
3000
At maaari ring ipaliwanag ngayon at may pocus ka na.
12:01
And you are noticing it more often.
196
703000
4000
At napapansin mo ito lagi.
12:05
But you apply this.
197
707000
3000
Pero ginagawa mo ito.
12:08
You begin to look at things having to do with your tensions.
198
710000
3000
Nagsisimula kang tumingin sa mga bagay na may kaugnayan sa kabanatan "tension".
12:11
Your brother, who's fallen in trouble, do you take care of him?
199
713000
3000
Ang kapatid mo, na napasok sa gulo, aalaagan mo ba siya?
12:14
Why or why not?
200
716000
2000
Bakit o bakit hindi?
12:16
It may be something that is perhaps more serious
201
718000
4000
Maaaring ito ay isang bagay na totoong seryoso.
12:20
-- as I said, human rights in Burma.
202
722000
3000
– gaya ng sinabi ko, karapatan ng tao sa Burma.
12:23
I was thinking that I shouldn't go because somebody said, if I did, it would show
203
725000
4000
Iniisip ko na hindi ako dapat pumunta dahil sa may nagsabi na kung gagawin ko iyon, lilitaw na
12:27
that I approved of the military regime there.
204
729000
3000
pumapayag ako sa rehimong militar doon.
12:30
And then, after a while, I had to ask myself,
205
732000
3000
Di naglaon, tinanong ko ang aking sarili,
12:33
"Why do we take on knowledge, why do we take on assumptions
206
735000
2000
"Bakit natin tinatanggap ang kaalaman, bakit natin tinatanggap ang mga palagay
12:35
that other people have given us?"
207
737000
3000
na ibinibigay ng ibang tao sa atin?"
12:38
And it was the same thing that I felt when I was growing up,
208
740000
3000
Katulad din ito ng naramdaman ko nang lumalaki ako,
12:41
and was hearing these rules of moral conduct from my father,
209
743000
5000
nang naririnig ko ang mga tuntuning ng gawang moral mula sa aking ama,
12:46
who was a Baptist minister.
210
748000
2000
na isang ministrong Baptist.
12:48
So I decided that I would go to Burma for my own intentions,
211
750000
5000
Kaya ipinasiya kong pumunta sa Burma bilang sariling intensyon,
12:53
and still didn't know that if I went there,
212
755000
3000
at hindi ko pa rin alam na kung pumunta ako doon,
12:56
what the result of that would be, if I wrote a book --
213
758000
3000
ano ang resulta niyon kung susulat ako ng libro –
12:59
and I just would have to face that later, when the time came.
214
761000
4000
at saka ko na lang haharapin iyon, pagdating ng panahon.
13:03
We are all concerned with things that we see in the world that we are aware of.
215
765000
5000
Lahat tayo ay nag-aalaala sa mga bagay na nakikita natin sa mundo.
13:08
We come to this point and say, what do I as an individual do?
216
770000
5000
Dumarating tayo sa puntong ito at sasabihin, ano bilang isang indibidwal ang ginagawa ko?
13:13
Not all of us can go to Africa, or work at hospitals,
217
775000
4000
Hindi lahat sa atin ay makapupunta sa Africa, o magkapagtatrabaho sa mga ospital,
13:17
so what do we do, if we have this moral response, this feeling?
218
779000
7000
kaya ano ang gagawin natin kung mayroon tayong kasagutang moral, ang damdaming ito?
13:24
Also, I think one of the biggest things we are all looking at,
219
786000
3000
Isa pa, sa aking palagay isa sa malalaking bagay na tinitingnan natin,
13:27
and we talked about today, is genocide.
220
789000
3000
at pinag-usapan natin ngayon, ay genocide.
13:30
This leads to this question.
221
792000
3000
Na tumutungo sa tanong,
13:33
When I look at all these things that are morally ambiguous and uncomfortable,
222
795000
5000
kapag tintingnan ko ang mga bagay na ito na alinlangan ang moralidad at di-komportable,
13:38
and I consider what my intentions should be,
223
800000
2000
at iniisip ko ang dapat kong mga intensyon,
13:40
I realize it goes back to this identity question that I had when I was a child
224
802000
5000
naliliho ko na bumabalik sa tanong identidad noong bata pa ako
13:45
-- and why am I here, and what is the meaning of my life,
225
807000
3000
– at bakit ako naririto, at ano ang kahulugan ng aking buhay,
13:48
and what is my place in the universe?
226
810000
2000
at ano ang lugar ko sa sangkalawakan?
13:50
It seems so obvious, and yet it is not.
227
812000
3000
Parang lantad, pero hindi.
13:53
We all hate moral ambiguity in some sense,
228
815000
5000
Muhi tayo lahat sa alinlangang moralidad sa isang pag-iisip,
13:58
and yet it is also absolutely necessary.
229
820000
4000
pero kailangang-kailangan din ito.
14:02
In writing a story, it is the place where I begin.
230
824000
4000
Sa pagsulat ng isang kuwento, ito ang lugar na pinagsisimulan ko.
14:06
Sometimes I get help from the universe, it seems.
231
828000
4000
Kung minsan'y parang nakakakuha ako ng tulong mula sa sangkalawakan.
14:10
My mother would say it was the ghost of my grandmother from the very first book,
232
832000
3000
Sasabihin ng ina ko na ito ang multo ng aking lola mula pa sa kauna-unahang libro,
14:13
because it seemed I knew things I was not supposed to know.
233
835000
3000
dahil sa parang may mga alam ako na hindi ko dapat na alam.
14:16
Instead of writing that the grandmother died accidentally,
234
838000
3000
Sa halip na isulat na ang lola ko ay aksidenteng namatay,
14:19
from an overdose of opium, while having too much of a good time,
235
841000
3000
mula sa sobrang opium habang nagpapasasa sa magandang buhay,
14:22
I actually put down in the story that the woman killed herself,
236
844000
5000
isinulat ko sa kuwento na nagpakamatay siya,
14:27
and that actually was the way it happened.
237
849000
2000
at gayon nga ang tunay na nangyari.
14:29
And my mother decided that that information must have come from my grandmother.
238
851000
5000
Ipinasiya ng aking ina na ang impormasyon ay galing sa aking lola.
14:34
There are also things, quite uncanny,
239
856000
3000
May mga bagay pa, totoong di-kapani-paniwala,
14:37
which bring me information that will help me in the writing of the book.
240
859000
4000
na nagdadala ng impormasyon na tumutulong sa akin sa pagsulat ng libro.
14:41
In this case, I was writing a story
241
863000
2000
Sa halimbawang ito, sumusulat ako ng kuwento
14:43
that included some kind of detail, period of history, a certain location.
242
865000
4000
na may isang uri ng detalye, isang panahon sa kasaysayan, isang lokasyon.
14:47
And I needed to find something historically that would match that.
243
869000
3000
At kinailangan kong makakita ng isang makasaysayang katumbas.
14:50
And I took down this book, and I --
244
872000
2000
Kinuha ko ang isang libro, at ako'y –
14:52
first page that I flipped it to was exactly the setting, and the time period,
245
874000
6000
ang unang pahina na nabuksan ko ay siyang-siyang tagpo, at ang panahon.
14:58
and the kind of character I needed -- was the Taiping rebellion,
246
880000
3000
At ang tauhang kinakailangan ko ay ang himagsikang Taiping,
15:01
happening in the area near Guilin, outside of that,
247
883000
4000
na nangyari sa isang lugar na malapit sa Qualin, sa may labas nito,
15:05
and a character who thought he was the son of God.
248
887000
3000
at isang tauhan na nag-akalang siya'y anak ng Diyos.
15:08
You wonder, are these things random chance?
249
890000
3000
Maitatanong mo, nagkataon lang kaya ang mga pangyayaring ito?
15:11
Well, what is random? What is chance? What is luck?
250
893000
4000
E, ano ang ala-suwerte? Ano ang nagkataon? Ano ang suwerte?
15:15
What are things that you get from the universe that you can't really explain?
251
897000
4000
Anong mga bagay ang nakukuha mo sa sangkalawakan na hindi mo talagang maipapaliwanag?
15:19
And that goes into the story, too.
252
901000
2000
Kasama rin iyan sa kuwento.
15:21
These are the things I constantly think about from day to day.
253
903000
3000
May mga bagay na lagi kong iniisip araw-araw.
15:24
Especially when good things happen,
254
906000
2000
Lalo na kung may mga mabubuting bagay na nangyayari,
15:26
and, in particular, when bad things happen.
255
908000
4000
at lalung-lalo na kung may masasamang bagay na nangyayari.
15:30
But I do think there's a kind of serendipity,
256
912000
2000
Pero hindi ko iniisip na mayroong serendipity dito,
15:32
and I do want to know what those elements are,
257
914000
3000
at gusto ko talagang malaman kung ano ang mga elementong iyon,
15:35
so I can thank them, and also try to find them in my life.
258
917000
5000
para mapasalamatan ko sila, at isa pa'y mahanap ko sila sa aking buhay.
15:40
Because, again, I think that when I am aware of them, more of them happen.
259
922000
4000
Sapagka't, minsan pa, iniisip ko na kung damdam ko sila, lalo pang madalas mangyayari.
15:44
Another chance encounter is when I went to a place
260
926000
4000
Isa pang nagkataon pangyayari ay nang pumunta ako sa isang lugar
15:48
-- I just was with some friends, and we drove randomly to a different place,
261
930000
4000
– kasama ko lang ang ilang kaibigan, at nag-drive kami sa kung saan-saan at sa iba't ibang lugar,
15:52
and we ended up in this non-tourist location,
262
934000
4000
at humantong kami sa isang lugar na hindi pangturista,
15:56
a beautiful village, pristine.
263
938000
2000
isang magandang nayon, hindi pa nasasaling.
15:58
And we walked three valleys beyond,
264
940000
2000
At lumakad kami hanggang sa tatlong lambak [valley],
16:00
and the third valley, there was something quite mysterious and ominous,
265
942000
3000
at sa pangatlong lambak, mayroon parang mahiwaga at nagbabanta ng masama,
16:03
a discomfort I felt. And then I knew that had to be [the] setting of my book.
266
945000
6000
isang di-mabuting pakiramdan na nadama ko. At noon naisip ko na iyon ang kailangang tagpuan ng aking libro.
16:09
And in writing one of the scenes, it happened in that third valley.
267
951000
3000
At sa pagsulat ng isa sa mga senaryo, nangyari ito sa pangatlong lambak.
16:12
For some reason I wrote about cairns -- stacks of rocks -- that a man was building.
268
954000
7000
Sa kung anong dahilan sumulat ako ng tungkol sa mga palatandaan – isang tumpok ng mga bato – na itinatayo ng isang tao.
16:19
And I didn't know exactly why I had it, but it was so vivid.
269
961000
3000
At hindi ko alam kung ano talaga ang mayroon ako, pero napakalinaw sa isip ito.
16:22
I got stuck, and a friend, when she asked if I would go for a walk with her dogs,
270
964000
5000
Na-stuck ako, at isang kaibigan, nang tanungin niya kung gusto kong sumama habang ipinapasyal ang kanyang aso,
16:27
that I said, sure. And about 45 minutes later,
271
969000
3000
na sinabi ko, sige. Pagkalipas ng 45 minuto,
16:30
walking along the beach, I came across this.
272
972000
4000
habang naglalakad sa aplaya, may nakita ako.
16:34
And it was a man, a Chinese man,
273
976000
2000
Isang lalaki, isang lalaking Tsino,
16:36
and he was stacking these things, not with glue, not with anything.
274
978000
3000
at may pinagpapatong-patong siya, hindi ginagamitan ng pandikit, o ng ano pa man.
16:39
And I asked him, "How is it possible to do this?"
275
981000
3000
Itinanong ko sa kanya kung paano nagagawa ito?
16:42
And he said, "Well, I guess with everything in life, there's a place of balance."
276
984000
4000
At sinabi niya, ah, palagay ko, tulad ng lahat sa buhay, may lugar ng katimbangan.
16:46
And this was exactly the meaning of my story at that point.
277
988000
5000
At iyon ang kahulugan ng aking kuwento sa puntong iyon.
16:51
I had so many examples -- I have so many instances like this, when I'm writing a story,
278
993000
5000
Marami akong halimbawa – marami akong mga pagkakataong tulad nito kapag sumusulat ako ng kuwento,
16:56
and I cannot explain it.
279
998000
2000
na hindi ko maipapaliwanag.
16:58
Is it because I had the filter that I have such a strong coincidence
280
1000000
4000
Dahil kaya sa mayroon akong salaan kung kaya't mayroon akong malakas na pagkakataunan [coincidence]
17:02
in writing about these things?
281
1004000
3000
sa pagsulat ko tungkol sa mga ito?
17:05
Or is it a kind of serendipity that we cannot explain, like the cosmological constant?
282
1007000
7000
O isang serendipity ito na hindi kayang ipaliwanag, tulad ng cosmological constant?
17:12
A big thing that I also think about is accidents.
283
1014000
3000
Isa pa ring malaking bagay na naiisip ko ang tungkol sa mga aksidente.
17:15
And as I said, my mother did not believe in randomness.
284
1017000
3000
Gaya ng nasabi ko, ang ina ko ay hindi naniniwala sa sapalaran.
17:18
What is the nature of accidents?
285
1020000
2000
Ano ang kalikasan ng mga aksidente?
17:20
And how are we going to assign what the responsibility and the causes are,
286
1022000
4000
Paano natin itatakda ang responsibilidad at ang mga dahilan,
17:24
outside of a court of law?
287
1026000
3000
sa labas ng korte ng batas?
17:27
I was able to see that in a firsthand way,
288
1029000
3000
Nasaksikan ko ito nang malapitan,
17:30
when I went to beautiful Dong village, in Guizhou, the poorest province of China.
289
1032000
6000
nang pumasyal ako sa magandang pook na Dong, sa Guizhou, and pinakanaghihikahos na probinsya sa Tsina.
17:36
And I saw this beautiful place. I knew I wanted to come back.
290
1038000
2000
At nakita ko itong magandang lugar na ito. Alam kong gusto kong bumalik.
17:38
And I had a chance to do that, when National Geographic asked me
291
1040000
3000
Nagkaroon ako ng pagkakataon nang tinanong ng National Geographic
17:41
if I wanted to write anything about China.
292
1043000
2000
kung gusto kong sumulat ng kahit ano tungkol sa Tsina.
17:43
And I said yes, about this village of singing people, singing minority.
293
1045000
5000
Sabi ko oo, tungkol sa baryong ito ng Kumakantang mga tao, Kumakantang minoridad.
17:48
And they agreed, and between the time I saw this place and the next time I went,
294
1050000
5000
Pumayag sila, at sa pagitan ng panahong una kong nakita ang lugar at ng sumunod na lakad ko doon,
17:53
there was a terrible accident. A man, an old man, fell asleep,
295
1055000
4000
nagkaroon ng isang malagim na aksidente. Isang tao, isang matandang lalaki, ang nakatulog,
17:57
and his quilt dropped in a pan of fire that kept him warm.
296
1059000
3000
at ang kanyang kumot ay bumagsak sa planggana ng apoy na nagpapainit sa kaniya.
18:00
60 homes were destroyed, and 40 were damaged.
297
1062000
6000
60ng tahanan ang natupok, at 40 ang nasira.
18:06
Responsibility was assigned to the family.
298
1068000
2000
Ang responsibilidad ay ibinigay sa pamilya.
18:08
The man's sons were banished to live three kilometers away, in a cowshed.
299
1070000
4000
Pinalayas ang mga anak na lalaki para mamahay sa ilang kilometro ang layo, sa pahingahan ng mga baka.
18:12
And, of course, as Westerners, we say, "Well, it was an accident. That's not fair.
300
1074000
4000
At syempre, bilang mga taga-Kanluran, sasabihin natin, "Aba, aksidente iyon. Hindi tama ito.
18:16
It's the son, not the father."
301
1078000
2000
Anak ito, hindi ang ama."
18:18
When I go on a story, I have to let go of those kinds of beliefs.
302
1080000
6000
At kapag nagkukuwento ako, kailagang pawalan ko ang mga gayong paniniwala.
18:24
It takes a while, but I have to let go of them and just go there, and be there.
303
1086000
4000
Matagal-tagal din, pero kailangang pawalan ko at pumunta ako doon, at mamalagi doon.
18:28
And so I was there on three occasions, different seasons.
304
1090000
3000
Naroon ako maka-itlo, iba-ibang panahon.
18:31
And I began to sense something different about the history,
305
1093000
4000
Naramdaman ko na may kakaiba sa kasaysayan
18:35
and what had happened before, and the nature of life in a very poor village,
306
1097000
4000
at sa nangyari bago pa, at ang uri ng pamumuhay sa isang mahirap na baryo,
18:39
and what you find as your joys, and your rituals, your traditions, your links
307
1101000
3000
at ang natutuklasan mong mga galak, at ang mga nakagawian mo, ang mga tradisyon mo, ang mga relasyon mo
18:42
with other families. And I saw how this had a kind of justice, in its responsibility.
308
1104000
10000
sa ibang angkan. At nakita ko kung paano ito ay may isang uri ng hustisya sa kanyang responsibilidad.
18:52
I was able to find out also about the ceremony that they were using,
309
1114000
5000
Natuklasan ko rin ang seremonya na kanilang ginagamit,
18:57
a ceremony they hadn't used in about 29 years. And it was to send some men
310
1119000
8000
isang seremonya na hindi ginamit sa loob ng 29 na taon. At ito ang magpadala ng ilang lalaki
19:05
-- a Feng Shui master sent men down to the underworld on ghost horses.
311
1127000
4000
– isang guro sa Feng Shui ang magpapadala sa mga tao na nakasakay sa mga kabayong multo sa ilalim ng mundo.
19:09
Now you, as Westerners, and I, as Westerners,
312
1131000
3000
Ngayon, kayo na Kanluranin, at ako, na Kanluranin,
19:12
would say well, that's superstition. But after being there for a while,
313
1134000
3000
ay magsasabing ah, pamahiin lang iyon. Pero pagkatapos tumira doon nang matagal-tagal,
19:15
and seeing the amazing things that happened,
314
1137000
3000
at pagkasaksi sa mga kagila-gilas na pangyayari,
19:18
you begin to wonder whose beliefs are those that are in operation in the world,
315
1140000
5000
magsisimula kang mag-isip kung kaninong paniniwala ang siyang nagpapatakbo sa mundo,
19:23
determining how things happen.
316
1145000
3000
na nagtatakda ng mga pangyayari.
19:26
So I remained with them, and the more I wrote that story,
317
1148000
3000
Kaya't nanatili ako sa kanila, at habang sinusulat ko ang kwento,
19:29
the more I got into those beliefs, and I think that's important for me
318
1151000
4000
lalo akong napapadiin sa paniniwala nila, at naiisip ko na mahalaga sa akin iyon
19:33
-- to take on the beliefs, because that is where the story is real,
319
1155000
3000
– na tanggapin ang mga paniniwala, dahil sa naroon ang katalagahan ng kuwento,
19:36
and that is where I'm gonna find the answers
320
1158000
2000
at doon ko makikita ang mga sagot
19:38
to how I feel about certain questions that I have in life.
321
1160000
5000
tungkol sa nararamdaman ko tungkol sa ilang tanong sa aking buhay.
19:43
Years go by, of course, and the writing, it doesn't happen instantly,
322
1165000
3000
Nagdaan ang mga taon, at siyempre, ang pagsulat, hindi ito nangyayari sa isang iglap,
19:46
as I'm trying to convey it to you here at TED.
323
1168000
4000
na ipinatatalastas ko sa inyo dito sa TED.
19:50
The book comes and it goes. When it arrives, it is no longer my book.
324
1172000
5000
Ang libro ay dumarating at umaalis. Pagdating nito, hindi ko na libro ito.
19:55
It is in the hands of readers, and they interpret it differently.
325
1177000
4000
Nasa kamay na ng mga mambabasa, at bibigyan nila ito ng iba-ibang interpetasyon.
19:59
But I go back to this question of, how do I create something out of nothing?
326
1181000
6000
Pero babalik ako sa tanong, paano ako lumilikha mula sa wala?
20:05
And how do I create my own life?
327
1187000
3000
Paano ko nililikha ang sarili kong buhay?
20:08
And I think it is by questioning,
328
1190000
2000
Naiisip ko na sa pagtatanong,
20:10
and saying to myself that there are no absolute truths.
329
1192000
5000
at pagsasabi sa sarili na walang katotohanan na lubos.
20:15
I believe in specifics, the specifics of story,
330
1197000
4000
Naniniwala ako sa mga partikular, ang mga partikular ng kuwento,
20:19
and the past, the specifics of that past,
331
1201000
3000
at ang lumipas, ang mga partikular ng lumipas,
20:22
and what is happening in the story at that point.
332
1204000
4000
at ang nangyayari sa kuwento sa puntong iyon.
20:26
I also believe that in thinking about things --
333
1208000
3000
Naniniwala din ako na sa paglilimi tungkol sa mga bagay-bagay,
20:29
my thinking about luck, and fate, and coincidences and accidents,
334
1211000
4000
sa pag-iisip ko tungkol sa suwerte, sa tadhana, sa nagkakataon at aksidente,
20:33
God's will, and the synchrony of mysterious forces --
335
1215000
4000
kalooban ng Diyos, at ang pagkakaisa ng mga mahihiwagang puwersa,
20:37
I will come to some notion of what that is, how we create.
336
1219000
6000
darating sa akin ang pagkaunawa kung ano iyan, kung paano tayo lumilikha.
20:43
I have to think of my role. Where I am in the universe,
337
1225000
4000
Kailangang isipin ko ang aking ginagampanan. Kung nasaan ako sa sangkalawakan,
20:47
and did somebody intend for me to be that way, or is it just something I came up with?
338
1229000
5000
at kung mayroon nag-intensyon na gayon ang kalagayan ko, o isang bagay ito na dala ko sa aking sarili?
20:52
And I also can find that by imagining fully, and becoming what is imagined --
339
1234000
8000
At nakita ko rin ito sa pamamagitan ng ganap na imahinasyon, at ang pagiging ang bagay na nilikha ng isip,
21:00
and yet is in that real world, the fictional world.
340
1242000
3000
na nasa tunay na mundo, ang mundo ng kathang-isip.
21:03
And that is how I find particles of truth, not the absolute truth, or the whole truth.
341
1245000
8000
Ganito kung paano ako nakakakita ng mga mga butil ng katotohanan, hindi ang tiyak ng katotohanan, o ang buong katotohanan.
21:11
And they have to be in all possibilities,
342
1253000
2000
Kailangan naroon sila sa lahat ng posibilidad,
21:13
including those I never considered before.
343
1255000
3000
kasama na iyong mga hindi ko pa naiisip.
21:16
So, there are never complete answers.
344
1258000
3000
Kaya't walang ganap na sagot.
21:19
Or rather, if there is an answer, it is to remind
345
1261000
5000
O kaya naman, kung may sagot, ito ang paalalahanan
21:24
myself that there is uncertainty in everything,
346
1266000
4000
ang sarili ko na may di-katiyakan ang lahat,
21:28
and that is good, because then I will discover something new.
347
1270000
5000
na mabuti naman. Sapagka't noon makakatuklas ako ng bago.
21:33
And if there is a partial answer, a more complete answer from me,
348
1275000
4000
At kung may sagot na di-lubos, isang may kalubusang sagot mula sa akin,
21:37
it is to simply imagine.
349
1279000
3000
ang maggunam-gunam.
21:40
And to imagine is to put myself in that story,
350
1282000
4000
At ang maggunam-gunam ay ilagay ang aking sarili sa kuwento,
21:44
until there was only -- there is a transparency between me and the story that I am creating.
351
1286000
6000
hanggang sa matira na lang – walang balakid ang sinag sa pagitan ko at ang kuwentong nililikha.
21:50
And that's how I've discovered that if I feel what is in the story
352
1292000
6000
Gayun ko natuklasan na kung nararamdaman ko ang nasa kuwento
21:56
-- in one story -- then I come the closest, I think,
353
1298000
6000
– sa isang kuwento – saka ako lalong nalalapit, sa aking palagay,
22:02
to knowing what compassion is, to feeling that compassion.
354
1304000
4000
na maunawaan kung ano ang pagkahabag [compassion], na madama ang kahabagan.
22:06
Because for everything,
355
1308000
2000
Dahil sa ang lahat,
22:08
in that question of how things happen, it has to do with the feeling.
356
1310000
4000
sa tanong na kung paano nangyayari ang lahat, natutungkol ito sa damdamin.
22:12
I have to become the story in order to understand a lot of that.
357
1314000
6000
Kailangan ko ang maging ang kuwento para maunawaan ko ang marami sa mga iyan.
22:18
We've come to the end of the talk,
358
1320000
2000
Nakarating na tayo sa katapusan ng panayam,
22:20
and I will reveal what is in the bag, and it is the muse,
359
1322000
4000
at ibubunya ko ang nasa bag, at ito ang musa ["muse"],
22:24
and it is the things that transform in our lives,
360
1326000
3000
at ito ang mga bagay na nagbabago ng anyo ng ating buhay,
22:27
that are wonderful and stay with us.
361
1329000
10000
na kamangha-mangha at nananatili sa atin.
22:37
There she is.
362
1339000
1000
Hayon siya.
22:38
Thank you very much!
363
1340000
2000
Maraming salamat!
22:40
(Applause)
364
1342000
6000
(Palakpakan)
Translated by Resty Cena
Reviewed by chris s

▲Back to top

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Amy Tan - Novelist
Amy Tan is the author of such beloved books as The Joy Luck Club, The Kitchen God's Wife and The Hundred Secret Senses.

Why you should listen

Born in the US to immigrant parents from China, Amy Tan rejected her mother's expectations that she become a doctor and concert pianist. She chose to write fiction instead. Her much-loved, best-selling novels have been translated into 35 languages. In 2008, she wrote a libretto for The Bonesetter's Daughter, which premiered that September with the San Francisco Opera.

Tan was the creative consultant for Sagwa, the Emmy-nominated PBS series for children, and she has appeared as herself on The Simpsons. She's the lead rhythm dominatrix, backup singer and second tambourine with the Rock Bottom Remainders, a literary garage band that has raised more than a million dollars for literacy programs.

More profile about the speaker
Amy Tan | Speaker | TED.com