我九歲的時候
When I was nine years old,
第一次去參加夏令營
I went off to summer camp for the first time.
媽媽在我的行李箱裡裝滿了書
And my mother packed me a suitcase full of books,
我覺得這是很正常的事情
which to me seemed like a perfectly natural thing to do.
因為在我的家庭中 閱讀是最主要的集體活動
Because in my family, reading was the primary group activity.
聽上去可能不太合群
And this might sound antisocial to you,
但是對我們來說只是接觸社會的另一種途徑
but for us it was really just a different way of being social.
可以有寵物呆在旁邊 溫暖陪伴著你
You have the animal warmth of your family sitting right next to you,
也可以在精神探險的世界中
but you are also free to go roaming around the adventureland
自由漫步
inside your own mind.
我想象中
And I had this idea
野營可能也會這樣 當然要更好些
that camp was going to be just like this, but better.
我設想的是會有十個小女孩圍坐在小木屋裡
I had a vision of 10 girls sitting in a cabin
穿著合身的睡衣愜意的享受讀書的過程
cozily reading books in their matching nightgowns.
但野營其實更像一個不提供酒水的派對
Camp was more like a keg party without any alcohol.
第一天開始的時候
And on the very first day,
指導老師把我們都集合在一起
our counselor gathered us all together
教了我們一種今後都會用到的慶祝方式
and she taught us a cheer that she said we would be doing
在餘下夏令營的每一天中讓“露營精神”浸潤我們
every day for the rest of the summer to instill camp spirit.
它就像這個樣子：
And it went like this:
“R-O-W-D-I-E
“R-O-W-D-I-E,
這是我們拼寫“吵鬧”的方式
that’s the way we spell rowdie.
喧譁 喊叫 讓我們變得吵鬧一點”
Rowdie, rowdie, let’s get rowdie.”
就是這樣
Yeah.
可我就是弄不明白我的生活會是什麼樣的
So I couldn’t figure out for the life of me
為什麼我們需要變得這麼吵鬧粗暴
why we were supposed to be so rowdy,
或者為什麼我們非得把這個單詞拼錯
or why we had to spell this word incorrectly.
可我沒忘記慶祝 我與每個人都互相歡呼慶祝了
But I recited a cheer. I recited a cheer along with everybody else.
我盡了最大努力
I did my best.
就是在等一刻什麼時候能夠離開去看書
And I just waited for the time that I could go off and read my books.
但是我第一次把書從行李箱裡拿出來的時候
But the first time that I took my book out of my suitcase,
宿舍裡最酷的那個女孩就走過來
the coolest girl in the bunk came up to me
問我說：“你為什麼這麼安靜？”
and she asked me, “Why are you being so mellow?”
安靜 這當然是喧鬧的反義詞
mellow, of course, being the exact opposite
R-O-W-D-I-E的反義詞
of R-O-W-D-I-E.
我第二次拿出書本時
And then the second time I tried it,
指導老師滿臉憂鬱的走了過來
the counselor came up to me with a concerned expression on her face
接著她重複了“露營精神”的要點
and she repeated the point about camp spirit
並且說我們都要努力變得外向
and said we should all work very hard to be outgoing.
於是我就把書收起來
And so I put my books away,
放回了屬於他們的行李箱
back in their suitcase,
然後塞進了床底下
and I put them under my bed,
在那裡 它們度過了暑假餘下的時光
and there they stayed for the rest of the summer.
這讓我覺得有點內疚
And I felt kind of guilty about this.
不知道為什麼 我覺得這些書需要我
I felt as if the books needed me somehow,
它們在努力呼喚我 但我卻棄之不顧
and they were calling out to me and I was forsaking them.
我確實拋棄了它們 直到夏末
But I did forsake them and I didn’t open that suitcase again
我和家人回到家 才終於打開了那個箱子
until I was back home with my family at the end of the summer.
現在 我告訴你們這個故事
Now, I tell you this story about summer camp.
我本可以講出其他50個類似的故事
I could have told you 50 others just like it
一直以來身邊都有這樣的聲音
all the times that I got the message
告訴我某種程度上 我的安靜和內向
that somehow my quiet and introverted style of being
並不是正確道路上的必需品
was not necessarily the right way to go,
我應該努力成為一個外向的人
that I should be trying to pass as more of an extrovert.
而我內心深處則覺得這是不對的
And I always sensed deep down that this was wrong
內向的人們都是非常優秀的
and that introverts were pretty excellent just as they were.
確實如此 但多年來我都否認了這種直覺
But for years I denied this intuition,
於是我首先成為了華爾街的一名律師
and so I became a Wall Street lawyer, of all things,
而不是我長久以來都想成為的那種作家
instead of the writer that I had always longed to be —
這樣做的一部分原因是想要證明 自己也可以變得大膽和自信
partly because I needed to prove to myself that I could be bold and assertive too.
當想要和朋友一起享受晚餐時
And I was always going off to crowded bars
我卻總是去了吵鬧的酒吧
when I really would have preferred to just have a nice dinner with friends.
我做出了這些自我否認的抉擇
And I made these self-negating choices so reflexively,
甚至我都不清楚我做出了這些決定
that I wasn’t even aware that I was making them.
這就是很多內向的人正在做的事
Now this is what many introverts do,
這當然是我們的損失
and it’s our loss for sure,
我們所在團隊集體的損失
but it is also our colleagues’ loss
我們社會的損失
and our communities’ loss.
冒著被認為是誇大其詞的風險 我想說這也是世界的損失
And at the risk of sounding grandiose, it is the world’s loss.
因為當涉及創造力和領導力時
Because when it comes to creativity and to leadership,
我們需要內向的人做到最好
we need introverts doing what they do best.
世界上三分之一到二分之一的人都是內向的
A third to a half of the population are introverts —
三分之一到二分之一
a third to a half.
這意味著每兩三個人中就有一個人是內向的
So that’s one out of every two or three people you know.
所以即使你自己是一個外向的人
So even if you’re an extrovert yourself,
但你的同事
I’m talking about your coworkers
妻子或者孩子
and your spouses and your children
或者現在坐在你身邊的人
and the person sitting next to you right now —
他們都可能要屈從於這種偏見
all of them subject to this bias
這種偏見在我們社會中根深蒂固並且確實存在
that is pretty deep and real in our society.
只是我們從很小的時候就把它藏在內心最深處
We all internalize it from a very early age
甚至對於我們正在做的事 都不說幾句話
without even having a language for what we’re doing.
現在 讓我們來清楚的看待這種偏見
Now, to see the bias clearly,
首先我們需要了解“內向”到底是什麼
you need to understand what introversion is.
內向和害羞不同
It’s different from being shy.
害羞是對於社會評價的恐懼
Shyness is about fear of social judgment.
內向更多的是
Introversion is more about,
你以什麼方式回應外界刺激
how do you respond to stimulation,
包括來自社會的刺激
including social stimulation.
其實外向的人通常渴望大量外界刺激
So extroverts really crave large amounts of stimulation,
但內向的人最能感覺到他們自己
whereas introverts feel at their most alive
精力最充足 最有能力的時候
and their most switched-on and their most capable
是在比較安靜 低刺激的環境中
when they’re in quieter, more low-key environments.
並不是一直如此 這些事也不是絕對的
Not all the time — these things aren’t absolute
但大多數時候是這樣
but a lot of the time.
所以激發我們潛能的關鍵
So the key then to maximizing our talents
是讓我們自己
is for us all to put ourselves
處在正確又合適的激勵區域當中
in the zone of stimulation that is right for us.
但現在偏見又出現了
But now here’s where the bias comes in.
我們最重要的一些機構
Our most important institutions,
我們的學校 工作單位
our schools and our workplaces,
大多都是外向者設計的
they are designed mostly for extroverts
並且有適合他們的刺激與鼓勵
and for extroverts’ need for lots of stimulation.
當然我們現在也有這樣一種信任機制
And also we have this belief system right now
我把它稱為新型的“團隊思考”
that I call the new groupthink,
這是一種包含所有創造力和生產力的思考方式
which holds that all creativity and all productivity
從一個社交非常零散的地方產生的
comes from a very oddly gregarious place.
如果你描繪今天典型教室的圖案時：
So if you picture the typical classroom nowadays:
當我還上學的時候 我們一排排地坐著
When I was going to school, we sat in rows.
我們靠著桌子一排排坐著就像這樣
We sat in rows of desks like this,
我們自覺完成大部分的工作
and we did most of our work pretty autonomously.
但是現代社會 所謂典型的教室是些圈起來並排的桌子
But nowadays, your typical classroom has pods of desks —
四個或是五個或是六 七個孩子面對面坐在一起
four or five or six or seven kids all facing each other.
孩子們要完成無數個小組任務
And kids are working in countless group assignments.
甚至是數學和創意寫作這種
Even in subjects like math and creative writing,
也就是你們認為需要依靠個人閃光想法的課程
which you think would depend on solo flights of thought,
孩子們現在被期待成為小組會的成員
kids are now expected to act as committee members.
對於那些喜歡獨處 或者一個人工作的孩子來說
And for the kids who prefer to go off by themselves or just to work alone,
他們常常被視為局外人
those kids are seen as outliers often
或者更糟的是 他們被視為問題孩子
or, worse, as problem cases.
並且很大一部分老師的報告中都相信
And the vast majority of teachers
相對於內向學生來說
reports believing that the ideal student is an extrovert
最理想的學生應該是外向的
as opposed to an introvert,
即使內向學生能夠取得更好的成績
even though introverts actually get better grades
知識更加淵博
and are more knowledgeable,
這是報道中的結果
according to research.
同樣的事情也發生在我們工作單位
Okay, same thing is true in our workplaces.
現在 我們大多數都工作在寬敞沒有隔間的辦公室裡
Now, most of us work in open plan offices,
甚至都沒有牆
without walls,
我們在不斷的噪音和同事的目光下工作
where we are subject to the constant noise and gaze of our coworkers.
談及領導力方面
And when it comes to leadership,
內向的人總是按照慣例從領導的位置被忽視了
introverts are routinely passed over for leadership positions,
儘管內向的人是非常小心仔細的
even though introverts tend to be very careful,
很少去冒特大的風險
much less likely to take outsize risks
這些風險是今天我們可能都喜歡的
which is something we might all favor nowadays.
賓夕法尼亞大學沃頓商學院的亞當·格蘭特教授做了一項很有意思的研究
And interesting research by Adam Grant at the Wharton School
這項研究表明內向的領導
has found that introverted leaders
比外向領導更能帶來巨大的效益
often deliver better outcomes than extroverts do,
因為當他們管理主動積極的僱員的時候
because when they are managing proactive employees,
他們更傾向於讓有主見的僱員去自由發揮
they’re much more likely to let those employees run with their ideas,
反之外向的領導就可能 不經意的
whereas an extrovert can, quite unwittingly,
對於事情變得十分激動
get so excited about things
他們在事情上有了自己想法的印跡
that they’re putting their own stamp on things,
這使其他人的想法可能就不會很容易地 在舞臺上發光了
and other people’s ideas might not as easily then bubble up to the surface.
事實上 歷史上一些有改革能力的領袖都是內向的人
Now in fact, some of our transformative leaders in history have been introverts.
我會給你們舉幾個例子
I’ll give you some examples.
埃莉諾·羅斯福 羅沙·帕克斯 甘地
Eleanor Roosevelt, Rosa Parks, Gandhi
所有這些人都把自己描述成 內向 說話溫柔且害羞的人
all these peopled described themselves as quiet and soft-spoken and even shy.
他們都站在了聚光燈下
And they all took the spotlight,
即使他們渾身上下 都感知他們說不要
even though every bone in their bodies was telling them not to.
這證明那是一種屬於它自身的特殊力量
And this turns out to have a special power all its own,
因為人們都會感覺這些領導者同時是掌舵者
because people could feel that these leaders were at the helm
並不是因為他們喜歡指揮別人
not because they enjoyed directing others
抑或是享受眾人目光的聚焦
and not out of the pleasure of being looked at;
他們處在那個位置因為他們沒有選擇
they were there because they had no choice,
因為他們行駛在他們認為正確的道路上
because they were driven to do what they thought was right.
現在我覺得對於這點我有必要說
Now I think at this point it’s important for me to say
那就是我真的喜愛外向的人
that I actually love extroverts.
我總是喜歡說我最好的幾個朋友都是外向的人
I always like to say some of my best friends are extroverts,
包括我親愛的丈夫
including my beloved husband.
當然了我們都會在觀點不同時有所偏向
And we all fall at different points, of course,
內向者/外向者的範圍
along the introvert/extrovert spectrum.
甚至是卡爾·榮格 這個讓這些名詞為大眾所熟知的心理學家
Even Carl Jung, the psychologist who first popularized these terms,
他認為世上絕沒有一個純粹的內向的人
said that there’s no such thing as a pure introvert
或一個純粹的外向的人
or a pure extrovert.
他說如果這樣的人存在話
He said that such a man would be in a lunatic asylum,
那他一定在精神病院裡
if he existed at all.
還有一些人處在內向與外向之間
And some people fall smack in the middle of the introvert/extrovert spectrum,
我們稱這些人為“中向性格者”
and we call these people ambiverts.
並且我總是認為他們擁有世界最美好的一切
And I often think that they have the best of all worlds.
但是我們中的大多數總是認為自己屬於內向或外向 或是其中一類
But many of us do recognize ourselves as one type or the other.
同時我覺得從文化意義上講 我們需要一種更好的平衡
And what I’m saying is that culturally, we need a much better balance.
我們需要更多陰陽的平衡在這兩種類型的人之間
We need more of a yin and yang between these two types.
涉及創造力和生產力的時候
This is especially important
這點是極為重要的
when it comes to creativity and to productivity,
因為當心理學家們看待 最有創造力人的生命的時候
because when psychologists look at the lives of the most creative people,
他們尋找到的是
what they find
那些擅長變換思維的人
are people who are very good at exchanging ideas
那些提出想法的人
and advancing ideas,
他們同時也有著極為顯著的偏內向的痕跡
but who also have a serious streak of introversion in them.
這是因為獨處關鍵的
And this is because solitude
組成要素就是創造力
is a crucial ingredient often to creativity.
所以達爾文
So Darwin,
自己一個人漫步在小樹林裡
he took long walks alone in the woods
斷然拒絕了晚餐派對的邀約
and emphatically turned down dinner-party invitations.
更多時候以蘇索博士名號知名的西奧多·蓋索
Theodor Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss,
在他加利福尼亞州拉霍亞市房子的後面的
he dreamed up many of his amazing creations
一座孤獨的束層的塔形辦公室中
in a lonely bell tower office that he had
夢想過創作了許多驚人的作品
in the back of his house in La Jolla, California.
而其實他很害怕見那些讀過他的書的年輕的孩子
And he was actually afraid to meet the young children who read his books
害怕他們會期待他 這樣一位令人愉快的 聖誕老人形象的人物
for fear that they were expecting him this kind of jolly Santa Claus-like figure
同時又會因發現他含蓄緘默的性格而失望
and would be disappointed with his more reserved persona.
史蒂夫·沃茲尼亞克發明了第一臺蘋果電腦
Steve Wozniak invented the first Apple computer
一個人獨自坐在他的機櫃旁
sitting alone in his cubicle in Hewlett-Packard
在他當時工作的惠普公司
where he was working at the time.
並且他說他永遠不會在那方面成為一號專家
And he says that he never would have become such an expert in the first place
但他還沒因太內向到要離開那裡
had he not been too introverted to leave the house
那個他成長起來的地方
when he was growing up.
當然了
Now, of course,
這並不意味著我們都應該停止合作
this does not mean that we should all stop collaborating —
一個恰當的例子 是史蒂夫·沃茲尼亞克和史蒂夫·喬布斯的著名聯手
and case in point, is Steve Wozniak famously coming together with Steve Jobs
創建蘋果電腦公司
to start Apple Computer —
這跟獨處沒什麼重大關係
but it does mean that solitude matters
對於一些人來說 這是他們賴以呼吸生存的空氣
and that for some people it is the air that they breathe.
事實上 幾個世紀以來我們已經非常明白 獨處的卓越力量
And in fact, we have known for centuries about the transcendent power of solitude.
只是到了最近 非常奇怪 我們開始遺忘它了
It’s only recently that we’ve strangely begun to forget it.
如果你看看世界上主要的宗教
If you look at most of the world’s major religions,
你會發現探尋者
you will find seekers —
摩西 耶穌 佛祖 穆罕默德
Moses, Jesus, Buddha, Muhammad —
那些獨身去探尋的人們 在大自然的曠野中獨處思索
seekers who are going off by themselves alone to the wilderness,
在那裡 他們有了深刻的頓悟和對於奧義的揭示
where they then have profound epiphanies and revelations
之後他們把這些思想傳播到社會其他
that they then bring back to the rest of the community.
沒有曠原 沒有啟示的地方
So, no wilderness, no revelations.
儘管這並不令人驚訝
This is no surprise, though,
如果你讀一下現代心理學的思想理論
if you look at the insights of contemporary psychology.
它揭示的是如果我們不去本能的模仿同一組人的意見和想法
It turns out that we can’t even be in a group of people
我們甚至都不能和同一組的人相處
without instinctively mirroring, mimicking their opinions.
甚至有些想法看上去私人的 發自內心的事情
Even about seemingly personal and visceral things
像是你被誰所吸引這種
like who you’re attracted to,
你會開始模仿你周圍的人的信仰
you will start aping the beliefs of the people around you
甚至都覺察不到自己在做什麼
without even realizing that that’s what you’re doing.
還曾跟隨群體的意見
And groups famously follow the opinions
跟隨著房間裡最具有統治力 領袖氣質的人的思路
of the most dominant or charismatic person in the room,
雖然這與成為一個卓越的演講家還是擁有最好的主意之間
even though there’s zero correlation
真的沒什麼關係
between being the best talker and having the best ideas —
我的意思是“零相關”
I mean zero.
那麼
So —
你們或許會跟隨有最好頭腦的人
You might be following the person with the best ideas,
但是你們也許不會
but you might not.
可你們真的想把這機會扔掉嗎？
And do you really want to leave it up to chance?
如果每個人都自己行動或許好得多
Much better for everybody to go off by themselves,
發掘他們自己的想法
generate their own ideas
沒有群體動力學的曲解
freed from the distortions of group dynamics,
然後聚集到一起組成一個團隊
and then come together as a team
在一個良好的管理環境中互相交流
to talk them through in a well-managed environment
並且在那裡學習借鑑其他的思想
and take it from there.
如果說這一切都是真的
Now if all this is true,
那麼為什麼我們還得到這樣錯誤的結論？
then why are we getting it so wrong?
為什麼我們要這樣創立我們的學校 我們的工作單位？
Why are we setting up our schools this way, and our workplaces?
為什麼我們要讓這些內向的人覺得那麼愧疚
And why are we making these introverts feel so guilty
對於他們只是想要離開 一個人獨處一段時間的事實？
about wanting to just go off by themselves some of the time?
有一個解釋在我們的文化史中埋藏已久
One answer lies deep in our cultural history.
西方社會
Western societies,
特別是美國
and in particular the U.S.,
總是偏愛有行動的人 而非一個有思考的人
have always favored the man of action over the “man” of contemplation.
美國早期的時候
But in America’s early days,
我們生活在一個被歷史學家稱作“性格特徵”的文化的環境下
we lived in what historians call a culture of character,
那時我們仍然 在這點上 判斷人們的價值
where we still, at that point, valued people
從人們的內涵和道義正直
for their inner selves and their moral rectitude.
而且如果你翻閱這個時代關於自立的書籍的話
And if you look at the self-help books from this era,
它們都有這樣一種標題：
they all had titles with things like
“性格 世界上最偉大的事物”
“Character, the Grandest Thing in the World.”
並且它們標榜亞伯拉罕·林肯這樣的人
And they featured role models like Abraham Lincoln,
一個被描述成謙虛低調的男人
who was praised for being modest and unassuming.
拉爾夫·瓦爾多·愛默生稱他是
Ralph Waldo Emerson called him
“一個以‘優越’二字形容都不為過的人”
“A man who does not offend by superiority.”
但是到了二十世紀
But then we hit the 20th century,
我們融入了一種新的文化
and we entered a new culture
一種被歷史學家稱作是“個性”的文化
that historians call the culture of personality.
所發生的改變就是我們從農業經濟發展為
What happened is we had evolved an agricultural economy
一個大商業經濟的世界
to a world of big business.
而且人們突然開始從小的城鎮搬向城市
And so suddenly people are moving from small towns to the cities.
並且一改之前在生活中和所熟識的人們一起工作的方式
And instead of working alongside people they’ve known all their lives,
現在他們 在一群陌生人中間有必要去證明自己
now they are having to prove themselves in a crowd of strangers.
這樣做是相當可以理解的
So, quite understandably,
像領袖氣質和個人魅力這樣的品質 突然間似乎變得極為重要
qualities like magnetism and charisma suddenly come to seem really important.
那麼可以肯定的是 自助自立的書的內容變更了以適應這些新的需求
And sure enough, the self-help books change to meet these new needs
它們開始擁有自己的名稱
and they start to have names
像是《如何贏得朋友和影響他人》
like “How to Win Friends and Influence People.”
它們的特點是做自己的榜樣 不得不說確實是好的推銷員
And they feature as their role models really great salesmen.
所以這就是我們今天生活的世界
So that’s the world we’re living in today.
這是我們文化遺產
That’s our cultural inheritance.
現在沒有誰能說 社交技能是不重要的
Now none of this is to say that social skills are unimportant,
並且我也不是想呼籲 大家廢除團隊合作模式
and I’m also not calling for the abolishing of teamwork at all.
但相同的宗教 卻把他們的聖人送到了孤獨的山頂上
The same religions who send their sages off to lonely mountain tops
仍然教導我們愛與信任
also teach us love and trust.
還有我們今天所要面對的問題
And the problems that we are facing today
比如在科學和經濟領域
in fields like science and in economics
它們是如此的巨大和複雜
are so vast and so complex
以至於我們需要人們強有力地團結起來
that we are going to need armies of people coming together
共同解決這些問題
to solve them working together.
但是我想說 越給內向者自由讓他們做自己
But I am saying that the more freedom that we give introverts to be themselves,
他們就做得越好
the more likely that they are
他們可以想出獨特的問題解決辦法
to come up with their own unique solutions to these problems.
所以現在我很高興同你們分享 我手提箱中的東西
So now I’d like to share with you what’s in my suitcase today.
猜猜這是什麼？
Guess what?
書
Books.
我有一個手提箱裡面裝滿了書
I have a suitcase full of books.
這是瑪格麗特·阿特伍德的《貓的眼睛》
Here’s Margaret Atwood, “Cat’s Eye.”
這是一本米蘭·昆德拉的書
Here’s a novel by Milan Kundera.
這是邁蒙尼德寫的《迷途指津》
And here’s “The Guide for the Perplexed” by Maimonides.
但這些實際上都不是我的書
But these are not exactly my books.
可我還是帶著它們
I brought these books with me
因為它們都是我祖父最喜愛的作家所寫
because they were written by my grandfather’s favorite authors.
我的祖父是一名猶太教祭司
My grandfather was a rabbi
他孤身一人
and he was a widower
住在布魯克林的一間小公寓中
who lived alone in a small apartment in Brooklyn
那裡是我從小到大在這個世界上最喜愛的地方
that was my favorite place in the world when I was growing up,
部分原因是它充滿非常溫和親切的 溫文爾雅的舉止
partly because it was filled with his very gentle, very courtly presence
部分原因是那裡充滿了書
and partly because it was filled with books.
毫不誇張地說 公寓中的每張桌子 每張椅子
I mean literally every table, every chair in this apartment
都充分應用著它原有的功能
had yielded its original function
就是現在作為承載一大堆都在搖曳的書的表面
to now serve as a surface for swaying stacks of books.
就像我其他的家庭成員一樣
Just like the rest of my family,
在這個世界上 我祖父最喜歡做的事情就是閱讀
my grandfather’s favorite thing to do in the whole world was to read.
但是他同樣也熱愛他的宗教
But he also loved his congregation,
並且你們可以從他的講述中感覺到這種熱愛
and you could feel this love in the sermons that he gave
62年來每週他都會擔任猶太教的祭司
every week for the 62 years that he was a rabbi.
他會從每週的閱讀中汲取養分
He would takes the fruits of each week’s reading
並且他會編織
and he would weave
這些錯綜複雜的古代和人文主義的思想的掛毯
these intricate tapestries of ancient and humanist thought.
人們會從各個地方前來 聽他的演講
And people would come from all over to hear him speak.
有這麼一件關於我祖父的事情
But here’s the thing about my grandfather.
在這個正式的角色下隱藏著
Underneath this ceremonial role,
他是一個非常謙虛的非常內向的人
he was really modest and really introverted —
是那麼的謙虛內向以至於 他在向人們講述的時候
so much so that when he delivered these sermons,
都不敢和教堂聽眾有眼神交流
he had trouble making eye contact
他已經發言有62年了
with the very same congregation that he had been speaking to for 62 years.
甚至都還遠離領獎臺
And even away from the podium,
當你們讓他說“你好”的時候
when you called him to say hello,
他總會提早結束這對話擔心
he would often end the conversation prematurely
他會佔用你太多的時間
for fear that he was taking up too much of your time.
但是當他94歲去世的時候
But when he died at the age of 94,
警察們需要封鎖他所居住的街道鄰里
the police had to close down the streets of his neighborhood
以便容納擁擠前來哀悼他的人們
to accommodate the crowd of people who came out to mourn him.
這些天來我都試著用我自己的方式
And so these days I try to learn from my grandfather’s example
從我祖父的事例中學習
in my own way.
所以我就出版了一本關於內向性格的書
So I just published a book about introversion,
我用了7年的時間完成它
and it took me about seven years to write.
對我來說 這七年像是一種極大的喜悅
And for me, that seven years was like total bliss,
因為我在閱讀 我在寫作
because I was reading, I was writing,
我在思考 我在探尋
I was thinking, I was researching.
這是我的版本
It was my version
講述祖父一天中幾個小時都要獨自待在圖書館這件事
of my grandfather’s hours of the day alone in his library.
但是現在突然間我的工作變得很不同了
But now all of a sudden my job is very different,
我的工作變成了站在這裡講述它
and my job is to be out here talking about it,
講述內向的性格
talking about introversion.
這對於我來說有一點困難
And that’s a lot harder for me,
因為我很榮幸在現在被你們所有人所傾聽
because as honored as I am to be here with all of you right now,
這可不是我自然的文化背景
this is not my natural milieu.
所以我盡我所能準備了一會就像這樣
So I prepared for moments like these as best I could.
我最近一年一有機會
I spent the last year practicing public speaking
我就練習公共演講
every chance I could get.
我把這一年稱作“危險地發言的一年”
And I call this my “year of speaking dangerously.”
但它的確幫了我很大的忙
And that actually helped a lot.
我要告訴你們一個幫我更大的忙的事情
But I’ll tell you, what helps even more
那就是我的感覺 信仰 我的希望當談及我們態度的時候
is my sense, my belief, my hope that when it comes to our attitudes
對於內向性格的 對於安靜 對於獨處的態度時
to introversion and to quiet and to solitude,
我們確實是在急劇變化的邊緣上保持微妙的平衡
we truly are poised on the brink on dramatic change.
我的意思是 我們在保持平衡
I mean, we are.
現在我將要給你們留下一些東西
And so I am going to leave you now
三件對於你們的行動有幫助的事情 獻給那些觀看我的演講的人
with three calls for action for those who share this vision.
第一：
Number one:
停止經常要團隊協作的執迷與瘋狂
Stop the madness for constant group work.
停下就好了
Just stop it.
謝謝你們
Thank you.
我想讓我所說的事讓你們更明白一些
And I want to be clear about what I’m saying,
因為我深信我們的辦公室
because I deeply believe our offices
應該是鼓勵式的 休閒隨意聊天似的咖啡廳一樣
should be encouraging casual, chatty cafe-style types of interactions —
道不同不相為謀 人們聚到一起
you know, the kind where people come together
相互交流著著寶貴的意見
and serendipitously have an exchange of ideas.
這真的很棒
That is great.
無論對於內向者和外向者 這都有好處
It’s great for introverts and it’s great for extroverts.
但是我們需要更多的隱私和自由
But we need much more privacy and much more freedom
還有更多對於我們本身工作的自主權
and much more autonomy at work.
學校 也同樣如此
School, same thing.
我們需要教會孩子們要一起學習工作
We need to be teaching kids to work together, for sure,
但是我們同樣需要教會孩子們怎麼樣獨立完成任務
but we also need to be teaching them how to work on their own.
這對於外向的孩子們來說同樣是極為重要的
This is especially important for extroverted children too.
他們需要獨立完成工作
They need to work on their own
這是他們深刻思考的來源
because that is where deep thought comes from in part.
好了 第二點：去野外（打開思維）
Okay, number two: Go to the wilderness.
就像佛祖一樣 擁有你們自己對於事物的揭示啟迪
Be like Buddha, have your own revelations.
我並不是說
I’m not saying
我們都要跑去小樹林裡建造我們自己的小屋
that we all have to now go off and build our own cabins in the woods
之後就永遠不和別人說話了
and never talk to each other again,
但是我想說的是 我們可以堅持清除一些障礙物
but I am saying that we could all stand to unplug
然後時不時深入我們的大腦進行思考
and get inside our own heads a little more often.
第三點：
Number three:
好好看一眼你的旅行箱內有什麼東西
Take a good look at what’s inside your own suitcase
思考一下你為什麼把它放進去
and why you put it there.
所以外向者們
So extroverts,
也許你們的箱子內同樣堆滿了書
maybe your suitcases are also full of books.
或者它們裝滿了香檳的玻璃酒杯 或跳傘設備
Or maybe they’re full of champagne glasses or skydiving equipment.
不管它是什麼 我希望有機會的時候你們就把它拿出來
Whatever it is, I hope you take these things out every chance you get
用你的能量和快樂讓我們感受到美和享受
and grace us with your energy and your joy.
但是內向者們 你們作為內向者
But introverts, you being you,
你們很有可能有一種衝動
you probably have the impulse to guard very carefully
仔細保護你箱子裡的所有東西
what’s inside your own suitcase.
這沒有問題
And that’s okay.
但是偶爾地 只是說偶爾地
But occasionally, just occasionally,
我希望你們可以打開手提箱 讓別人看一看
I hope you will open up your suitcases for other people to see,
因為這個世界需要你們 同樣需要你們身上所攜帶的你們特有的事物
because the world needs you and it needs the things you carry.
所以對於你們即將開啟的所有旅程
So I wish you the best of all possible journeys
我都給予最美好的祝願 還有溫柔說話的勇氣
and the courage to speak softly.
非常感謝你們
Thank you very much.
謝謝大家 感謝
Thank you. Thank you.
END
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圖源網絡.侵聯刪 .
祝福你.謝謝你.我愛你
————————————
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