演講者：Tom Nash
演講題目：The perks of being a pirate
簡介：在這場充滿魅力和幽默的演講中，DJ和自稱是海盜的湯姆·納什（Tom Nash）思考如何因殘疾而面對逆境，以開明，出乎意料的方式將耐心，雄心和實用主義帶入他的生活。 他說：“我們每個人都有自己的弱點。” “如果我們對它們是誠實的話，我們可以學習如何最好地利用它們。”
About the talk: In this deeply charming and humorous talk, DJ and self-professed pirate Tom Nash meditates on how facing adversity due to disability invited patience, ambition and pragmatism into his life in enlightening, unexpected ways. "We all have unique weaknesses," he says. "If we're honest about what they are, we can learn how to best take advantage of them."
中英文對照
Often when I'm out in public, a child will stare at me. And if the child is particularly brave, they'll approach me and ask: "Are you a pirate?"
當我在公共場所的時候， 總會有個小孩盯著我。 如果這個小孩比較勇敢， 他會走過來問我： “你是海盜嗎？”
00:29
To which I then need to respond, once again, "Yes."
而我就得再一次回答， “沒錯。”
00:36
I mean, let's be honest: I've got two hooks, prosthetic legs and a penchant for hard liquor.
我是說，大家都知道的： 我手裝倆鉤子， 雙腿義肢，還嗜好烈酒。
00:42
All I need is an eye-patch and a parrot, and I'm basically there.
再加一個眼罩 和一隻鸚鵡就齊活了。
00:48
But I like being a pirate. I find many advantages to having a disability, and I'm not just talking about the money I save on gloves ...
不過我喜歡當海盜。 我發覺殘疾也能有許多好處， 我指的不僅是可以 省下買手套的錢……
00:57
(Laughter)
01:00
or the fantastically legitimate excuse for never having to master chopsticks.
或是有不用學用筷子的 極其合理的藉口。
01:04
(Laughter)
01:05
I'm talking about real advantages I feel I've gained, having gone through physical adversity.
我指的是在經受了 身體上的患難後， 我覺得我真正得到的好處。
01:11
When I was 19, I contracted a disease that resulted in the loss of both my arms at the elbows, both my legs below the knee, and left enough scars on my face to elicit jealousy in Freddy Krueger.
在我 19 歲時， 我染上了一種病， 使我失去了手肘以下的雙臂， 膝蓋以下的雙腿， 在我臉上留下的傷疤之多， 可以讓殺手弗萊迪都嫉妒三分。
01:22
(Laughter)
01:24
Now, I may never be able to communicate in sign language, but my increased resilience and general ability to problem-solve has been heightened by being forced to think laterally to overcome problems that most people aren't faced with.
我也許永遠也不能 用手語交流了， 但我的適應力和解決問題的 能力已經得到大幅提高， 因為我被迫橫向思考， 來克服大多數人 都不會遇到的問題。
01:39
One of the first lessons that I learned immediately followed the painful and arduous task of learning how to walk again, but it went on to pay dividends for the rest of my life. It happened when I attempted to step up a curb. Now as rudimentary as this action sounds to most of you, stepping up a curb is somewhat of a challenge for those of us without ankle movement. So I tried stepping up the curb the way I'd always known how, front on, for days on end, with no success, until it became obvious that the time and effort I was investing into this endeavor was clearly disproportionate to the benefit of its outcome.
我最早學會的一課 伴隨著重新學走路這項 痛苦而艱鉅的任務， 不過我的餘生都從中受益。 那是在我嘗試踏上 馬路牙子的時候。 雖說對於你們中大多數人來說， 這動作聽起來很基礎， 但對於我們這些 腳踝沒法動的人來說， 踏上馬路牙子算是一種挑戰。 於是我試圖用我熟知的辦法， 從正面踩上馬路牙子， 可連續多日的嘗試 都以失敗告終， 直到能明顯察覺， 我投入的時間與努力 和它帶來的好處 根本不成正比。
02:18
(Laughter)
02:23
So, I decided to inspect the problem from a different angle. If I couldn't use an ankle joint to achieve the range of motion that I required to mount the curb, I would have to use a different joint, like my hip. So I turned my body perpendicular to the curb and placed my foot up sideways, and I was able to step up immediately. Within five minutes, no staircase was safe from my advances.
所以我決定從另外的角度 來審視這個問題。 如果我沒法用踝關節 做出足夠幅度的動作 來登上馬路牙子， 我就得用別的的關節， 比如我的髖關節。 於是我把身體扭成與路邊垂直， 把我的一隻腳側著放上去， 然後我一下子就能踏上去了。 五分鐘之內， 沒有樓梯能逃過我前進的步伐。
02:47
(Laughter)
02:49
That very day, I climbed a staircase of three flights, which I was quite impressed with as well, except I realized that I didn't know how to get back down again.
就在那一天， 我一口氣爬上了三層樓梯， 連我自己都震驚了， 然後我發現， 我不知道該怎麼下樓梯。
02:58
(Laughter)
03:00
That was a long weekend.
那可真是個漫長的週末。
03:01
(Laughter)
03:06
Now, in my past life as an able-bodied person, I'd been a guitarist. I was alright as a player, but I'd never really taken it further. I'd never really started a band or played live all that much. Nonetheless, music was a great passion of mine, and when I lost my arms, the idea that it may no longer be a part of my life critically challenged my will to keep living. However, the thought that emerged immediately after being discharged from hospital was: "If Ray Charles can play the piano while blind as a bat, let's get to work on a solution for this guitar problem." So, consulting with an engineer, I designed a slide system that would hook into my left hook, and I devised another pick-holder system that would clip into my right hook. Now, if this worked, I would be able to play the guitar open tuned on my lap, like a slide.
在我過去身體還健全時， 我曾是個吉他手。 我彈得還算可以， 不過從沒有要更上一層樓。 我從沒組建過樂隊， 或是頻繁現場演出。 但無論如何， 音樂是我的一大摯愛， 當我失去雙臂的時候， 想到音樂可能從此與我無緣， 我的求生意志 便受到了致命打擊。 但是，在出院之後， 我立刻想到的是： “如果雷 · 查爾斯（Ray Charles） 眼盲得像只蝙蝠也可以彈鋼琴， 我也可以為這個吉他難題想想辦法。” 於是，諮詢了一位工程師後， 我設計了一個滑音管裝置， 鉤在我的左手鉤子上， 然後我又設計了一個撥片 固定裝置，夾在我右手鉤子上。 如果這樣行得通， 我就可以把吉他平放在腿上， 用開放定弦彈奏， 像幻燈片吉他那樣。
03:59
So after weeks of testing and alterations, I finally had the accessories back to play the guitar again, and I was right back where I was before losing my hands -- being issued with noise complaints from my neighbors, obviously.
經過數週的調試和修改之後， 我終於有裝備 可以重新彈吉他了， 然後我立刻回到了 我失去雙手前的狀態—— 那自然是被鄰居投訴噪音太大。
04:12
(Laughter)
04:14
But this time, I took it further. I started a band with my friends. We wrote songs and recorded them. We even played gigs to real people. Not as many as this.
不過這次，我又更進一步， 和朋友們組建了一支樂隊。 我們自己寫歌、錄音， 甚至還給真人觀眾們演出。 沒像現在那麼多人啦。
04:27
(Laughter)
04:29
But even though it was a just a tiny step, it was a giant leap from what I'd achieved when I was all in one piece.
儘管這只是一小步， 但和我還完好無缺時的成就相比， 這已經是一次巨大的飛躍。
04:39
Now while relearning every action that one has ever cultivated might seem like a significant undertaking -- and believe me, it very much was, in the short term -- it was nonetheless having a positive effect on the way that I approached everything else in my life. Not only did it transform my ability to problem-solve, but I also felt I became more pragmatic, less sensitive to hindrances, in some cases, more patient, and magically transformed people's abilities to offer me their seats on public transport.
的確，重學每一個 曾經習得的動作 聽起來像是件 任重而道遠的事情—— 而且相信我，在短期來說， 它的確如此—— 它依然積極地影響了 我處理人生中所有 其他事情的方式。 它不僅僅轉變了 我解決困難的能力， 它還讓我變得更加務實， 對挫折沒那麼敏感， 在某些情況下，更有耐心， 還能很神奇地讓人們 在公共交通工具上給我讓座。
05:11
(Laughter)
05:14
Trivial setbacks began to pale in comparison to challenges I'd previously overcome, and this allowed me to take a calm and measured approach to these challenges, keeping them in perspective and often even finding new and improved ways to overcome them. The benefit of not dwelling on the negative and just getting on with the task at hand became self-evident. It even encouraged me to pursue some more fulfilling career paths that may otherwise have been inadvisable. And who would have thought that an appropriate job for me might involve the meticulous operation of electronic equipment to curate dance music to people in inaccessible places under the influence of alcohol.
瑣碎的小挫折 跟我之前克服的困難 相比就相形見絀了， 而這讓我可以冷靜謹慎 地面對這些挑戰， 保持客觀務實， 還經常能發現更好的新辦法 來克服困難。 不拘泥於負能量， 只管完成手頭上的任務， 這樣做的好處不言而喻。 它甚至鼓舞我去追尋 曾經顯得並不可取， 卻讓我感到更加充實的事業道路。 而誰能想到，適合我的工作 竟會涉及對電子設備的精密操作， 在難以企及的地方給一群喝醉的人們 播放電音舞曲。
05:57
(Laughter)
06:00
Not I.
我可沒想到。
06:02
So in a competitive industry where DJs have been relentlessly honing their craft, desperate to attain gigs, sending demos to clubs, my best friend and I took a different approach, and we started our own club night, and we employed ourselves as the DJs.
在這個競爭激烈行業中， DJ 們不斷磨鍊他們的技藝， 拼了命地接活出演， 給夜店發歌曲小樣， 而我和我的至交好友 選擇了另一種方式， 我們自己開了家夜店， 然後聘用我們自己當 DJ。
06:16
(Laughter)
06:19
Suddenly, we had a headline slot.
一夜之間， 我們就成了舞臺上的焦點。
06:21
(Laughter)
06:24
Now, when we started that club night, I could not DJ. The first time I ever got behind the decks was on our opening night, in front of hundreds of people. I'd only just learned where the play button was.
我們剛開始舉辦夜店活動的時候， 我甚至還不會打碟。 我人生第一次用打碟機 是在我們開業的那晚， 面對數百個人。 我才剛搞清楚播放鍵在哪兒。
06:36
(Laughter)
06:37
But, being previously faced with so many ultimatums, one's forced to be astute in adapting to new situations.
不過，一個人先前面臨了 如此多最後通牒的情況， 他已經被迫在適應 新狀況時靈活變通。
06:44
That club night went on to become the longest-running weekly club night in Sydney, and we as DJs went on to play Australia's biggest music festivals. So eventually, I either learned quickly, or the standards of clubs have gone really downhill.
我們的夜店演出之後成為了 悉尼最經久不衰 的每週夜店演出， 而我們之後也作為 DJ 在 澳洲最大的音樂節上出演。 所以最後， 要麼是我學習得很快， 要麼是夜店標準 已經一落千丈了。
06:59
(Laughter)
07:04
Coming close to death can be an educational experience. It's certainly true that one's priorities receive somewhat of a realignment immediately afterwards. And it's also true that some of those priorities are met with an increased sense of urgency. But another, more salient realization that comes to light is the triviality of our own self-importance and self-consciousness. To truly understand the extent to which your self-consciousness prohibits you from engaging in opportunities should lead everyone to take risks they otherwise wouldn't. We're merely a blip on the time line of the universe, right? Act accordingly.
瀕臨死亡可以是一次 很有教育意義的體驗。 可以肯定的是， 在這之後一般人 多少都會重新安排 自己的優先事項。 同樣可以肯定的是， 其中一些優先事項 會因為更加強烈的 緊迫感而被完成。 不過另一個更加突出的感悟是， 自己的虛榮心和不安感 是多麼不值一提。 當真正明白了過剩的自我意識 有多麼阻礙你去抓住機遇， 這應該會讓所有人 冒他們本不會去冒的險。 我們只不過是浩瀚宇宙 時間線上的一瞬而已，對吧？ 抓緊時間去行動。
07:49
Now the ideas that I'm presenting today were imbued upon me through some otherwise unfortunate circumstances, granted, but they're lying dormant in the lives of anyone who's willing to exploit them. If we all understand that we all have unique weaknesses, and if we're honest about what they are, we can learn how to best take advantage of them, whether they be mounting a curb or fear of presenting sales reports or the inability to sufficiently manage one's finances -- looking at that guy --
今天我講述的理念確實是 通過一些不幸的境況 灌輸給我的， 不過這些理念沉睡在每一個 願意去發掘它們的人的心中。 如果我們都理解 我們都有獨特的缺陷， 並且如果我們 坦誠面對這些缺陷， 我們就可以學會 如何充分利用它們， 無論是難以踏上馬路牙子， 還是畏懼介紹銷售報告， 抑或是無法好好管理 自己的財務狀況—— 看看那傢伙——
08:24
(Laughter)
08:26
there lies the ability to learn, to adapt, and even the ability to rewire one's instinctual response to challenges.
利用好缺陷可以獲得 學習和適應的能力， 甚至還有能力重塑一個人 對待挑戰的本能反應。
08:38
Adversity is good, and it has the potential to make you stronger. And, at the very least, you can scare the hell out of kids if you look like a pirate.
遇到困境是件好事， 它有潛力讓你變得更強。 而且，如果你看起來像個海盜， 最起碼你可以把小孩子 嚇得屁滾尿流。
08:48
Thanks.
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