I have always said this; in the history of my country only two governors of very small states have

我總是說 我國家的歷史上 只有兩位非常小的州的州長

ever been elected president. A man named Franklin Pierce, the governor of New Hampshire in 1852

被選為總統 Franklin Pierce 1852年擔任新罕布希爾州的州長

who was picked just because he was the most inoffensive person around as we headed toward

被選上只因為他是最能禮讓他人 當時我們正面臨內戰

the Civil War. He was a very good man by the way and underrated as a person but his presidency

順便一提 他是位非常好且酷的人 但他是個失敗的總統

was a failure because he couldn't hold the country together, and me. And I always told

因為他無法把國家團結起來 至於我 我總是說

people that I considered the fact that I was the governor of a very small state and the

我認為我是一個非常小的州的州長 且是

last generation, part of the last generation of Americans to grow up without a television

最後的世代 某段時期美國人成長在沒有電視的時代

to be one of the reasons that I did get elected president. We didn't get a TV until I was

是我被選為總統的其中的一個原因 我們一直沒有電視直到

almost ten years old. And we didn't get a computer till my daughter was about four years old.

我幾乎十歲的時候 我們沒有電腦直到我女兒大概四歲

So, I grew up in an oral culture of storytelling and I was raised by highly intelligent people,

所以 我在一個說故事的口語文化長大 且我被很有智慧的人養大

most of whom had very limited formal education but they were highly intelligent. And I was

大多數的人只有接受有限的正式教育 但是他們非常有智慧 且我

taught to listen and to observe and to pay attention and to listen to other people's

教導去聽見 觀察 專注 聆聽他人的

stories. I was taught that everybody's got a story. I was taught that every life had

故事 我被教導每人都有一個故事 我被教導每個生命有著

some inherently interesting part of it but that most people can't get it out. And if

一些天生有趣的片段 很多人無法說出來的 如果

they could get it out, if everybody could tell their story it would be interesting.

他們肯說出來 如果每個人可說出他們的故事 那會很有趣

And around the dinner table at my great uncles house, for example, who spent a lot of time

例如 在我舅舅家的餐桌上 他花了很多時間養大了我

raising me when my mother was widowed by the time I was born and my great uncle was the

我在我媽媽喪偶的時候出生 他是我家最聰明的人

smartest guy in our family. I bet his IQ was 185 and he had like no formal education but

我打賭他的智商有185 他沒受過正式教育 但是

he could literally have you in tears in three minutes talking about some totally otherwise

他可以讓你在三分鐘哭出來 藉著說出一些完全地是

non-descript person in our hometown and telling the story of their lives. Just laughing, crying,

在我家鄉平凡人的人生故事 我笑著 哭者

he was a genius.

他是個天才

So, before - if you were a kid around the table, before you could tell a story you had

所以 之前 如果你是小孩在餐桌時 在你可以說出一個故事之前

to be able to listen to one. And we would be asked, the children after somebody told

你必須先聽故事 然後我們被提問 晚餐或午餐時某人告訴小孩一個故事

a story at lunch or dinner did you understand the story? And if you said yes then you would

你聽懂那個故事嗎? 如果你說聽得懂 然後你會被問到

be asked okay what did you hear? After you proved that you could listen and recount what

你聽到了什麼? 在你證明你的確在聽 且敘述你所聽到的之後

you heard then you could tell a story, but not until. And I think that you can teach

一直到那時 你才能說一個故事 我認為你可以教導

people first the big fact. Our differences are important. They make life interesting.

人們 首先重要的是 人的差異很重要 差異把人生變得有趣

But since nobody is capable of being in possession of the whole truth about anything, our common

但因為沒人能擁有關於任何事情的真理 我們一般的人性更顯得重要

humanity matters more. So you owe everybody a certain presumption of respect until they

所以你給予每個人某些假定的尊重 一直到他們做出一些事喪失尊重

do something to forfeit it and you should be listening. And we should teach people that.

然後你必須聆聽 我們應該教導人

We should teach people how other people view the world differently from us, how other people

我們應該教導人 他看見的世界如何地與我們不同 他人經歷生活不同於我們

have experienced life differently from us. It's a discipline. It's a learned gift and

這是個原則 是一個可學習的技能 是某些文化的特徵

it's part of some cultures and not part of others. I grew up in a highly segregated,

不是其他文化的特徵 我在高度分離的社會長大

racially segregated southern town with a grandfather who ran a grocery store where most of his

在種族隔離的南方小鎮 和經營雜貨店的爺爺在一起

customers were African-Americans. So I grew up knowing people that most white kids didn't

他的客人主要都是非裔美國人 所以我知道很多白人小孩不知道的事

know. And I learned just - nobody had to tell me I learned that intelligence was evenly

我學到 沒有人能告訴我學到智慧是平均分布地

distributed. I learned that dignity was something shared by all people. I just learned it. I

我學到尊嚴是大家共享的 我就是學到了

deserve no credit for it. I was raised in a certain way.

我沒做什麼事就獲得了 我在某種方式下長大

I think that all that can be taught. I also think that I agree with what you said but

我認為那些全部都可以被教導 我也認為 我同意你剛說的 但是

I think there's another skill that needs to be taught. That you can't necessarily learn

我認為有其他技巧需要被教導 那是你必定不能學到

even if you're a computer whiz or if you're a news or political junkie and you read 50

即使你是一個電腦專家 或者你是喜愛新聞和政治的人 你一天讀了50個

blogs a day. And that is how to organize all that you know. I mean one of the reasons - I

部落格 那就是你如何組織你所知道的 我意思是其中一個理由

should be interviewing you today. One of the reasons that I love your columns and I love

我今天應該面談你 其中一個原因是我喜歡你的專欄 我喜歡

your commentary is that you help people to synthesize things that they know, sort of,

你的評論 你幫助人去綜合他們所知道的 算是吧

that is you may write a column or do a commentary and not state one single fact that most of

你可能寫一個專欄或者做評論 不陳述一個單一事實 是你的多數聽眾或讀者已知道的

your listeners or readers don't already know but they haven't put it together as you have.

但是他們沒有把他們放在一起 就像你做的

And we live in a time where an eight-year-old can get on the computer and find out in 30

我們生活在一個時代 八歲小孩可以在30秒

seconds things that I had to go to university to learn, right? It's pretty scary but it's

用電腦去找到我上大學學的東西 對吧? 那很嚇人 但是這是事實

true. That doesn't mean that the eight-year-old understands the significance that whatever

那並不代表八歲小孩了解 這個重要性

that is in terms of 15 other things. So I think getting along with other people is important,

就15件其他的事而言 所以我認為與他人相處很重要

but I also think synthesizing ability is important. Otherwise you could take everything you read

但我也認為統整能力很重要 否則你就會相信任何你讀到的東西

-- I mean just look at what's on the news every day or what's in the newspaper it's

我意思是看著每天的新聞或報紙 就像是

like the political equivalent of chaos theory in physics. How do you connect the dots? So

物理學上的混亂理論政治等量 你怎麼去連結那些點? 所以

I think learning to deal with other people and then learning to connect the dots are

我認為學習和他人相處和學習去連結點 是

the two great mega educational skills we need to impart in every country at every level of development.

兩個重大的教育技巧 是我們需要告訴每個在不同發展階段的國家