I'd say I lived a life of probabilities.

我經歷了人生的各種可能。

Growing up, I was really good at Math and Science,

小時候，我的數學和科學都很好。

so there was a high probability I'd be good at Engineering.

也就是說，我很可能會是名好的工程師。

And so I went to Georgia Tech

所以我去了喬治亞理工大學

because it was probably one of the best Engineering schools in the country,

因為它可能是全美最好的工程學校

besides Lafayette, of course. (Laughter)

當然，拉法葉學院除外。（笑）

Because there would be a high probability that I'd graduate

我很有可能可以順利畢業，

and land a great job out of college.

順利找到一份好工作。

And so, at Georgia Tech, I studied Industrial and Systems Engineering,

因此我在喬大修了工業與系統工程學，

a practice that is rooted in statistics and probabilities itself.

這學科本身就源於統計和機率。

And after college, I took a job with IBM,

畢業後我接受了 IBM 的工作，

because it was probably one of the best job offers I would receive,

因為這可能是我會收到 最好的聘書之一，

and IBM was probably one of the best

而且 IBM 可能是世界上最好，

and most admired companies in the world.

也是大家最為讚賞的公司之一。

And so, for the next five years,

所以在接下來的五年，

I began my career on solid ground.

我開始了我的事業，

And I labored besides ridiculously bright and driven individuals

與超聰明又勤奮的人一起完成

on engaging and challenging projects,

又有趣又有挑戰性的計劃。

and I could feel a successful career brewing.

而且我能嚐到事業成功的味道。

But the problem was, over the course of those five years,

但問題是，這五年中，

slowly the reality began to set in.

現實的聲音漸漸出現。

The work I was doing and many many hours I was putting into this

我花費了那麼多的時間在做的工作

felt mostly empty, disconnected and meaningless.

讓我感到空虛、脫節和沒有意義。

And so, while it may have looked like this --

所以，這份工作看似這樣，

it started to felt more like this.

它卻開始感覺更像這樣。

And when I'd look around at my colleagues,

當我看看我的同事，

whether they admitted or not,

不管他們承認與否，

they all kind of felt the same way too.

大家的感覺其實差不多。

We were all just going through the motions of life,

我們只是隨著生命的潮流，

not hating life, but certainly not loving it,

雖不厭惡生命，卻也不熱愛它，

not living with curiosity or fire.

缺乏好奇心與熱情。

And I began to ask myself,

我開始問自己，

"Is this really the beginning of the rest of my life?"

"這真的是我接下來要過的人生嗎？"

But the problem was, I didn't have an answer to that question,

但問題是，我沒有答案，

and I made no plans to create an answer for that question.

也不打算創造答案。

And then, on January 18th, 2012, I received a call.

然而 2012 年一月十八號， 我接到一通電話。

I heard that my college friend Shannon

我大學朋友夏儂

had been killed the night before in a car accident.

前一晚死於車禍。

As it's common with any sort of sudden death,

如其他突發死亡事件的發生一樣，

I began to reflect upon my own mortality.

我開始思考我自己的死亡。

And then suddenly, these questions

突然，從前默默掙扎的問題

that have been fighting a quiet struggle on the sidelines erupted.

終於爆發了。

"Am I spending my fleeting time on Earth doing things that matter?"

"我有把我在地球上短暫時間 用在有意義的事情上嗎？"

"Am I utilizing my gifts?" "Am I pursuing my passions?"

"我有在發揮自己的長處嗎？" "我有在尋求自己的夢想嗎？?

"What are those gifts?" "What are those passions?"

"我的長處為何？" "我的夢想為何？"

All these questions had this overarching theme of "Who am I?"

這些問題都有個連貫主題： "我是誰？"

"Who am I meant to become?"

"我應該成為什麼人？"

"Why am I here?"

"我為什麼在這裡？"

Which, you know, are like light cocktail party questions.

這有點像雞尾酒派對上的問題。

And so, along with these questions,

隨著這些問題，

I began to see glimmers

我開始看到些許微光

of unrealized dreams and potential regrets.

出現在未實現的夢想 和潛在的後悔。

And in particular, one dream came to the forefront,

其中，有一個夢想首當其衝，

this dream that I was putting off to some unforeseen day in the future.

我先前把這個夢想放在未來的某一天。

It was this dream of going on an unstructured,

這個夢想是未經計劃

slow, traveling long-term adventure.

一場隨意、緩慢、長期旅行的冒險。

And I think the reason that this dream in particular came to the forefront,

我想這個夢想首當其衝的原因

was the very way that my friend Shannon and I had become close.

因為這正是我和夏儂變熟的方式。

We had each studied abroad in this small city in France called Metz.

我們曾在法國的一個小城市梅茲留過學。

And Metz was the first time that we had really lived outside the of country.

而梅茲也正是我們第一次 住在美國以外的地方。

It was the first time that we had traveled.

那是我們第一次自己旅行。

It was where we discovered our passion for culture and exploration.

那也是我們發現自己 熱愛文化和探索的地方。

And so, high off of these emotions, these dreams, and these questions,

因此，被這些種種的情緒、 夢想和問題弄得興致勃勃，

that very next week, I did what any sensible person would do:

隔了一周，我做了一個決定， 任何一個理智的人都會做的：

I booked a one-way ticket to Iceland.

我訂了一張單程機票到冰島。

I mean, it was departing five months into the future,

出發日是五個月後，

so maybe I was a little sensible.

所以我大概還算有一點點理智吧。

And then, after booking that flight,

買了那張機票後，

I thought, "Okay, I guess I need to figure out what I'm doing about my job."

我想："哦，我大概要想想 工作的事情怎麼辦。"

So, at that point, I decided,

所以，當時我決定：

"Okay, I'm going to ask for a seven-month sabbatical to go travel."

好，我要來申請七個月的假期去旅行。

And so, all I had booked was this one-way ticket to Iceland,

所以，我就只有這張飛往冰島的機票，

and this idea that I wanted to travel for seven months with no plan.

還有一個想法： 我要一個零計劃的旅行，為時七個月。

You have to understand, with this idea I had,

你要知道，這個想法意味著

I seemed to be throwing down a challenge to the very world of probabilities

我在向充滿可能性的世界挑戰。

I had been living inside for the past 27 years.

我已活在那樣的世界27年了。

I seemed to be asking the question:

我好像在問：

what happens when someone goes from an engineer's life of probabilities

若一個人從工程師固有的“機率人生“，

straight paths, clear answers and to-dos

筆直的道路、清楚的答案 和許多的"待完成的事“，

to a life of possibilities,

轉換成一個充滿可能性的生活，

to an unknown and unplanned path,

充滿未知和沒有計劃的路，

only big burning questions, and only want-to-dos --

只有重要的大問題 和”想要完成的事“，

doing things because I was excited by them,

受刺激而做事情，

doing things out of curiosity, or out of enthusiasm?

因為好奇而做事情， 因為熱忱而做事情，那會如何？

What happens when someone steps off the well-worn path?

當一個人跳脫常軌， 會發生什麼事？

What does that path, then, look like?

那，新的路又是怎樣的？

Well, it turns out, it looks a little bit like this.

結果，它看起來有點像這樣。

So after spending a few weeks in Iceland,

在冰島待了幾個禮拜後，

I then took a flight to London, and went northward through the UK,

我飛到倫敦，然後一路向北，

from Scotland over to Dublin, then westward in Ireland.

從蘇格蘭到都柏林， 再向西到愛爾蘭。

Then I went from Cork back to London, to Lithuania,

然後我從科克回到倫敦，再到立陶宛，

spent a few weeks in Lithuania, took a flight to Stockholm,

在那待了幾周，飛到斯德哥爾摩，

and a boat to Helsinki, another boat to Tallinn,

再坐船到赫爾辛基，而後塔林，

spent a few weeks in Estonia, went to Riga, took a flight to Copenhagen,

在愛沙尼亞待了幾周， 就去里加，飛到哥本哈根，

went south through Denmark, east through Germany,

南下到丹麥，向東到德國，

went around Poland, through Prague, celebrated October Fest in Munich,

遊走波瀾，穿過布拉格， 在慕尼黑慶祝啤酒節，

went to Zagreb, and then went to the Croatian coast.

到了札格拉布， 然後再到克羅埃西亞沿海。

I mean, this makes complete sense, right?

這一切很合理，對吧？

This is like Rick Steves Guide to Europe, basically, in a nutshell.

這就像里克‧史蒂夫的歐洲指南， 簡單說就是這樣。

And so, with no set agenda and no plan,

在沒有行程和計劃的情況下，

I just went to places that pulled me.

哪裡吸引我，我就去哪。

Maybe a traveler or a local suggested a place, and so I'd go there.

或許是某個旅客或當地人的介紹 我就去那個地方。

Maybe I just liked the name of the city,

或許是因為我喜歡那個城市的名字，

or maybe someone invited me to their hometown.

也或許是某人邀請我去他們的家鄉。

But if something tickled me in a good way,

若某個東西讓我覺得開心，

I'd say "yes."

我就會說”好“。

And I guess based on this map, I said yes a lot.

我猜，從這張地圖可以看出我常常說好。

(Laughter)

（笑）

What I did with this time --

我拿這些時間——

this unstructured time for the first time in my life --

我人生中第一次隨意安排的時間——

I just did the things I wanted to do.

我就做我想做的事情。

I read a bunch of books, I met many people

我讀了一堆書，見了很多人，

and just had random conversations on the streets.

跟他們在街上閒聊。

I explored artistic pet projects, and photography, videography.

我嘗試藝術方面的興趣、攝影和錄影。

I learned how to make a website and started writing about my travels.

我學會開網站，然後開始寫下旅行遊記。

These were all the things I had never done before.

這些都是我從未做過的事情。

So, one day, I found myself in Zadar, Croatia.

所以，有天我到了克羅埃西亞的扎達爾，

This small city on the Adriatic coast.

一個靠亞得里亞海岸的小城市。

While in Zadar,

在扎達爾時，

I received a message from a Lithuanian friend that I had met.

我收到在立陶宛認識的朋友的訊息。

She said, "How's Matt, the pilgrim?"

她說：“朝聖者馬特現在怎樣啦？”

And then, suddenly, this image of buckles and funny square hats entered my head,

突然，我腦海出現了 扣環和傻氣的方帽子。

which, honestly, kind of offended me.

老實講，這讓我有點不高興。

I mean, Matt a pilgrim?

朝聖者馬特？

Not a chance.

想都別想。

Figuring, maybe I was just ignorant to the word.

我發覺，或許是我對這個詞不了解。

I did what anyone would do, and I went to Wikipedia.

我做了任何人都會做的事， 去維基百科。

And Wikipedia told me that

維基百科說，

a pilgrimage is "a journey made to a sacred place or a religious journey."

朝聖是“前往聖地的旅行，或宗教之旅。”

And a pilgrim is "a traveler who is on a journey to a holy place...

朝聖者則是“一個前往聖地的旅行者

May refer to the inner path\\of the pilgrim,

可指旅行者心靈之路，

from a state of wretchedness to a state of beatitude."

從慘境到福境。”

"Wretchedness."

”慘境。“

I mean, a little dramatic, Wikipedia. (Laughter)

我說維基百科，有點太戲劇化了吧。（笑）

I mean, I was on an epic journey across Europe, of course,

我是在走遍歐洲， 一趟宏偉的旅程，沒錯。

on an adventure, checking off some bucket list items, absolutely.

冒險中，完成人生清單中的幾項， 完全沒錯。

Taking time to reflect on my life's direction,

花時間思考我的人生方向，

while exploring some creative endeavor, sure.

同時嘗試一些創意活動，確實是。

But let's face it, I was a single, unattached, twenty-something guy

但說真的，我二十來歲的單身漢。

traveling around Europe.

一個人在歐洲旅遊。

My intentions were anything but holy or spiritual.

我絕不是為了神或心靈。

And we're in a chapel, so I won't get into details.

我們在禮拜堂裡，我就不多說了。

(Laughter)

（笑）

But the term "pilgrim" stuck with me,

但"朝聖者"一詞揮之不去。

and because I had created this unstructured time

也因為我創造了自由的時間

to explore such weird and impulsive inklings,

可以探索奇怪和衝動的想法，

I decided to do some research, and do some reading.

我決定要來研究一下，讀一些資料。

So, when I got past the guys with the funny hats and buckles,

當我擺脫了戴著 傻氣帽子和扣環的幾個傢伙，

I found that pilgrimages were indeed rooted in spiritual practice or religion.

我發現朝聖之旅的確 源於心靈修行或宗教。

There's your pilgrimage to Mecca, still one of the five pillars of Islam.

有去麥加朝聖的， 這仍是伊斯蘭教中五大支柱之一。

Jewish Law used to require Jews to make pilgrimages to Jerusalem for passover.

猶太教律法曾要求教徒 在踰越節到耶路撒冷朝聖。

Christians have been journeying to the Holy Land

幾百年來，基督徒前往聖地

to walk in the footsteps of Jesus for hundreds of years.

踏在耶穌的足跡上。

And then I came across pilgrimage-like journeys

然後我讀到其他文明中 類似的朝聖之旅

in other civilizations.

各地的人——

So people from all over --

埃及、義大利、小亞細亞—— 踏上艱辛的旅程

Egypt, Italy, Asia Minor -- would make the arduous journey

去解德爾菲神諭裡的重大問題。

to ask the burning question of the oracle of Delphi.

澳洲有一種徒步旅行，

From Australia, there's this concept of the walkabout,

召喚你回到內地，

which is this call into the outback,

一種不明的怪召喚。

this unknown kind of weird call.

印第安人的部落也有，

And then, there was also Native American tribes.

有的部落會讓青少年出征追尋

Some Native American tribes would send their adolescents on vision quests

去探索自己的人生方向。

to discover their life's direction.

然後我讀到其他類型的朝聖之旅，

And then I came across other pilgrimage-like journeys,

雖然與心靈或宗教沒有那麼大的關係。

albeit less spiritual and religious ones.

譬如，一個車迷開了 他的老Corvette上66號公路

So let's say a car-buff taking his vintage Corvette down route 66.

或者一個古羅馬的歷史學者

Or maybe even an Ancient Rome history scholar

在義大利走亞壁古道。

taking a track along the Appian Way in Italy.

我在研究和讀這些時， 我發現每個例子，

And in all these examples, as I studied and read all of these,

所有朝聖之旅、旅行、冒險 都有共同的線索。

I started to notice common threads in all these pilgrimages, journeys, adventures.

其中一個共同的線索是

And one of those common threads

一個召喚。

was a call.

它們都始於一種召喚。

They all started with some sort of call.

當我繼續探討，

And as I researched further,

這其實是神話學家 喬瑟夫‧坎伯所說的：

this is actually what mythologist Joseph Campbell called

“冒險的召喚”，

"a call to adventure",

出現在“英雄的旅程”中的概念。

in his concepts of "The Hero's Journey",

他的想法是，所有宗教、神話，

this idea he has, that all religious, mythical,

甚至流行文化的故事，

and even pop-culture narratives,

不過是同一個偉大故事的變化，

are just variations of a single great story,

其中，一個英雄被召喚去冒險，

and where a hero has a call to adventure,

啟程去冒險，歷經各種試驗和磨難，

goes on that adventure, with all of its trials and tribulations,

最終帶著智慧凱旋。

and then he or she returns home with the wisdom that they have gained.

所以，在宗教例子中，

And so, in the religious examples,

律法便是召喚。

it was the law, that was the call.

在古希臘，

In ancient Greece,

是一個重大的問題 召喚人們到德爾菲神殿。

it was a burning questions that called people to the oracle of Delphi.

或許是召你去對某樣對你來說

Maybe it was a call to pay homage to something

既親近又敬愛的東西表示敬意。

near and dear to the individuals' heart.

也或許是個警鐘。

Or maybe it was a wake-up call.

可能那個車迷因為被炒魷魚，

So maybe that car-buff was fired from his job,

他才終於決定啟程上66號公路。

and then he finally decided to go on that track down route 66.

可能那個歷史學者因為 被診斷患有癌症，

Or maybe that history scholar was diagnosed with cancer,

她才發覺她最好在還來得及時

and so she figured she had better make that trip down the Appian Way

趕快去亞壁古道。

before it was too late.

也可能是因為一個大學好友意外死亡

Or maybe, an unexpected death of a college friend

才重燃舊夢。

reignited the dream gone ignored.

因此，我第一次開始想，

And so for the first time,

或許我開啟了一趟 沒有計劃的朝聖之旅，

I began to consider that maybe I was on some sort of unplanned pilgrimage,

就算我沒有想好要去哪。

even if I didn't have a destination in mind.

“冒險的召喚”還有另一部分。

Now, there's another part of "the call to adventure."

召喚是一部分，但不完全。

It's that the call is one thing, but that's not all.

召喚的第二部分是決定。

The second part of the call is the decision.

那個旅行者、冒險家或朝聖者

The journeyer, the adventurer or the pilgrim had to make a decision

需要下決心，聽從召喚，

to heed the call,

而冒險只在他們回答“好”之後才開始。

and the adventure only started when they said "yes" to their adventure.

在他們決定之前，旅程不會開始。

And until they did, that journey did not begin.

召喚本身或許難以解釋，

So, while the call itself may be inexplicable,

有點神聖，

divine maybe,

決定對冒險說好，聽從召喚，

the decision to say yes to the adventure, to heed the call,

才是自願的行動。

that's an act of free will.

這個決定

And that decision,

也是最重要的部分。

is the part that matters the most.

我的旅行有一段我不太公開講的，

So there's a part of my journey that I don't really talk about publicly,

但今天我想和你們分享，

but I'd like to share it with you today

因為它顯示了對冒險說好有多重要。

because I think it shows the importance of saying yes to our adventure.

不論那趟旅程帶我們到世界的另一端，

Whether that takes us half way across the world,

或新的工作軌道，

maybe on a new career trajectory,

或只是走去上學一條新的路。

or maybe just a new way to class.

扎達爾之後，我決定去 塞爾維亞的貝爾格勒

So after Zadar, I decided to go to Belgrade, Serbia,

為期一個月。

where I spent about a month.

在塞爾維亞我認識了一個朋友，

While in Serbia, I met a friend there,

她就要到德國西北的一個小村莊工作。

who would soon be working in a tiny village in Northwestern Germany.

她邀請我去德國。

She invited me to come visit.