为了让我知道这里有多少人 To give me an idea of how many of you here
待会儿会觉得我告诉你的事情 may find what I'm about to tell you
有实用价值， of practical value,
请符合条件的人把手举起来: let me ask you please to raise your hands:
这里有谁已经超过65岁 Who here is either over 65 years old
或者想要活到65岁以后 or hopes to live past age 65
或者有父母、祖父母的岁数 or has parents or grandparents who did live
达到或超过65岁， or have lived past 65,
请举手。（笑声） raise your hands please. (Laughter)
好。你们就是会发现我的演讲 Okay. You are the people to whom my talk
有用的人。（笑声） will be of practical value. (Laughter)
其他人， The rest of you
不会觉得我的演讲和你有切身的关系， won't find my talk personally relevant,
但我觉得你仍会发现这个主题 but I think that you will still find the subject
非常有趣。 fascinating.
我要谈一谈在传统的社会里 I'm going to talk about growing older
慢慢变老是什么样子。 in traditional societies.
这一主题是我新书的 This subject constitutes just one chapter
一章，这本书在比较 of my latest book, which compares
传统上基于部落的小社会， traditional, small, tribal societies
与我们现在的庞大社会之间， with our large, modern societies,
在许多事情上都有很大不同， with respect to many topics
例如后代的培养， such as bringing up children,
老年问题，健康问题、 危机处理， growing older, health, dealing with danger,
领土和宗教争端等， settling disputes, religion
现在社会很多人都能说一种以上语言。 and speaking more than one language.
这中小部落社会组织形式 Those tribal societies, which constituted
是人类漫长历史上最主要的社会形式， all human societies for most of human history,
远比我们现代的，近代的大社会 are far more diverse than are our modern,
更多样化。 recent, big societies.
所有具有政府的， All big societies that have governments,
且大多数人互不认识的大社会， and where most people are strangers to each other,
都不可避免地相互类似 are inevitably similar to each other
并且与部落社会不同。 and different from tribal societies.
部落的形成是大自然实验的结果 Tribes constitute thousands of natural experiments
成千上万次的实验形成了部落的多样性。 in how to run a human society.
在大自然的实验中， 部落形成的过程中 They constitute experiments from which we ourselves
我们可以学到很多。 may be able to learn.
(我们）不应该认为部落社会 Tribal societies shouldn't be scorned
原始而悲惨的，并因此看不起它们 as primitive and miserable,
但也不应该觉得它们是 but also they shouldn't be romanticized
幸福与和平的，从而把其浪漫化。 as happy and peaceful.
当我们去了解部落的做法时， When we learn of tribal practices,
有些做法会吓坏我们， some of them will horrify us,
但也有其他部落的做法， but there are other tribal practices which,
当我们听说时， when we hear about them,
我们可能会觉得佩服和羡慕 we may admire and envy
并思考，是否我们自己， and wonder whether we could adopt those practices
也可以采取这些做法。 ourselves.
生活在美国的大多数老人，最终 Most old people in the U.S. end up living
都与子女分开生活 separately from their children
他们年轻时就认识的朋友们 and from most of their friends
也会相互分开， of their earlier years,
他们很可能生活在单独为老人设立的养老院里， and often they live in separate retirements homes for the elderly,
而在传统社会中， whereas in traditional societies,
年纪大的人和他们的子女， older people instead live out their lives
他们的其他亲戚， among their children, their other relatives,
以及他们认识了一辈子的朋友生活在一起。 and their lifelong friends.
虽然，老年人的待遇 Nevertheless, the treatment of the elderly
在不同的传统社会间差别极大， varies enormously among traditional societies,
有比我们的现代社会糟糕很多的， from much worse to much better
也有比我们的现代社会好很多的。 than in our modern societies.
在最坏的极端，许多传统社会 At the worst extreme, many traditional societies
通过以下四种一种比一种残忍的方式 get rid of their elderly
来处理部落中的老年人： in one of four increasingly direct ways:
第一种做法是忽略他们 by neglecting their elderly
不给他们吃的， 不打理他们，任其自生自灭， and not feeding or cleaning them until they die,
第二种做法是在整个群体迁移时，抛弃他们， or by abandoning them when the group moves,
第三种做法是迫使老人自杀， or by encouraging older people to commit suicide,
最后， 最残忍的， 杀死老人。 or by killing older people.
到底是什么样的部落社会， In which tribal societies do children
子女会抛弃或杀死他们的父母？ abandon or kill their parents?
主要在以下两个环境下会发生。 It happens mainly under two conditions.
一个情况是游牧部落，打猎和采摘为食的社会 One is in nomadic, hunter-gather societies
这些部落常常需要迁移， that often shift camp
他们没有能力 and that are physically incapable
带着无法自己迁移的老人， of transporting old people who can't walk
四肢健全的年轻人 when the able-bodied younger people already
要携带年幼的子女 have to carry their young children
和其所有的物质财产。 and all their physical possessions.
另一种是生活在极端恶劣 The other condition is in societies
或极端不稳定环境中的部落， living in marginal or fluctuating environments,
比如北极或沙漠， such as the Arctic or deserts,
这些地方有周期性的粮食短缺， where there are periodic food shortages,
并且时不时的会有饥荒， and occasionally there just isn't enough food
粮食无法满足所有人。 to keep everyone alive.
这种情况下， 食物必须 Whatever food is available has to be reserved
为健全的成年人和儿童保留。 for able-bodied adults and for children.
对我们美国人来说，这听起来非常可怕， To us Americans, it sounds horrible
想想抛弃或杀死 to think of abandoning or killing
你自己生病的妻子或丈夫 your own sick wife or husband
或年迈的母亲或父亲， or elderly mother or father,
但是，那些传统社会还可能 but what could those traditional societies
怎么样呢？ do differently?
他们面对别无选择的残酷态势。 They face a cruel situation of no choice.
他们的老人都不得不对自己的父母做这样的事情， Their old people had to do it to their own parents,
并且老人们知道 and the old people know
现在什么会发生在他们身上。 what now is going to happen to them.
在对待老人的另一个极端 At the opposite extreme
这个快乐的极端， in treatment of the elderly, the happy extreme,
是在新几内亚的农耕社会 are the New Guinea farming societies
——过去 50 多年来，我在那里做野外调查—— where I've been doing my fieldwork for the past 50 years,
还有大多数其他在世界各地 and most other sedentary traditional societies
定居的传统社会。 around the world.
在这些社会中，老年人受到照顾。 In those societies, older people are cared for.
他们被（子女）赡养。他们仍有价值。 They are fed. They remain valuable.
而且他们继续住在同一屋檐下， And they continue to live in the same hut
或是住在靠近他们子女，或其他亲属和好朋友住处 or else in a nearby hut near their children,
附近的小屋。 relatives and lifelong friends.
在不同的社会中，有这样不同的 There are two main sets of reasons for this variation
对待老人的态度和方式， among societies in their treatment
主要有两组原因。 of old people.
这种不同尤其取决于 The variation depends especially
老人依然能够体现自己的价值 on the usefulness of old people
以及当地社会的价值观。 and on the society's values.
第一点是关于老人的价值， First, as regards usefulness,
老人可继续提供有用的服务。 older people continue to perform useful services.
在传统社会中老人的一个用处 One use of older people in traditional societies
是他们常常仍可以 is that they often are still effective
生产食物。 at producing food.
另一种老年人的传统用处， Another traditional usefulness of older people
是他们有能力帮忙照看 is that they are capable of babysitting
他们的孙辈， their grandchildren,
从而让其成年子女， thereby freeing up their own adult children,
那些孙子们的父母， the parents of those grandchildren,
去狩猎和采集食物给孙子们。 to go hunting and gathering food for the grandchildren.
还有另一个老年人的传统价值 Still another traditional value of older people
是在于制作工具、 武器、 篮子、 is in making tools, weapons, baskets,
锅碗和纺织品。 pots and textiles.
事实上，他们通常是擅长的人。 In fact, they're usually the people who are best at it.
老人通常是传统社会 Older people usually are the leaders
的领导人， of traditional societies,
也是在政治、医学、 宗教、 and the people most knowledgeable about politics,
歌曲和舞蹈方面最有知识的人。 medicine, religion, songs and dances.
最后，在传统社会中的老年人 Finally, older people in traditional societies
具有一个巨大的，且在我们的现代文明社会中 have a huge significance that would never occur
永远不会想到的重要性， to us in our modern, literate societies,
因为我们的信息来源是书 where our sources of information are books
和互联网。 and the Internet.
相比之下，在没有文字书写的传统社会， In contrast, in traditional societies without writing,
老人是信息的存储库。 older people are the repositories of information.
他们的知识是其整个社会 It's their knowledge that spells the difference
在罕见事件引起的危机时 between survival and death for their whole society
存亡的关键 in a time of crisis caused by rare events
因为唯一活着的，最年长的老人 for which only the oldest people alive
才会有经验。 have had experience.
那些就是老人 Those, then, are the ways in which older people
在传统社会中有用的地方。 are useful in traditional societies.
他们的用处会不同，并决定了 Their usefulness varies and contributes
社会对待老人 to variation in the society's treatment
态度的不同。 of the elderly.
另一组（不同社会）对待老人 The other set of reasons for variation
有差异的原因是 in the treatment of the elderly is
社会的文化价值观。 the society's cultural values.
例如，对在东亚地区， For example, there's particular emphasis
（其文化）特别强调对老人的尊重， on respect for the elderly in East Asia,
这与孔子的孝道學說有关 associated with Confucius' doctrine
也即是服从， of filial piety, which means obedience,
尊重并支持年迈的父母。 respect and support for elderly parents.
强调尊重老年人的文化价值观 Cultural values that emphasize respect for older people
与在美国，老人的地位低微 contrast with the low status of the elderly
形成了鲜明对比。 in the U.S.
美国老年人在工作申请中 Older Americans are at a big disadvantage
处于很大的劣势。 in job applications.
他们在医院也处于很大的劣势。 They're at a big disadvantage in hospitals.
我们的医院有明确的政策 Our hospitals have an explicit policy
称为“基于年龄分配医疗资源”。 called age-based allocation of healthcare resources.
这种政策的表述听起来充满恶意： That sinister expression means that
如果医院资源是有限的， if hospital resources are limited,
例如，如果只有一个捐助者的心脏 for example if only one donor heart
可供移植， becomes available for transplant,
或者，如果一个外科医生 or if a surgeon has time to operate
在一定时间中只能为少数几个患者做手术， on only a certain number of patients,
美国的医院有明确的政策， American hospitals have an explicit policy
（这些资源）要优先给年轻的患者 of giving preference to younger patients
而不是老年患者， over older patients
理由是年轻患者被认为 on the grounds that younger patients are considered
对社会更有价值 more valuable to society
因为他们还有更多年的生活在等待他们， because they have more years of life ahead of them,
即使较年轻的患者有较少的 even though the younger patients have fewer years
宝贵生活经验。 of valuable life experience behind them.
美国的老人地位如此低 There are several reasons for this low status
有几个原因。 of the elderly in the U.S.
一是我们新教的工作伦理 One is our Protestant work ethic
这个伦理给予“工作”很大的价值， which places high value on work,
所以不再能工作的老年人 so older people who are no longer working
不被尊重。 aren't respected.
另一个原因是我们美国人强调 Another reason is our American emphasis
自主和独立的美德 on the virtues of self-reliance and independence,
所以我们本能地看不起 so we instinctively look down on older people
不再自力更生而独立的老年人。 who are no longer self-reliant and independent.
第三个原因是我们美国式的，对年轻的崇拜， Still a third reason is our American cult of youth,
甚至在我们的广告中就显示了这点。 which shows up even in our advertisements.
可口可乐和啤酒的广告总是描绘 Ads for Coca-Cola and beer always depict
微笑着的年轻人， smiling young people,
即使老人象年轻人一样 even though old as well as young people
会去买可口可乐和啤酒。 buy and drink Coca-Cola and beer.
想一想，你最后一次看到 Just think, what's the last time you saw
可乐或者啤酒的广告描绘微笑着的 a Coke or beer ad depicting smiling people
85 岁老人是什么时候？从来没有。 85 years old? Never.
相反，唯一以白发老人 Instead, the only American ads
为主角的美国广告 featuring white-haired old people
是眼泪院和养老计划的广告。 are ads for retirement homes and pension planning.
今天老人的地位 Well, what has changed in the status
与他们在传统社会中的地位 of the elderly today
相比起来有什么变化？ compared to their status in traditional societies?
有一些好的变化 There have been a few changes for the better
更多的方面变得更糟糕了。 and more changes for the worse.
好的变化中，大的方面 Big changes for the better
包括今天我们享受 include the fact that today we enjoy
更长的生命这一事实， much longer lives,
我们比过去的老年人更健康， much better health in our old age,
和有更好地娱乐的机会。 and much better recreational opportunities.
另一个更好的变化是，我们现在有 Another change for the better is that we now have
专门的退休设施 specialized retirement facilities
和政策来照顾老人们。 and programs to take care of old people.
更糟的变化开始于 Changes for the worse begin with the cruel reality
我们现在，比以往任何时候 that we now have
都有更多的老人和更少的年轻人 more old people and fewer young people
这一残酷现实。 than at any time in the past.
这意味着，那些老人 That means that all those old people
对这些较少的年轻来说是个负担， are more of a burden on the few young people,
并且每个老人的个体价值也就更少。 and that each old person has less individual value.
另一个老年人地位恶化的大变化是 Another big change for the worse in the status of the elderly
随着年龄的增长，社会纽带的断裂， is the breaking of social ties with age,
因为老人，他们的孩子， because older people, their children,
和他们的朋友， and their friends,
在他们的生命过程中多次搬家 all move and scatter independently of each other
并彼此独立地四散各处。 many times during their lives.
我们美国人平均 We Americans move on the average
每五年就搬家一次。 every five years.
因此我们的老人很有可能 Hence our older people are likely
最终生活在远离他们的孩子 to end up living distant from their children
和他们青年时期朋友的地方。 and the friends of their youth.
另一个老年人地位恶化的变化是 Yet another change for the worse in the status of the elderly
从劳动力中正式退休， is formal retirement from the workforce,
同时失去在工作中建立的友谊 carrying with it a loss of work friendships
以及从工作而来的自尊。 and a loss of the self-esteem associated with work.
或许，最大的（老人地位）恶化的改变是 Perhaps the biggest change for the worse
我们的老人都客观地 is that our elderly are objectively
相比在传统社会中没那么有用了。 less useful than in traditional societies.
文化普及意味着他们不再 Widespread literacy means that they are no longer
是有用的知识宝库。 useful as repositories of knowledge.
当我们想要某些信息时， When we want some information,
我们从书里面查，或是上网搜索 we look it up in a book or we Google it
而不是询问老人。 instead of finding some old person to ask.
在传统社会中， The slow pace of technological change
技术变革的缓慢速度 in traditional societies
意味着在孩童时代学习的东西 means that what someone learns there as a child
在老年时仍然有用 is still useful when that person is old,
而今天技术的快速改变 but the rapid pace of technological change today
意味着我们在孩童时代学习的东西 means that what we learn as children
60 年后已经不再有用。 is no longer useful 60 years later.
反过来，我们老人对于 And conversely, we older people are not fluent
现代社会中生存必需的技术 in the technologies essential for surviving
并不擅长。 in modern society.
例如，做为 一个15 岁的孩子， For example, as a 15-year-old,
别人觉得我非常擅长乘法 I was considered outstandingly good at multiplying numbers
因为我记得乘法表， because I had memorized the multiplication tables
知道如何使用对数， and I know how to use logarithms
并且可以快速地操作计算尺。 and I'm quick at manipulating a slide rule.
然而，今天，这些技能基本完全无用 Today, though, those skills are utterly useless
因为任何一个白痴 because any idiot
也可以将八位数的数字 can now multiply eight-digit numbers
准确快速地用一个袖珍计算器相乘。 accurately and instantly with a pocket calculator.
相反地，我在75 岁时 Conversely, I at age 75
无法驾驭日常生活中 am incompetent at skills
所必须的技能。 essential for everyday life.
我家1948 年的第一台电视 My family's first TV set in 1948
只有三个旋钮，我很快就掌握了要如何使用： had only three knobs that I quickly mastered:
一个电源开关，一个音量旋钮 an on-off switch, a volume knob,
和一个频道选择钮。 and a channel selector knob.
今天，为了要在我自家的 Today, just to watch a program
电视上看个节目， on the TV set in my own house,
我必须要操作一个 41钮的电视遥控器， I have to operate a 41-button TV remote
这完全难倒了我。 that utterly defeats me.
我只好打电话给我 25 岁的儿子们 I have to telephone my 25-year-old sons
让他们在电话里一步一步地告诉我 and ask them to talk me through it
怎么操作那些可悲的 41个按钮。 while I try to push those wretched 41 buttons.
我们可以做些什么来改善在美国的老人的生活 What can we do to improve the lives of the elderly
和更好地利用他们的价值吗？ in the U.S., and to make better use of their value?
这是一个巨大的问题。 That's a huge problem.
在我今天剩下的四分钟内， In my remaining four minutes today,
我仅能提供几个建议。 I can offer just a few suggestions.
老人的一个价值是他们 One value of older people is that they are
作为祖父母， increasingly useful as grandparents
在为其孙辈提供高品质的儿童照顾上 for offering high-quality childcare
越来越有用，如果他们选择做这件事， to their grandchildren, if they choose to do it,
因为越来越多的年轻妇女参与劳动 as more young women enter the workforce
以及越来越少的年轻父母中任一一方 and as fewer young parents of either gender
留在家里全职照顾他们的孩子。 stay home as full-time caretakers of their children.
相比于常见的 Compared to the usual alternatives
带薪保姆和托儿所这些选择， of paid babysitters and day care centers,
祖父母提供更优越，更有动力的， grandparents offer superior, motivated,
经验丰富的儿童照顾。 experienced child care.
他们已经从养育自己的孩子中取得了经验。 They've already gained experience from raising their own children.
他们通常爱他们的孙辈， They usually love their grandchildren,
并渴望能花时间和他们在一起。 and are eager to spend time with them.
与其他护理人员不同， Unlike other caregivers,
爷爷奶奶不会因为 grandparents don't quit their job
找到了另一份收入更高的 because they found another job with higher pay
照顾另一个孩子的工作而辞职。 looking after another baby.
老年人的第二个价值，矛盾的是 A second value of older people is paradoxically
与其因世界状况和技术的变化 related to their loss of value
造成的价值损失有关。 as a result of changing world conditions and technology.
与此同时，老人们获得了 At the same time, older people have gained
今天的价值恰恰是因为 in value today precisely because
他们在那些如今已经罕见的生活状况上 of their unique experience of living conditions
的独特经验 that have now become rare
这些情况由于快速的变化而变得罕见，但有可能会再出现。 because of rapid change, but that could come back.
例如，只有70多岁或更老的美国人 For example, only Americans now in their 70s
今天会记得 or older today can remember
在大萧条中存活的经验， the experience of living through a great depression,
在世界大战中存活的经验， the experience of living through a world war,
和烦恼到底是 and agonizing whether or not
扔原子炸弹的后果比较严重 dropping atomic bombs would be more horrible
还是不扔原子弹可能出现的后果比较严重。 than the likely consequences of not dropping atomic bombs.
大多数我们当前的选民和政治家 Most of our current voters and politicians
都没有亲身经历过这些事情， have no personal experience of any of those things,
但数以百万计的美国老年人经历过。 but millions of older Americans do.
不幸的是，所有这些可怕的情况 Unfortunately, all of those terrible situations
都有可能再发生。 could come back.
即使它们不再发生， Even if they don't come back,
我们必须能够为此做好准备 we have to be able to plan for them
基于经验所知的状况。 on the basis of the experience of what they were like.
老人们有这个经验。 Older people have that experience.
但年轻人没有。 Younger people don't.
我将要提到的老人的其他价值 The remaining value of older people
是关于（我们需要）认识到 that I'll mention involves recognizing that
虽然有很多事情，老人 while there are many things that older people
不能再做了， can no longer do,
但也有其他的事情，他们仍可以做 there are other things that they can do
得比年轻人更好。 better than younger people.
社会面临的一个挑战就是要利用那些 A challenge for society is to make use of those things
老人能做得更好事情。 that older people are better at doing.
当然，一些能力会随着年龄的增长而变差。 Some abilities, of course, decrease with age.
这些包括完成 Those include abilities at tasks
需要体力和耐力， requiring physical strength and stamina,
野心及在特定情况下有创意的推理力 ambition, and the power of novel reasoning
的这类任务的能力， in a circumscribed situation,
如想出DNA的结构， such as figuring out the structure of DNA,
最好还是留给30岁以下的科学家去做。 best left to scientists under the age of 30.
相反的，随着年龄的增加 Conversely, valuable attributes
会更有价值的，包括经验， that increase with age include experience,
了解人和人之间的关系， understanding of people and human relationships,
不被自我意识影响地 ability to help other people
去帮助其他人， without your own ego getting in the way,
以及跨学科地思考大型数据库的能力， and interdisciplinary thinking about large databases,
如经济学和比较历史等事情， such as economics and comparative history,
最好留给年龄超过 60 岁的学者来做。 best left to scholars over the age of 60.
因此，老年人比年轻人 Hence older people are much better than younger people
在监督、 管理、 咨询、 at supervising, administering, advising,
战略规划、 教学、综合， strategizing, teaching, synthesizing,
及制定长期计划上更擅长。 and devising long-term plans.
我在老年人身上看到这个价值 I've seen this value of older people
包括我那些60多岁， with so many of my friends in their 60s,
70多岁，80多岁和90多岁的朋友们， 70s, 80s and 90s,
这些人依然是活跃的投资管理人， who are still active as investment managers,
农民、 律师和医生。 farmers, lawyers and doctors.
总之，许多传统社会 In short, many traditional societies
比我们现代化大社会， make better use of their elderly
更好地利用他们的老年人 and give their elderly more satisfying lives
也给老人更满足的生活。 than we do in modern, big societies.
矛盾的是，现在， Paradoxically nowadays,
当我们比以往任何时候， when we have more elderly people than ever before,
有更多的老年人健康地生活 living healthier lives and with better medical care
和有更好的医疗照顾， than ever before,
变老在某些方面反而 old age is in some respects more miserable
比以往任何时候更惨。 than ever before.
老人生活状态被公认 The lives of the elderly are widely recognized
构成了现代美国社会 as constituting a disaster area
的一个灾难性的部分。 of modern American society.
我们当然可以做得更好， We can surely do better by learning
通过学习在传统的社会中 from the lives of the elderly
老人的生活。 in traditional societies.
但，对传统社会 But what's true of the lives of the elderly
老人生活来说是对的事情， in traditional societies
对许多其他 is true of many other features
传统社会的特点来说也是对的。 of traditional societies as well.
当然，我不主张我们都放弃 Of course, I'm not advocating that we all give up
农业和金属工具 agriculture and metal tools
并返回狩猎采集的生活方式。 and return to a hunter-gatherer lifestyle.
在许多明显的方面 There are many obvious respects
我们今天的生活远比 in which our lives today are far happier
在那些小的、 传统的社会更快乐。 than those in small, traditional societies.
举几个例子， To mention just a few examples,
比在传统社会中人的生活。 our lives are longer, materially much richer,
我们活得更久，物质更丰富， and less plagued by violence
也少受暴力迫害。 than are the lives of people in traditional societies.
但传统社会中的人们 But there are also things to be admired
的一些事情也值得敬佩， about people in traditional societies,
或许应该向他们学习。 and perhaps to be learned from them.
他们的生活通常在社交上 Their lives are usually socially much richer
比我们的生活更丰富 than our lives,
虽然物质上比较贫乏。 although materially poorer.
他们的孩子们更自信 Their children are more self-confident,
更独立，和在社会上更熟练， more independent, and more socially skilled
比起我们的孩子。 than are our children.
他们比我们更实际地对待危险。 They think more realistically about dangers than we do.
他们几乎从来不会死于糖尿病、 心脏病、 They almost never die of diabetes, heart disease,
中风和其他非传染性疾病， stroke, and the other noncommunicable diseases
而这些将会是我们今天 that will be the causes of death of almost
在这里的所有人的死因。 all of us in this room today.
现代生活方式的特点让我们更容易患上这些疾病， Features of the modern lifestyle predispose us to those diseases,
而传统生活方式的特点 and features of the traditional lifestyle
保护我们免受这些疾病的伤害。 protect us against them.
这些只是几个例子来说明我们能 Those are just some examples of what we can learn
从传统社会中学习什么。 from traditional societies.
我希望你会发现， I hope that you will find it as fascinating
了解传统社会 to read about traditional societies
和我觉得在这些社会中生活一样引人入胜。 as I found it to live in those societies.
谢谢。 Thank you.
（掌声） (Applause)