Up until a few months ago I was oblivious to the existence of TED. But thanks to my ever curious husband weekend mornings soon became 'Breakfast with TED.' Now everyday I look forward to a new talk, a new idea, a new speaker. The idea of TED is at once simple and profoundly enriching. And I regret not having known about it all these years.
While I pride myself at being an avid reader, the sheer variety of subjects that a few TED talks can expose me to is amazing. I have never picked up as diverse a variety of books, and neither can I see myself doing it. But listening to a 20 minute talk on war, and then neuroscience in the next 20 seems like a piece of cake. It is a small investment of time. It is something I can do even as I check my email. Reading a book on neuroscience would be rather time, energy and will-power intensive, and with poor interest rate that would be a rarity. But this is doable.
Not only are the ideas worth spreading and sharing, the speakers are too. Sarah Jones, Ken Robinson, Elizabeth Gilbert, Jill Bolte Taylor were wonderful orators with great ideas and messages. But even the not so great orators like Iqbal Quadir with his baldness and paunch is a speaker worth sharing. His work, his ideas and the results are inspiring. It shows a selfless man who could give up a good job in the US to help his country fight poverty. But not one of those blind romantics who forget they need to feed their own families too. People like him make good examples for reformers and entrepreneurs in developing or underdeveloped countries, where grass-root homegrown efforts are crucial to progress.
TED does an applaudable job at enriching minds and I wish it grows stronger and farther in years to come.
While I pride myself at being an avid reader, the sheer variety of subjects that a few TED talks can expose me to is amazing. I have never picked up as diverse a variety of books, and neither can I see myself doing it. But listening to a 20 minute talk on war, and then neuroscience in the next 20 seems like a piece of cake. It is a small investment of time. It is something I can do even as I check my email. Reading a book on neuroscience would be rather time, energy and will-power intensive, and with poor interest rate that would be a rarity. But this is doable.
Not only are the ideas worth spreading and sharing, the speakers are too. Sarah Jones, Ken Robinson, Elizabeth Gilbert, Jill Bolte Taylor were wonderful orators with great ideas and messages. But even the not so great orators like Iqbal Quadir with his baldness and paunch is a speaker worth sharing. His work, his ideas and the results are inspiring. It shows a selfless man who could give up a good job in the US to help his country fight poverty. But not one of those blind romantics who forget they need to feed their own families too. People like him make good examples for reformers and entrepreneurs in developing or underdeveloped countries, where grass-root homegrown efforts are crucial to progress.
TED does an applaudable job at enriching minds and I wish it grows stronger and farther in years to come.
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