On Saturday, Michael and I went to the TEDx event in Phoenixville, a suburb outside of Philadelphia. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design and puts on programs all over the country with live speakers that aim to spark deep self-inquiry, discussion and connections with your local community. They also have TED salons that bring people together to talk about ideas as well.
TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At TEDx Phoenixville,
Before the TEDx event, there were all kinds of events the night before meant to foster community and so you can get together with other participants and speakers. We went to an Art warehouse VIP event where we got to know one of the speaker from Saturday’s events and we also got to know a self-described “savant” who works with obscure and difficult to diagnose auto-immune and gastro-intestinal disorders and many of his patients consider him the “doctor of last resort.”
The day started out with the theme of ” Your Backyard”. One of the first speakers was a a guy that used to trade bonds and derivatives and now owns a 350 acre farm and he spoke about sustainability. Some of the other speakers spoke on topics such as motivating employees using techniques that online video gamers get to see. Another zippy young woman has just gotten back from Tanzania and she started a self-sustaining orphanage there and spoke about her connection to her community there. We saw a modern dance performance that was very performance-art-esque. We also heard from the gardening guy on NPR, Mike McGrath about gathering leaves, shredding them and using them to create better compost for your gardens. I never thought hearing about worms would be so interesting. We also got to hear from an urban historian who explores sewers and climbs bridges from Manhattan to Moscow.
When was the last time you heard about an idea worth spreading? What ideas do you have that you would like to spread? What’s stopping you from spreading them?
There were also some videos of other TED events from all over the country and one was from a woman who had just lost someone very close to her. She lives in New Orleans and was wondering how she could turn a neglected building into a socially meaningful place where people could reflect on what they wanted to accomplish before they die. She helped to create a part of the building as a huge chalkboard with the phrases, ” Before I die, I want to..” The phrases ended with things such as ” get my wife back”, to “make a difference” to “be tried for piracy”. At the TEDx event, there was a faux white picket fence where we could all write on there what we wanted to do before we die. I think I wrote up there, ” go cage-shark diving with great white sharks” and “swim in a lake of non-stinging jellyfish in Indonesia”.
The most impactful speaker of the day was the one that came to the stage in a wheelchair. He spoke about his experience with a debilitating and life-shortening disease called Frederich’s Ataxia and how instead of just wallowing in pity, he decided to get on his bike and start biking hundreds and then thousands of miles all over the country in order to raise awareness and build community. I saw lots of teary eyes by the end of his speech and he received a standing ovation.
What kinds of ideas in the area of technology, entertainment or design would you like to spread?