Ted Talk #8 (Choice)

I watched a ted talk by Jacqueline Novogratz. Her talk was about poverty and changing it. When you first think of poverty, you think of someone that doesn't make a lot of money. In this talk she talked about how that is not the only thing that should define people in poverty. She told an inspiring story about a young women she met who was living in the slums of Africa named Jane. These slums were unimaginable. They were basically pieces of metal but together and put so close to each other, privacy was impossible. Jane had two dreams. One, to become a doctor and two to have husband that won't leave her. She couldn't afford to get an education and her husband left her with two children. With no money she had to turn to prostitution. She said something that really made me think. She said it wasn't the poverty that was bad but it was embarrassment she felt standing on a street selling her body.I think in America, prostitution is so horrible and we view any woman involved as someone who we should not associate with. However, Jane had to choose between feeding her babies and selling her body or having pride but having her children die. Should we really shun this? She also talked about an organization that works to provide for those in poverty. They will loan money to anyone as long as those people try to save some sort of money. Jane saved 50 dollars and that was a lot. She got helped with money and made a dress making business. I think a lot of times we think that people need to work there way up from the bottom, why? Why can't those who are fortunate help those that aren't. I think this world focuses to much on competition and fighting for ourselves when we could be helping everyone and building from each others strengths. At the end of the story with Jane, she gets to go live in a new housing facility in Africa that is similar to the loan organization. As long as the people can come up with some sort of savings, they get a house. Jane was asked what about her dreams? She described how they had changed, she didn't want to be a doctor, she wanted to help people. One of her jobs is going and talking to women suffering from HIV, like herself. She said she gives these people hope, which is better than any medicine. She also realized that she didn't want a husband that wouldn't leave her, she wanted a family that loves her. Jane loves her children more than anything. So in the end her dreams weren't what she thought they would be, but sometimes your dreams need to change with your life. This was so inspiring to me because I think we all get way to caught up in living out our dreams of going to college and getting a good job. There are people all over the world that can't do this, but they still don't give up on reaching for a goal. I will definitely take that away from this video. Jacqueline told her Ted talk through story. This story pulled people in and made them think. Like Daniel Pink says, we have an innate sense for story and in the end, we will listen most to it. I will always remember this woman's story and how poverty isn't always the money you have but what you are going through and what you went through.

Ted Talk # 7 ( Choice)

I watched a video by Karen Armstrong. She is a religion historian and talked about the importance of implementing the golden rule "treat people how you would want to be treated." She said that without compassion for other people, our world will not be ok for the future generation. Personally I am very religious but not in the normal way. I have faith but I think that religions often bash eachother and don't follow the golden rule. Because you catholic your better then a Buddhist or because your Jewish your better then a christian. Religion made up the golden rule, but doesn't always follow it. I think that her view of the world and how we need to be compassionate for eachother not only once a day but everyday and all day. If we all went around not doing harm to people but good, would we have war? I think acceptance is a big part of this. We all want others to accept us for who we are but sometimes we are judgmental of others and don't accept them for who they are. She said that religious teaching must always lead to action. I completely agree with this. If people learn the golden rule, they have to use it. In school, church and sports, what we learn as a youth we have to go out and challenge what we have learned. She talked about how compassion requires an acute sense of intelligence not just feeling mushy inside. Those who have the ability to truly help people and not hurt them, these require intelligence and maturity that is far above just feeling love for everyone in the world.  She said we don't have to fall in love with eachother, we just have to be friends and all look at the same problems and the same goals and work as hard as we can until we are on the other side of the problem seeing the amazing result of our collaboration. I really enjoyed this ted talk, however i don't think she made a lot of points that would stick in my mind and her voice was very monotoned and annoying. She used her hands a lot and paced back and forth but it was obvious she was passionate about compassion and spreading the golden rule.

Ted Talk# 5 Dave Eggers

I really enjoyed this ted talk. Dave Eggers talk was very inspiring. His store/ tutoring center/ publisher was so unique but was something that I could see changing the world. He talked about how when the children finish their homework and have time to spend with their family and pursue other passions, they are happy which creates happy families which creates happy communities. The way that he cared about what children had to say and he had belief in every single child no matter where they came from they have something to say and something to change. I love the way he started with one idea to start a place where children can go and get help with writing but it developed into going to schools and even creating a middle school that focused on this. In the beginning it didn't work and people didn't come but he kept trying. This talk really relates to cognitive surplus with Clay Shirky and the ted talk I just watched about the schools in India. It is talking about using everyones abilities and creating something magical. I also took away from this video that you don't have to do something huge to create something great. Dave Eggers project started as something little but affected many kids. That one kid that wrote books and made speeches and was only nine all because he got some one on one time with a tutor that believed in me. In the beginning he seemed very nervous and stuttered alot, by the time he was at the end he was relaxed and passionate about. I think that fact that he was nervous made him more relatable. I like how he didn't use huge words or big ideas, he used stories that made you want to listen. I believe if we all have something to give the world and Dave Eggers project only proves that is right.