The Being Blind Doesn't Mean You Can't See What Matters

    Caroline Casey: Looking Past Limits

In a TED Talk from Caroline Casey, the true meaning of limits, labels, and how they have no power or meaning over us is revealed.  She starts off with a story about how she would always go with her little, visually impaired sister in to the eye specialist, "because big sisters are always supposed to support their little sisters".  It just so happened to be Caroline's 17th birthday, which the doctor had somehow known and he asked her what she was going to do to celebrate.  She said that she was going to learn how to drive.  Then the doctor asked her mom, "You haven't told her yet?", and from that moment on she had learned that she was legally blind.  She then goes on to say that she has a condition known as ocular albinism, meaning that she cannot see about 2-3 feet past her eyes.  She rushed out of the doctor's office angrily, and committed herself to make sure that no one would ever discover that she was blind, because that would make her seem weak.  She had many jobs until 1999, when wshe was 28, she actually talked to an HR manager saying that she was blind, and she needed help.  She was told that she should try something different, and she went home frustrated.  Then as she was going on one of her regular walks, she was inspired to be an elephant handler.  She started a business was able to raise enough money to give 6,000 people cataract operations.

Caroline starts her story off personal, with a dramatic event that creates an instant connection with her.  How she starts off with an event in the early years of her life, and ends with how she came to TED, allows people to make even greater connections to her story, and gives a sense of completion and satisfaction to the story.  She talks of being free and denying her true self at the same time, giving a conflict that is resolved at the end.  She uses expressive language which creates an amazing visual picture in your head.  She never got off topic and kept to her own story, making the story unique, unlike others that use many multiple stories and examples, this one can hold it's own.  I truly feel that if a blind person find a way to live their life the way they've always wanted to, why can't I?  Why can't you?  Why can't anyone?  All we have to do it try, truly try, to be what we want.  In school, we may feel constrained by rubrics and deadlines, but if you can find what you want to do, and don't give up on it, you can find it, just like Caroline.  Whether you live in America like me, or on the other side of the world, you can accomplish anything if you push past your limits.  I would definitely recommend this video to anyone who need inspiration or just a way to kill time, you will not regret those 15 minutes!

To see more dramatic TED Talks, go to: http://www.ted.com/talks

How to be Compassionate, as told by a Hindu Monk

Swami Dayananda Saraswati: The Profound Journey of Compassion

Swami Dayananda Saraswati is an old Hindu monk (living since August 1930), who talks about how to be compassionate through the state of a new-born baby, how it grows up, oneness, empathy, love, our limits as human beings, and in the end, simply have to "fake it to make it".  He starts off in a slow, yet wise voice, giving power to his words and allowing the audience to take in everything that he says.  He talks about how a new-born baby is completely helpless and at the mercy of its parents.  It has to trust them completely, and assumes that the bond between them will not be violated.  Yet, when that same bound is broken, the child has no one but themselves to blame, which contributes to the problem of not being able to be compassionate.  The next step is being compassionate is to be self-aware and big, centered on yourself but not having lots of money or social status, just yourself, which seems a little confusing at first.  Then he solves the problem that was created before, and explains that no one person is perfect, we all mess up, we all make mistakes, and that the kind of person who you are trying to be, that very happiness, is actually right inside of you, you embody all of that.  He explains that to be compassionate, you actually have to act it out, just like you can't learn to swim unless you actually get in the water and start paddling.  Then he ends by explaining that you have to "fake it to make it".  You cannot become compassionate all at once, you have to try to be compassionate, forgiving, ect.  Over time, you will eventually recieve that one abillity you were always searching for.

I feel that although the means to become compassionate do not agree with mine, this was an extremely interesting video.  I completely agree with the fact that you do have to "fake it to make it", because no one can learn something all at once, and you have to supplement for it. 

To watch more inspiring TED Talks, go to: http://www.ted.com/talks

Everyone: One on One, One at a Time

Dave Eggers' Wish: Once Upon a School

David Eggers is an author who used to live in Brookland and was able to set up a whole program dedicated to helping students at school with English, who often, did not even have English spoken as a language in their own home.  The most fundamental problem was that most students did not get nearly as much one on one time with their teachers as the average student would need in order to move up to the next grade level.  He solved this problem by creating a "Pirate Shop", that sold things such as peg-legs and eye patches in the front, and tutoring kids in the back.

I felt that this was a very good TED Talk, as David's style diverged greatly from most other TED Talks style of expression.  He talked in a relaxed voice, yet made a convincing argument.  He did not focus on jokes, they simply fit into the story.  He made the story relatable with all the details his story contained, and his down-to-Earth style of speaking.  He not only explained how he overcame boundaries, he also described the actual obstacles, and how he overcame them, reinforcing his story.  He made the small to large connections, showing that just like he did, it takes almost nothing to start off small, and he was able to make tutoring students into a largely effective and renowned service available to all students.  He explained things that could have been skipped over quite easily, such as the "Pirate Shop" which added some humor, creativity, and originality into the mix.  He mentioned "other tutoring programs" which changed the TED Talk from a "look at me/us" display to a "Hey, we're not unique, they've done it too" presentation.

Personally, I have to ask: "Why do we make it so hard to help others?".  All it would take would be an empty room in a school (which there are plenty of), and some volunteers who have free time two-three times a week.  Yet we only offer programs that are unaffordable, they are not nearly as accessible, or they are not composed of the same elements as a one on one style.  We can all take the time to help a friend and stay up a little later that day to finish homework or sacrfice videogames for the week.  Supporting the concept of helping others never hurts, all it takes is one person to set off a chain reaction.  That's why we all have our own strengths and weaknesses, to help each other out with the subjects that we struggle in.  We all can all use a little elbow grease in this campaign to make education a reigning part of our lives.  This is probably the number one factor in poorer cities/towns that holds students back from getting a decent education.  They do not feel like there is anyone who cares about them, and they just give up half-way through.  "If no one cares about my education, why should I?  Why should I even go to school?".  Just give it a chance and you will be surprised at the changes you see around you.

For more TED Talks, go to: http://www.ted.com/talks