Thoughts

On my favorite ted talks

What are your favorite TED Talks?

Standard

31 thoughts on “On my favorite ted talks

  1. Livvid says:

    That Sarah Kay talk OBLITERATED me during finals week of my junior year of college. I was knee deep in a 3 a.m. study session and decided to take a break. I was battling one of the worst bouts of depression in my life and dealing with a bad dating/relationship situation. I was also on my period and very hormonal. My friend Facebook messaged me the link and I took a study break to watch it.

    My roommate came in to find me curled up on the floor with chocolate covered raisins strewn about. I don’t remember how the the raisins got there. I just remember I had been keeping it together for a long time, and that poem shattered the delicate wall that had been holding back my flood of emotions.

    My roommate rubbed my back a little bit, and I cry-laughed and talked it out with her for another 5 minutes. I got up, feeling different. Empty. Relieved. Strong. I cleaned up the chocolate covered raisins. Went on to do really well on my finals and broke up with the Fuckboy of the Month.

    Good times.

    • hm says:

      Her voice is so fucking beautiful. Before I spoke to anyone about being sexually assaulted, I would go on tearful binges. It’s how I got a lot of faux catharsis before I could actually achieve catharsis.

  2. Thanks, for the fast reply, girl! The power of vulnerability is one of my favs. This will make my mindless admin work go so much quicker.

  3. Laura says:

    WOO! This is amazing. Thank you CQ. I’ve been wasting a lot of time recently watching crap tv since caning You’re the Worst, House of Cards and Love, so this will do nicely.

  4. Bruce says:

    The Atheism 2.0 is for atheists everywhere. Atheism starts out for most people as an act of defiance, rejecting religion (not all, but a whole lot) but at some point it’s got to settle into part of the character of a positive and self-rewarding life. You’ve rejected supernatural explanations, and so you don’t go to church, but ritual is still important. Self-reflection and confession and community are still important.

  5. Emily Rose says:

    Thank you for this list, CQ. Going to pace myself on your recommendations – one every night. Can’t wait.

    Since you’ve been so generous in sharing your favorites with us, I’m going to go ahead and be that jerk who plugs a couple that have really affected me:

    – Chris Milk: How virtual reality can create the ultimate empathy machine -(https://www.ted.com/talks/chris_milk_how_virtual_reality_can_create_the_ultimate_empathy_machine?language=en)
    – Bryan Stevenson: We need to talk about an injustice -(https://www.ted.com/talks/bryan_stevenson_we_need_to_talk_about_an_injustice?language=en)

    • J Lynn says:

      Why would it be jerky to contribute relevant content, as long as it’s on topic and not hostile? Seems like it would be a worthwhile addition.

  6. dk says:

    I have two daughters and made them watch the Cameron Russell talk several years ago. It may be time to make them watch it again.

  7. Veronica says:

    Alain de Botton and Brené Brown have made me a much happier person. I was all YAAAAAAASSS when I saw you mention their TED talks.

    • unicornsrpeople2 says:

      Me too! Was just discussing this talk with a friend! So happy for Monica Lewinsky that she could find strength and purpose after her horrible experience, and that she has become an advocate for others

  8. Jingles says:

    Mark Henrick’s talk… Holy shit. I cried more or less the whole video. As someone who struggles with suicidal thoughts almost daily, this one was like a nine iron to the gut. His stories are absolutely heartbreaking. The message is powerful and empowering to those with mental illness: we deserve to be heard and understood, that we need to be included in the conversation. And he inspired me to be braver, even just a tiny bit.

  9. GOAT says:

    The Srivastava talk was killer. I kind of feel like I understand you more after watching that one. Thank you so much for posting these.

Leave a Reply to Veronica Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *