TED: An idea that emerged in 1984, by Richard Saul Wireman's desire to mold technology, entertainment and design together has now, even 30+ years later, still managed to have a great impact on enlightening the global community. While there are over 1,000 TED Talks one can watch via YouTube, attending a sponsored event or at ted.com, here are a few that best exhibit the spirit of TED. Whether you are watching a TED Talk for the first time or are simply curious to learn more, these videos were chosen across a grand spectrum of topics. Each speaker brings forth an enlightening view and insight that helps listeners gain some sort of knowledge.
1. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The world renowned feminist and author touches base on the importance of understanding the whole picture rather than the skewed perspective many are prone to via media and social platforms.
2. Monica Lewinsky
She speaks on behalf of those who have faced the struggles of bullying and public embarrassment. She uses personal examples to help spread a notion to accept flaws and treat with empathy.
3. Ameera Harouda
The Human Rights Activist refers to herself as a "Fixer" and tells her experiences living in the Gaza Strip.
4. Hans Rosling
The Swedish global halth professor discusses some of his findings as well as the shocking perception most people have when discussing global issues.
5. Bryan Stevens
A human rights lawyer, Bryan Stevens discusses the importance of identity. Whether it be how we identify a car, social injustice, even ourselves, there are certain issues we must address.
6. Brene Brown
The storyteller/researcher describes her personal journey during her six years of researching happiness and her surprising findings on human behavior.
7. Bonnie Bassler
She gives an interesting talk about some of the world's smallest organisms and the skills they have that help make (and sometimes break) the human biology.
8. Celeste Headlee
The talkshow host brings up the lost skill of "communication" and her 10 ways to sharpen one's skill set.
9. Jon Ronson
Ronson tells his firsthand experiences with his mingling with scientologists, his unique encounters with some of the world's most famous psychopaths, and how he gained insight on how to spot a psychopath.
10. Fabian Oefner
Merging the realms of science and art, the photographer uses his skills to help show others a visual representation of facts and scientific properties.
11. Maysoon Zayid
The actress and cerebral palsy patient sheds a humorous light on accomplishing one's hopes and dreams while making a bold statement on some of the setbacks she faced in her lifetime as a disabled individual.
12. Sarah Jones
Jones makes an interesting statement on creating one's "self." It's a rather narrative Ted Talk, but it makes a wonderful statement about the importance of humanity, and how once we are stripped of our labels -- accents, colors, clothing -- we are all one, and we should all work to thought provoke and share ideas.
13. Andrew Solomon
This is an eye-opening and brave sharing of his experiences with depression. The speaker talks about friends, fans and family members who have all experienced and overcome depression and helps to spread an awareness for breaking the stigma against mental illness.
14. Chip Kidd
The graphic designer speaks about his journey in the art world of designing covers for books. The time, effort and thought process is an exciting thing to learn about, and he clearly exhibits a sense of pizzazz that was unmatched.
15. Eva DeVirgilis
The makeup artists speaks on the standard of beauty in the modern day and the effect she sees it has had on her clients and herself. As a society we are so obsessed with reaching this sense of perfection that we often do not value the beauty we have.
As I mentioned before, TED was founded in the early 1980's and even though it has made vast progress in helping to spread ideas and spark global conversation, the work is nowhere near done. I encourage everyone to watch more videos, and keep an eye out for TED events near you!
