Poverty in a New Light

In Jessica Jackly's TED talk, she casts a new light on the 'poor' members of society and what it means to give back to them. She explains that as a child she was always told that the poor people needed money and material items and that she was expected to give to them. However, Jessica was also told that no matter how many things we could provide them, we would always live among the poor. At a young age, I could relate to the way she explains this and understand the burden that she felt to be a contributing member even though she didn't understand WHY she needed to give back. The things she heard as a kid made her picture a never-ending line of needy people with open hands begging for food. No wonder she felt overwhelmed. Through her young life, even though she continued to give openly on the outside, she never felt the hope of giving or did it out of the true generosity of her heart. Like many of us feel, we give back because we feel obligated or we pay some money so we won't be bothered. As if we are buying our right to carry on with our day. Luckily, through stories, Jackly made it her goal to change people's perspectives on giving back and the poor themselves. This ties in perfectly with the message that Dan Pink is trying to send us. Story is essential in life and has the ability to persuade and connect with people emotionally. I agree with the point that Pink and Jackly are making. Story, if used strategically, can be so powerful and can change people's perceptions. It has the ability to captivate a person's soul and give them the motivation to act a certain way. Stories appeal emotionally and logically in the way that a crafted set of events can bring an audience to their feet or make people weep. In Jackly's case, she believes that stories and the way people participate in them are very important. She was motivated by a speech that Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, gave about the smart, capable, hardworking poor that were doing great things. He said that with even a little more money support, they could conquer even greater goals. Jackly was so taken aback that she quit her job and moved to East Africa out of curiosity and ready to explore. She spent three months interviewing poor entrepreneurs that were given only $100 to grow businesses and heard life changing stories. The humbling experience taught her showed her the beautiful details of life. She noticed that as she spent time with these impoverished individuals, she had never been asked for a donation and that the very little money they made went to good causes like buying sugar so they could serve her tea properly. Through such a gratifying experience, she felt that it was her mission to share stories of the people she met and the hope they gave her. She launched a website called Kiva that featured 7 of the starving entrepreneurs with pictures, stories about them, and ways to give to them. Kiva is based on writing loans to the entrepreneurs and having them pay back the supporters by the success of their businesses. With the support of Jackly's family and friends, money came in and their businesses grew. However year after year, Kiva became more and more successful. The site has now raised 150 million dollars for the entrepreneurs. The reason for its success? Stories. Jessica Jackly's goal is to retell stories of the poor and change the way people view giving back. I love that she had the guts to quit her job and go searching for an answer. The only way to fully understand something is to experience it firsthand. This summer, I am going on a mission trip to Nicaragua to help out in an orphanage. But honestly, the main reason that I signed up is not to help the people of the community, but to develop a new outlook. I want to get outside my own wealthy suburban community and recognize the needs and lifestyles of other people. I think that as soon as I am immersed in another place, I am going to be that much more motivated to give back on a personal level. I want to connect with the kids, play with them, pray with them, and be a part of their community. To me, it will mean so much more than sending money or throwing my change in a donation jar. I believe that it is important for individuals to have a personal journey to understand the lives of the poor. However, no one can tell anyone else to do this. One must be intrinsically motivated to make a change. A quote by William Blake states that, “The man who never alters his opinion is like standing water, and breeds reptiles of the mind,” ("Change"). To believe passionately in giving back one must experience the suffering and need of others. I love Kiva's goal because it validates the dignity of the poor and promotes hope and optimism through storytelling. They aim to blur the lines between 'us' and 'them' and the 'haves' and 'have nots'. Just as Dan Pink says in A Whole New Mind, story has that power.

Works Cited

"Change Quotes, Sayings about Changes and Changing." The Quote Garden - Quotes, Sayings, Quotations, Verses. Web. 05 May 2011. <http://www.quotegarden.com/change.html>.

Living an AWESOME! Life

After going through a divorce and dealing with the loss of a close friend, Neil Pashricha explains how he pulled through his distress by focusing on the awesome little moments in his life. He started a blog and would record the special moments he was grateful for during the day. For example, he realized the value of waitresses and waiters that brought him drinks and food while he just sat and relaxed. He cherished the moment of putting on warm underwear from the dryer and being the first one in a newly opened check-out line at the grocery store. His blog eventually received thousands of views and was increasing in popularity rapidly. I think that it became so popular because everyone could relate to the awesome nuances in their own lives. It is refreshing to hear about a person that took the sorrow in his own life and taught himself to take a new outlook. Realizing the small positive parts of his day, Neil began to change his perspective for the better. I love this idea because even in the worst life situations, you can always find a tiny bit of a good thing. For me, this also ties into my faith and how I believe that everything in my life happens for a reason. Even in times of sorrow, I know that God has a greater plan in mind. I tell myself that this one event must occur to teach me a lesson or show me a different side of myself. I love the message Neil is sending to the world. If everyone learned to take a different outlook when life is rough, then our world would be a much more peaceful place. He explains the three A's vital to living a happy, content lifestyle: attitude, awareness, and authenticity. One must possess a positive attitude about the future. Although, it is easier to wallow in our own hurt and pain, we must take a proactive approach to change the way we view the situation and mentally get through it. Neil's tip about focusing on the happy moments is a good method because it causes you to gradually replace the issue with happier thoughts. I think that if people kept a journal of the happy moments and referred back to it when in a bad moment, then the bad moment would be shortened and people would develop a different mindset. Awareness for me refers to searching for the great moments. In my life, I don't want to float through time just waiting for the good times to come, but instead go out and seek them. Therefore, I can live a rewarding, interesting life. Not that the bad times won't occur, but my mind will be mentally ready for them to come. In my opinion, another benefit to Neil's message is that if people use it effectively, they will be less likely to blow their sorrow out of proportion. Many times, I think we tell ourselves that our hard times are much harder than they actually are. We feel bad for ourselves many times. But by looking out for the goodness in our lives, we won't place as much self-pity on ourselves and therefore can be more positive. Authenticity is important because those who follow their hearts and make beneficial choices will live with passion. One must grab life by the horns by seeking fun, exciting adventures. Neil points out that life is full of things to be happy about and humans only have 100 years to enjoy it. I completely agree! Let's live life in the moment and when the moment turns bad, find other moments to be happy about. See the tiny joys in life and be joyful to live life.

Once Upon A School

David Eggers TED talk was inspiring because he told a true story in which he and a few other writers helped children with their own writing projects for school. I loved how instead of preaching about an issue or idea, he showed a real life example of how to assist others. I hope to make my TED talk relatable to my classmates by showing them ways in which they can feasibly solve the problem. David Eggers noticed that kids in his society were struggling to keep their grades up in reading and writing and the schools couldn't provide one on one attention to each student. At the time, David was buying a building for himself and some other writers to have a place to work. He decided that they should provide their space for the students to come in and seek extra help from the writers working there. At first hardly any students came in, but eventually it became a really crowded place everyday after school. The skilled writers were able to provide each student one on one attention. The students loved going because they could get all their homework done before going home. Therefore the students could spend quality time with their families. David said, "Happy families mean a happy community!" I find this to be so true. Each summer I find that I am so much closer to my parents and the families in my community than I am during the school year. When school is going on, I have sports in the afternoon and never get home until after 5. It’s all I can manage to finish all of my homework and eat dinner. But even around the dinner table, I am tired and overwhelmed with my schoolwork. If I had the opportunity to finish all my homework by 5, I would have much more time to spend with my family. David Eggers program seems to be something I would have been involved in. His shop even became so popular, that they begin inviting entire classes in during the day and the writers even began traveling to the student’s schools. I think one of the fascinating things about the shop was that the students were intrinsically motivated to come and pursue extra help for school projects. I think this is because it wasn't in an environment like a typical school. It wasn't formal with teachers or schedules, but instead the kids could come on their own schedule. It brings up a question that we have discussed in previous fishbowls in class: Would kids accomplish and learn more if they weren't forced to succeed? In my personal opinion, I believe that in certain situations at school students should be granted more freedom, but that some sort of structure needs to be in place for kids to even show up in the first place. For example, I think that Arapahoe strikes a nice balance because they give their students the opportunity to design a schedule that fits their individual needs. Also, our school offers off periods for kids to devote to anything they choose. If they feel like they need to go talk to a teacher to get help in a certain subject or get ahead on their homework they have the opportunity. Our school provides kids with the time to devote to whatever they desire, but sets precedents and rules for the student’s benefit. I know that I have a future goal to go on to college and succeed in a career of my choice; therefore I am diligent about working hard now. Without any system in place, I believe that the society would become lazy and have no vision or goals for the future. David Eggers and the other writers have inspired kids creativity and involvement in school by providing their services. For example, he talked about a kid that would come in for homework help, but then eventually was inspired to write and publish three books. If the boy had never been encouraged to complete schoolwork in the first place, he may have never discovered his love for writing. I believe that education should be structured, but then within the rigid form, be open to interpretation and leave kids with the freedom to grow. Their store became a gateway to the community and eventually was in such high demand, that they created another location so they could assist more kids and continue to provide one on one attention. 

Overcoming Adversity

Aimee Mullins explained in her TED talk that when faced with adversity, one must not focus on overcoming it, but embracing it, living with it, and even "dancing" with it. Her wise words truly stuck with me and I completely agree. I believe that the children of the future should be taught to face adversity and manage it. It's something everyone will face throughout a lifetime and the more prepared they are to deal with the effects of it, the more successful they can ultimately be. Parents must not protect their children from adversity's effects but instead give them the experience and knowledge to adequately handle themselves in times of trouble. Adversity teaches people to think past themselves and allows them to realize the struggles that others face. In Dan Pink's novel A Whole New Mind, he explains that through people's difficulty, they can acquire new skills as a result. "But as with a blind person who develops a more acute sense of hearing, a dyslexic's difficulties in one area lead him to acquire outsized ability in others," (Pink). Even though people who struggle with dyslexia have problems memorizing data and writing, they excel in seeing the big picture and problem solving. I believe that certain experiences can open up people's view of the big picture and guide R-directed thinking. Aimee Mullins herself was born without shin bones and therefore uses two prosthetic legs. However, despite her setback in life, she has become a well-known athlete, actor, and fashion model. She believes that conflict is the genesis of creation and that adversity gives us a sense of our own power. I agree completely because when humans are faced with problems, the experience of fighting through teaches them about themselves and the greater world around them. I love how her talk is titled "The Opportunity of Adversity" because it illustrates adversity as something that can create wonders in our lives. It's something that isn't pleasant to deal with in the moment, but afterwards people are left with astounding realizations and euphonies. I think this is because when people must channel their thought and effort into a single goal for a moment in time, afterwards they realize the bigger picture. I also love that she starts off with the definition of the word disabled. A simple black background on the screen behind her display simple whit words. Crippled, helpless, useless, lame, weak, laid-up, done for flash across the screen sending the audience a powerful message. Then she shows the antonyms: healthy, strong, and helpful. I was shocked that the definition would be so blunt and I can't imagine how that would have made Aimee feel. The definitions and her own story better illustrate her point that everyone has the ability to contribute to society like Aimee has done and other inspirational people that have overcome life challenges. Bethany Hamilton and Lance Armstrong come to my mind. Additionally, it strengthens her point that adaptation is humans greatest. I truly believe this to be true. We have the ability to adapt to the world around us despite the mental, physical, and environmental barriers. In my opinion, one of the most powerful things she shared was that when she was 15 years old, she would have traded her prosthetics for flesh legs, but that now she wouldn’t because of the experiences that she has had and the lesson that she has learned along the way.

Works Cited

Pink, Daniel H. A Whole New Mind: Why Right-brainers Will Rule the Future. New York: Riverhead, 2006. Print.

Cognitive Surplus Changing the World

Clay Shirky's TED talk explained how cognitive surplus will benefit our society as a whole. My mind was opened by many of the concepts he introduced, but I felt overwhelmed. Just as I would begin to grasp the subject he explained, he would move on to the next topic. Many times it was difficult to see how all the topics related. I really wish he would have kept his speech more basic leaving the audience with a single goal to consider. I am going to keep this in mind for my own TED talk. I want my classmates to walk away from my speech being able to summarize my speech in one sentence and feel the power of the goal I am trying to convey. Nevertheless, I understand that Clay supports the idea of cognitive surplus and collaborating as a whole society. Ushahidi, the new program designed to distribute information to the Kenyan society after the disputed presidential election, is the perfect example of a design with civic value. Immediately I thought of Wikipedia because in the same way it is accessible to everyone and is a collaborative website providing information. Based on my knowledge of Wikipedia, I would say it maintains civic value because it has a positive effect on the world. With modern technology and people's intrinsic motivation to learn, create, and share, people can use the Internet to make a vast impact. I would say it is much easier to create an impact today than it would have been even 30 years ago because of people's proximity to computers and access to the web. Also, I think that the world of today is more connected to information and each other because of the Internet. In the case of Wikipedia, people can document information and link it to other information expanding the way people can research and learn. Therefore, we must use it to our advantage to create information and ideas of civil value through cognitive surplus. Through blogging websites online, Steve in America can instantly communicate with people in other countries. I wouldn’t say blogging and chatting websites uphold civic value, but they are certainly a way to share information and gain knowledge by expressing opinions and viewpoints.  One of the points Clay made was that when we collaborate we develop some really great ideas but also many stupid ones. He gave the example of Lolcats (pictures of cats with funny captions) which only impact people who are interested in them. This has a communal impact instead of a world impact. However, this is something that someone created and shared with people so it still has importance. All creations fall into a spectrum of mediocre and good work. But the people who developed them still made a creation that some would find significant.  All great people have their faults just like all great ideas come with a few bad ones, too! I thought it was interesting that Clay showed a graph of the increase in people who showed up late to pick their kids up from daycare after being asked to pay a fine. It showed that when people paid money to the people watching their kids it released the guilt that they felt for coming late so they ended up coming even later. I thought it was interesting that they were more motivated without a fine than with one. I think that guilt plays a role in people's motivation. For example, I know that when I don’t go to church on Sunday’s the guilt that I feel sticks with me throughout the day. Therefore, I feel increased motivation to get up out of bed and attend church and avoid a guilty weekend. The drive is increased when guilt is on the line. I have a better day when I get my homework done early or go for a run in the morning. In this instance, I believe that it’s my intrinsic motivators that drive my actions. Our human nature is to be self-motivated and collaborative beings.

Theory on Carrots and Sticks

In The Surprising Science of Motivation, Dan Pink talks passionately about his opinions of what motivates people to succeed. I love how he introduces the topic by talking about his experience in Law school and ties the theme into his presentation. Through his passionate case, he believes that society should assess the way businesses are run. Based off what motivates people, the main problem at hand is the off set of what scientists know and what businesses do. On the screen behind him, he projects a picture of a candle, a box of tacks, and some matches sitting on a table. He explains that in a certain experiment, scientists asked people to figure out a way to attach the candle to the wall. Many people, like I would probably in the situation, tried to use the matches to melt the side of the candle and stick it to the wall but failed. However, when the materials are arranged differently with the tacks loose on the table and the box empty, the solution appears much more simply. The box can hold the candle and be pinned to the wall by tacks. In his next point, Daniel introduces he idea of continent motivators that involve rewards for completing certain tasks. 'If you do this, then you get that.' Surprisingly, he revealed that these types of motivators aren't useful when solving tasks that involve creativity and out-side the box thinking. Instead, self-drive is what successful people possess in a creative situation where you have to think past the obvious option (candle picture with tacks separated from the box). When tested, the group with money offered to them took longer to complete the task than the group without an incentive. However, he did mention that rewarding for simple tasks proved to be useful. I agree that society should begin to move away from motivating with rewards because I think that once we begin rewarding people, they will only stay motivated if and when they are offered something just as good or better than past rewards. This can become a vicious cycle because motivation can only occur when the reward is increased. The most important message that I think Dan Pink is trying to send is that as society evolves, white collar careers are going to be shifting and becoming more right brained meaning that we should move away from rewarding for tasks and focus more on self-drive. He is saying that in the future, offering a sweeter carrot or sharper stick will not be an effective way to motivate people anymore. The most interesting thing that he brought up was the notion that companies are giving their employees free time to work on their own projects. This time called 'fedex day' or '20 percent time' has been the most beneficial to companies for producing new inventive products. It makes sense that when people are given the time to focus on their own interests they will be more effective employees to the company. I don’t think that this same notion would work for everything though. For me, if given a day to do whatever I wanted, I would sleep-in probably accomplish nothing. However, if students given the freedom to choose a class to take, I think the results would be positive. Kids would be choosing something that interests them and therefore would be more focused and willing to work hard. Even though many people believe self-drive to be a utopian thought, Daniel Pink ensures us that it can be accomplished and I agree. Rewards often decrease people’s creativity and people can become reliant upon them. It’s the 21^st century, we are moving out of the information age and into the conceptual age. No longer will carrots and sticks be the main motivators. Society must adapt to the changes and be open to a whole new mind. 

Death by Donuts

Jamie Oliver's eye-opening TED talk, Teach Every Child About Food, describes the reality of American's poor health and its effect on younger generations. He effectively opened up his talk with a startling statistic that in the time of his presentation, four American's would die from diet related causes. Jamie Oliver relays that more than half of American's are obese and the children of the next generation will live ten years shorter than their parents. He shocks the audience with facts that leave a lasting impression. I agree with his beliefs that food has power in people's lives and therefore children must be educated at young ages to make nutritional decisions. I notice a common underlying theme in solutions to problems society faces. The education of children will shape future generations because they are full of potential and willing to learn. Regardless, in this case, if children had a better understanding of the disadvantages of fatty, sugary foods they would be more likely to make better choices. Jamie introduced Justin, a 12-year-old boy, who weighs 350 pounds and another young girl who held her father in her arms as he died from obesity. The depressing stories show diet related deaths affecting people’s lives and the lives of their loved ones. Although America is one of the most unhealthy countries, the obesity issue is effecting the world on a grand scale. I thought that Jamie made an interesting point by recognizing the fact that as humans we worry about controlling terrorism and homicide, but in reality heart attacks are the number one cause of death by far. That sends such a strong message that people are making poor personal choices and not realizing their colossal effects. After laying a strong foundation with interesting facts, Jamie explains to the audience that a food revolution is necessary for the benefit of the next generation and the country. I completely agree, but it is a hard price to pay. Literally. To improve the quality of food at schools, Jamie estimates an increase of $6,500 to the budget. Money that especially at a time like this, schools cannot afford. However, with increased awareness, small improvements can be made. From my own experience, packing a lunch from home can be healthier, contain fewer calories, and cost much less in the long run! Simple choices like skipping the hot lunch line and fueling up with a turkey sandwich on wheat bread from home will go along way. Jamie makes an extremely valid point, the main problem is the lack of knowledge people have. In day-to-day life, people are bombarded by advertisements of fast food and misleading labeling. Even when people see a "Low-Fat!" product, it can still be packed with sugar and salt. Restaurants serve processed food in large portions packed with additives and preservatives. I see this as a recipe for disaster. I also agree with Jamie's next point, although Americans are faced with a giant problem, obesity is preventable and in the hands of the individual. Changes must occur in the giant chains, at schools and at home. By educating children about nutrition, funding schools to serve fresh, healthy food and spreading the word about eating right on a budget, people can make REAL changes and reverse the trend of increasing obesity rates. You are what you eat!