Shelly: New year offers endless opportunities to learn, grow
In December 2020, the Washington Post embedded two questions in an article: “In one word or phrase how would you describe 2020? What are you hopeful for in 2021?” I answered their questions and received a call saying they would like to include my comments in an upcoming article entitled “The Words To Describe 2020.”
My granddaughter’s answer to the question, “A Year of Missing,” was the phrase about which I wrote. I asked Walt, my husband, for his answer and he replied, “A Year of Learning.” Over and over in 2020, we were challenged to learn new ways to do things, new ideas, and new ways to interact, yet our personal world had grown smaller. Every day I put in my air-pods and listened to Ted Talks for 45 minutes as I walked in the backyard. At the age 79 I confess that I am late to the TED “dinner party” of speakers and to the world of podcasts, etc. Yet, perhaps more than ever, we all need to be challenged intellectually, stimulated by another’s curiosity, exposed to the vulnerability of others, and travel with those from other cultures. There will always be so much to learn.
Do you know about the “Tree of 40 Fruit?’ I didn’t. Artist Sam Van Aken had a plan to create a tree that could grow 40 different varieties of fruit – all on the same tree. At first it was an art project to showcase beautiful, multi-colored blossoms, but it developed into a project “to teach people about rare heirloom specimens and their histories, about hands-on cultivation and the need for biodiversity to ensure food security.” I found that an amazing piece of information that I didn’t know!
TED is a “nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or less). TED was initiated in 1984 by Richard Saul Wurman at a conference, where Technology, Entertainment and Design came together, thus the name TED.” Today TED covers a wide variety of topics – from science to business to global issues in more than 100 languages. Wurman wanted it to be the “ultimate dinner party” with himself as the host, and originally, he wanted to create the “anti-conference” atmosphere; he understood that the human attention span is said to be about 18 minutes.
TED talks have been viewed over a billion times. Sir Ken Robinson had more than 34 million views for his 2006 talk “Do schools kill creativity?” I was fascinated by Dallas Taylor’s presentation, “What silence can teach you about sound.” Journalist Carole Cadwalladr spoke about “Facebook’s role in Brexit – and the threat to democracy.” Yuval Noah Harari challenged the listener to consider “Why fascism is so tempting – and how your data could power it.”
On a personal level I learned “10 ways to have a better conversation.” “A love letter to realism in a time of grief” gave me pause. Sal Kahn of the Kahn Academy offered insight into the limitless opportunities provided by videos in the learning process, particularly in the area of math…. his talk was titled “Let’s use video to reinvent education.” ”TED lets the listener walk through an open door to thousands of learning opportunities, free to all.” My world has expanded into NPR’s Ted Radio Hour and The TED Interview. I am almost certain there are others like me, who just don’t know yet what they have been missing.
I have learned several things on my morning walks. First, it is never too late to learn, but it does take curiosity, an open mind, and a willingness to go places you have never gone before. We literally have the world of ideas in our ear. Second, what might happen if we would try, at least one time, to expose ourselves to something about which we know nothing? How might it impact us? I have to admit to having to push myself into the fields of science and mathematics, but whenever I have, I found “An underwater art museum, teeming with life,” an amazing journey into “Just how small is an atom?,” and “A walk through the stages of sleep.” Third, all we need is our iPhone and air-buds. That’s it. The TED app. can be downloaded for free.
Fourth, it is almost a certainty that once we have begun, we will want more – more information, more stories, more variety. Experience TED, as a beginning, if you haven’t already. You won’t regret it! Never forgetting what we have learned in 2020 about the human spirit and grace and love, let’s welcome 2021 with a willingness to go places we’ve never gone before.
Linda Shelly taught part-time and full-time at West Texas A&M for 22 years and retired from Amarillo College after 11 years.