Recently we attended a TED talk at the Fisherman Hall in Provincetown, Massachusetts. I have listened to a few TED Talks on a podcast but this is the first one I attended live. Thanks Nancy for getting the tickets and “encouraging” me to go.
For those who might not be familiar, TED stands for technology, education, and design. Speakers give roughly 18 minute talks on a topic in which they have considerable expertise.
Two speakers were PHDs from the Center for Coastal Studies. The first one talked about rising sea level and the other person talked about saving diminishing food webs. These speakers are real “heavy hitters” with impressive academic and work credentials.
And then there was a speaker who is a drag queen and talked about using his drag to be a role model and leader. Anyone who has ever visited Provincetown would not be surprised to see a drag queen on stage, in the audience, or on Commercial St.
For those who have not visited Provincetown or are not familiar with its background, it is home to a large LBGTQ community. I used the word community rather than population purposely. Aside from learning about rising sea levels and lack of affordable housing in Provincetown, I learned how tight-knit and supportive the community is there.
A TED Talk production is really the recording of a live show that will appear as an online video program a couple of months later for anyone to watch. As such, there is a level of precision that the producers require which often results in the speaker having to stop and restart a portion of the talk. It could be a faulty microphone or the speaker just forgetting the next line. All I could think of is how nerve racking it must be to have to start/stop/start speaking in front of a packed house of over 200 people. Whenever speakers were frustrated by the process, they were greeted with words of encouragement from the crowd.
At the end of each talk, the crowd stood and roared with approval. It was one of the most enthusiastic crowds I have ever been a part of. And the enthusiasm was not for the six cameras around the hall. It was real.
The people in the crowd and the larger community support each other in many ways. One speaker, told a story about donning a tutu and entertaining a former dancer dying of cancer. Right then she started a program that came up with silly ways to treat metal illness – and she’s a trained professional – dancing around in her tutu at mental health clinics. She has enlisted others to just “rediculate” to improve mental health. She said the results are positive and proven out by the data.
So I learned my share of technology, entertainment, and design and would recommend TED Talks to anyone. But I also learned about a community of people who stick by each other.
The last speaker drove it home to me. He said to put away the phone, take out the ear buds, and talk to the friendly store clerk, neighbor, or person on the street. Forget your conveniences and engage in conversation, friendship, and community.
I say, Amen!