Greenville Business Magazine 2010 April issue : Page 66
Ideas Worth Spreading
Kristi Keenan
If you attended to the recent TEDx Greenville event, your reaction was likely similar to those noted above. I admit I only made it to the second half of the day’s lineup, and when I left, I was quite sorry I had missed the morning session. Luckily, videos from each presentation are posted at www.tedxgreenville.com and I urge you to see what you missed.
When I’ve tried to tell people about the event, I’ve found TEDx is hard to sum up in a few words because the range of ideas presented was so vast. Speakers fell into one of the overall categories of the theme for the day – “Connect. Heal. Live. Challenge.” Senior writer at Fast Company Magazine, Ellen McGirt, started out the day with a story about the importance of “showing up” to life, based on a six-month-long drive she took across country to help her get over losing two dozen friends in the September 11th attacks. Maxim Williams talked about how building healthier communities is based on first creating true connections with people and understanding how their world view shapes their life choices. Former professional kayakers Seth Warren and Jonathan Shanin talked about how their new passion for “solving one dire situation at a time,” is helping create a fleet of floating hospitals to help Peruvians geographically isolated from healthcare, and creating public awareness about recycling and petroleum free future. Writer George Singleton read one of his short stories, “Sponsor,” about a man writing to a 3rd grade class in the “corridor of shame,” for which he sponsors school lunches. 21-year-old Tyler Kellogg from upstate New York spoke about a summer trip that allowed him to learn firsthand how to listen to what people truly need.
After lunch, blue-haired stilt-walker Tim March walked and then reclined on broken glass to illustrate how things we often consider impossible are not always so. He was followed by Furman president Dr. David Shi speaking about the art of living a simple life, and Dr. Scott Greenway on the future of hydrogen. Classical pianist Kelly Ward and then “South Carolina’s First Lady of Song” Loretta Holloway entertained with their natural talents. Dr. Eric Daniels taught a new way to look at the concept of Capitalism, and community leader Dr. Baxter Wynn spoke of growing up conflicted about his uncle and former Georgia governor who fought against racial integration during the Civil Rights movement. Rock-n-roll pioneer Marshall Chapman sang about her response to the attacks of September 11th, and the day ended with Dr. Andrew Thorn urging everyone in the audience to follow their dreams. See what I mean? Too much variety to sum up easily.
The theme of all TED events is “ideas worth spreading.” The team behind the inaugural Greenville event – Marak Bolick, Aaron von Frank, Brock Koonce, Brenda Laakso, Robbin Phillips, Kamran Popkin, Susan Sebotnick, Johnathan Shanin, Peter Waldschmidt, Cynthia Watson, Maxim Williams, Reggie Williams and Philip Whitley – brought together an incredible variety of speakers whose ideas have the power to keep us all thinking. GBM
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