Speaker: Mark Pollock and Simone George
TED2018
Date: April 2018
Location: Vancouver, BX
Description from TED website:
When faced with life’s toughest circumstances, how should we respond: as an optimist, a realist, or something else? In an unforgettable talk, explorer Mark Pollock and human rights lawyer Simone George explore the tension between acceptance and hope in times of grief — and share the groundbreaking work they’re undertaking to cure paralysis.
My Review / Notes / Thoughts
This is a very powerful message presenting in this talk. It is a story of resiliency and persistence, along with optimism and realism. How many people do you know who hit a roadblock in their life and they just stop and live there? Mark and Simone hit a major roadblock in their lives when Mark fell from a third-story window and was paralyzed from the waist down. If this was you or someone you loved, would you have just accepted it and tried to muddle through life however you could? Or would you follow Mark and Simone’s path through the raging waters of grief?
I believe this talk could be used in a multitude of ways, with a variety of fields of study. First-year students would benefit from the talk by learning about the power of resiliency and persistence. Students majoring in fields such as psychology and physical therapy can also benefit from this talk … learning how to temper hope so that people can hold on to that hope despite how long it might take for any improvements to occur … or despite any setbacks.
While a paper could be a way for students to process this talk, I think a discussion forum would be a much stronger method … as it would give students the opportunity to process their own thoughts as well as listen to and respond to their classmates’ thoughts.
What majors fields of study do you think this talk lends itself to? Do you see any other ways for incorporating this talk into your curriculum?
Until next time … live long, life-learner!