There’s a story about a guy paying for coffee at a Starbucks drive-though. He fumbles with his money and drops it on the ground. The person in the car just behind him angrily honks their horn and yells.
The guy at the window pays for the rude guy’s coffee, humbling him. Mr. Humbled, in turn, does the same for the car behind him, and so it goes for the rest of the day. A random act of kindness spreads and makes a lot of people’s day a little better.
Last week, I joined 450 of my new best friends at MICA to attend the TEDxMidAtlantic conference.
I feel a lot like the person in the car behind the angry guy who gets a cup of coffee – I’m inspired to pass on some good things, as they were passed to me during this amazing day.
TED is a free event to share “ideas worth spreading” in Technology, Entertainment and Design. I had to fill out a rather intense application – and I’m so glad I did. I’m still slightly stunned by the quality and breadth of this event. Scott Simon from NPR spoke, as did the Chief Technology Officer for Obama’s administration. You can even learn about that cool sandcrawler looking building at MICA that hangs over Mt. Royal from the guys who designed it. The entire conference was recorded for the world to see.
Below are my top five favorite talks, in no particular order. Please, watch them.
Joel Salatin explained the Essence of Chicken, and the Essence of Egg. He’s proof that by practicing sacredness is every simple act of our daily lives and professions, the world will rise to meet us. I still have “chill bumps.”
Dr. Will Noel, curator of rare books and manuscripts at the Walter’s Art Museum talks about the restoration of Archimedes Codex C. This is an astonishing tale.
Dr. Roland Griffiths conducts mind boggling research comparing spiritual phenomena with that of the chemical reactions caused by mushrooms (Psilocybin).
Tony Geraci is a force to be reckoned with in the public school system. His mission is to feed kids local, fresh, REAL food and to teach them about eating well. When you hear his story, you’ll see why he’s going to succeed. He’s making a model for the rest of the county to follow and he’s doing it right here in Baltimore.
Rebecca Hoffburger talked about the American Visionary Art Museum – one of my favorite places in the city. I had a few words with her before her talk, and she’s absolutely lovely. She explains why museums (muse-ums) are not called thingatoriums or objectigons.
“Sell your cleverness, and purchase wonder.” ~ Rumi
I love Baltimore, I love that we are blessed to have events like this and I can’t wait to see all the good things that are coming. ;)