TED Conversations

Gretta Cox-Gorton

Student,

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How would you describe your role in society? And how do you think that role has affected other people?

One of the branches of philosophy is politics, or the nature of group behavior. Humans are social animals but we tend to not think about our actions as particularly momentous or life changing to anyone else, so I am curious to know how you see yourself in the world we live in. For example, I affect other people by truly caring about volunteer work, or I affect my marriage by always being honest or I contribute to world diversity by answering questions in TED Conversations. Be inventive- I want to know what you think.

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    TOM CAVANAUGH

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    Apr 3 2012: To supplement my life in the arts (writing & Directing, I have been working as a 9-1-1 Operator. I have saved lives. Ihave delivered life. I have changed lives. I know that for a fact! I also know that when I was working with kids as a High School Drama Director that I also changed lives there. I know that for a fact. I know that when my writing has been produced for audiences... I know that has touched lives, but has it changed lives, that's yet to be proven. I know that all this has to have an affect on society as a whole, but how I don't know? Working 19 years as a 9-1-1 Operator, I have only received 1 thank you phone call from someone I helped. An electrician was stuck in a ceiling space of an apartment building wedged between the beams, he managed to reach his cell phone and called me. He didn't know the address of where he was, but through hs decription we figured it out. He started to panic and freak out, I calmed him down and talked him through till they cut him out through the roof. He called and his son called to thank me the next day. I know when I was working as a High School Drama Director I changed lives and have letters from the kids or some of them, but I know it has helped. I also wrote a play about what happenes when a family loses a son in a school shooting. The play was in developemnt and during the Q&A a woman stood up in tears and announced "I want to thank you for writing this play, I'm from Columbine High School. This is what it is like, this is what happened to our community!" I know that moment my creation touched her life, did it change it.... probably, maybe? Have I changed lives... yes definitely, but what and how it affected people? I'm not sure...

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