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Vanessa Cabrera

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What makes you feel ALIVE?

No logic explanation, what are the things, experiences, feelings, that make you jum of energy and feel you are a living creature, things that make you stop thinking and start feeling,

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    Vanessa Cabrera

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    Jun 26 2011: thanks everyone for sharing with all of us your experiences!!!
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    Simon Tovey

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    Jun 22 2011: - Time with my girlfriend, especially naked time.
    - Learning something new, especially when it pushes something old and incorrect out.
    - Physical activity, football, squash usually.
    - Solving a problem or puzzle thats had me stumped for a while.

  • Roberto Frega

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    Jun 22 2011: Two things really make me feel alive and, interestingly, none of them involve my own efforts.
    The first is when I -- as I call it -- 'see God'. It happens when I am completely alone in an outstanding natural landscape. You see, I am not usually a 'believer', and these experiences don't actually make me see God, of course. It just makes me feel very small in comparison to the universe.
    The second happens when I'm in the presence of a very strong human expression of some sort. Happened a few times while watching an Opera or a big concert and more often when I enter some piece of architecture that was able to withstand millennia, as the Coliseum or the very old and beautiful churches in Europe.
    In either case, I always collapse in tears.
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    Lim Gloria

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    Jun 22 2011: 1. When my parents laughing, I feels so happy and alive.
    2. When I date my girlfriend, I feels so good. But..........there isn't now have girlfriend....
    3. Finally, when I work hard in offices.
    4. When we don't painful, we must happy and feel must alive.

    The thing that is most important than 1, 2, 3,4 just 1!!!!!!Do you like think with me?

    *I'm koreans. I try about free talking ENGLISH. I'm feeling very difficult others language...Shall I feel alive to be like this situation? Please tell me, "you must feel alive!!!!"
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      Vanessa Cabrera

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      Jun 26 2011: the important thing is to go for it, a lot of people i a new situation star having panic (say it by own experience) and start wondering what the other might think, and limit hemselves on to not trying!!
      you try!!! that is a great first step, the other come latr, you'll learned more english, i totally undestand what you tried to say and agree with you,
      now when i get scared i dont let that limi or stop me, a go for it, what can we lost, life its about being courage!!! and trying

  • Sungwon Ma

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    TED Translator
    Jun 22 2011: It's very easy.
    You go on a hike or a run for hours (!), and at the end, you finally gulp down icy-cold water.
    And you think..... THIS IS WHAT WE LIVE FOR.
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      Vanessa Cabrera

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      Jun 26 2011: jaja true!!! or you are just sitting with a glass of cold beer or wine looking at the sunset and hearing and smlelling the ocean and you think i dont need anything else!!!

  • Joel Rice

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    Jun 22 2011: Fast motorcycles. Prolonged kinky sex. Getting close enough to touch an elk or a bear. Planting trees. Reading Stoic philosophers. Good or new ideas. Stumptown coffee. Helping a miserable patient. Business risks that turn out. Losing money in a good effort.

  • carole lyc

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    Jun 22 2011: It's our BREATH.
    When we are aware of our breathing,
    and feeling our natural in-breath and out-breath,
    we FEEL ALIVE !
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      Vanessa Cabrera

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      Jun 26 2011: totally completley true, but sometimes you get lost and stop listening to it, it's hard to catch the ride and b aware at every minute, but i guess it's just matter of practice,
      do you practice yoga???
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    Joe Delsen 20+

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    Jun 22 2011: I feel alive constantly realizing that we have the power to transform our world into a better tomorrow, that we can ignite ourselves and others the power of hearts and minds to love more or inspire more, to be loved truly or learning new things, it never ceases to amaze me. I can find relevance and meaning in all things and I feel like I have the power to make things right in one snap. If only I could.

    But of course reality comes knocking down every so often so it got me thinking too - how do we keep feeling alive when a crisis or a tragedy is around us? Or in this moments when our global home is facing many risks and many of our fellow human beings are suffering? Then I turn to these elements of joy and liveness that we are all expressing, knowing that the essence of our hope is deeply grounded in love and trust. Knowing that we can make the principles of freedom, justice and truth to make things right.

    Freedom to continually enjoy life while working to better our world!
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      Vanessa Cabrera

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      Jun 26 2011: agreee totally with you!, but i think that you can start making alittle diffeence in your attitudes in every moment to give a peaceful message or just a smile to others without expecting, maybe those others were just needing human contact,
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    Dino DiCarlo

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    Jun 22 2011: Hi Vanessa, Very good question! Things that make me feel alive? Well after having a near death experince 2 years ago, being hospitalized for close to 5 months. Enjoying and REALLY appreciating the little things that life has to offer. Enjoying walks with my dog, family outing as simple as goinfg to McDonals! Yes, McDonalds. lol. By the way I just signed up as a memebr today, you are the 1st person I have answered. Your question struck a positive cord in me!

    Be well,

    Dino
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      Vanessa Cabrera

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      Jun 26 2011: jaja great!!!! i feel happy that my question struck a positive cord on you, even though I have no idea what cord means!!, but i think i get the idea, with your experience, did it change the way you looked at things??, what passed through your heart? and mind?, little thin are the best, i love simple things just smell the fresh air, see the ocean i live in lima which is really close to the ocean, hear good music, being with the people that you love, never stop wondering, and still feel amaze by nature, and universe and people, its great!
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    steven lu

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    Jun 22 2011: My aim keeps me going

  • Lisa Gardner

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    Jun 21 2011: Having a committed conversation with new ideas being shared and respectfully debated. Being able to genuinely share my passions with someone else. Listening to music and painting. Being out in nature early in the morning. Days when I feel optimistic about the future (balanced by days when I don't - can't have the good without the not-so-good).
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      Vanessa Cabrera

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      Jun 26 2011: Agree with you, in that, everythin its balance, there is no stability without moments of uncertain, there is no happiness without little moments of sadness, i feel alive when i can say with passion my ideas ans share them, when I sing!! i feel Im alive it's great!
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    Laurens Rademakers 50+

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    Jun 21 2011: .
    1. My heart rate monitor which says I'm not dead.

    2. An overdose of robusta coffee (which can be seen on the monitor).

    3. And yes. Sex. Each year when I have it, I am overwhelmed with vitality for about 3 1/2 minutes.
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      Linda Woodard

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      Jun 21 2011: Thanks for the smile....
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      Andrea Morisette Grazzini 30+

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      Jun 21 2011: Laurens --

      Great humor!

      I say if you get right concentration of chemicals combined with a saucy partner, sexual vitality could sustain longer.

      Might require momentary retirement of heart rate monitor. But it's only a measurement of cardiac intervals, anyway. Perhaps if sex intervals increased you wouldn't need as much electronic technology to indicate you're alive. And as replacement for chemical effects of coffee, some find Viagra has robusta effects. Good for pulmonary capacity, too.

      All easy for me to say from here in lonely-hearts-club La-La Land. (Where fantasy augments aliveness.)

      Meanwhile, we laugh. Thanks for providing one!

      Andrea
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        Linda Woodard

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        Jun 21 2011: OMGosh Andrea, you almost made me spit out my tea on the keyboard! Your post was a gem.And what helped to make it so for me was that you used the word "saucy''!!! My students just discovered this wonderful word when reading the letters of John and Abigail Adams and LOVED IT....esp when I had told them that I had always wanted to be called a "saucy wench" at least one time in my life. We went on and on about how we could incorporate it into their vocabulary, and many tried and of course, esp. in class during heated discussions. We had a blast with it, and I was honored by one class giving me the bumper sticker:" I brake for saucy wenches" when we parted company. I just hope that whenever they see that word, they will smile as I do.

        Again, thanks for the grin. I think that we could use more of these here, for at times it can get pretty intense. ;-)Regards....
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          Andrea Morisette Grazzini 30+

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          Jun 22 2011: Linda--

          Agreed re: a bit of irreverence as a nice balance to all the intensity.

          And John and Abigail Adams' engagement of their passions as both political change agents and for the saucier sides of each other are an inspiring model for fully-felt lives.

          Andrea
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    Dain Brammage

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    Jun 21 2011: I am going to take this a different direction because there are substantial periods of time where I have problems feeling positive emotions.

    When my bosses do things just because they can and they are bored I go into a spin and become totally unproductive. I start thinking about how I can hurt them back over and over again. I start thinking about how I can hurt myself over and over again. I have degrading words echoing in my mind aimed at me. The Beast comes out.

    When politicians put businesses over the general public I feel hopeless and want to leave the country.

    When right wing media (left wing too) creates a talking point that obviously ignores the truth I am spitting mad. There was a period of time I could not watch The Daily Show or Cobert Report because I would see this happening, even though it was presented as humor it would infuriate me.

    I am doing much better right now, but that is part of the other side of this question. Just wanted to shake it up a bit.
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      Vanessa Cabrera

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      Jun 26 2011: are degraiding voices helping you feel any better?, is hurting yourself the best solution, no alternatives?
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    Yusuf Paşa 20+

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    TED Translator
    Jun 21 2011: lots of things...
    for example drinkin' a tea near the bosphorus in Istanbul, greatest city in Middle East.
    livin' together with the people whom i feel and look at the world in the same line...
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    anthony bruni 30+

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    Jun 14 2011: If I had to pick one word it would be novelty. When engaging in something new, not having the ability to fall into a pattern. As long I encounter something new or find a new way of doing something old I know I'm alive.
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      Vanessa Cabrera

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      Jun 15 2011: true!!! maybe because in that way you feel you are redoing something in your own way, it becomes meaningful, what ir your own pattern?
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        anthony bruni 30+

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        Jun 16 2011: I don't know how to describe my pattern but I do know when I am in it. The praise "going through the motions" comes to mind implying that while engage in something I no longer have to think about it.
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          Vanessa Cabrera

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          Jun 19 2011: Maybe it's just your real essence, your intuition acting, i think that whem emergy it's focused on the right way, it just flows, you don't have to think a lot about the why's and the what for,
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        anthony bruni 30+

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        Jun 20 2011: True and of course, just because I do not recognize myself in a pattern does not mean I am not in one. Maybe thats the joy in novelty for me, not being free from a pattern, but not seeing it.
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          Vanessa Cabrera

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          Jun 26 2011: jajaj really true, you start seeing it or noticing it when it's just not good anymore, when it looses it's novelty, where are you from??
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    Anuraag Reddy

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    Jun 14 2011: "living in the moment being inherently driven to do something I love." I like making things and when I do I loose track of time and the world around me. I think that is what really being alive is all about!
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    Brent Norris 500+

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    TEDx OrganizerAssociate
    Jun 14 2011: dropping into a big wave, off a steep cliff, bumping into a sea turtle underwater or seeing a shark nearby. Seeing Ah-hah moments in the eyes of students and above all else, love -giving and receiving. I hope I'm still on topic. got a little carried away... just my two cents. aloha
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      Vanessa Cabrera

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      Jun 15 2011: I love the simple way you put it, it´s that it´s enjoying the simple things, agree with you in the A-HA moment and also the WUAU when something amazing but simple happens,
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    Muhammad Aizat Zainal Alam 30+

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    TED Translator
    Jun 14 2011: I feel alive when I'm angry at something.That is when I skip thinking and show my true feelings.I feel alive when I get to tell what I truly feel about something.Unfortunately or fortunately, I don't often get angry these days.Nevertheless,a big smile always makes my day and makes me alive too!! *wink*
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      Rosemeri Chaney

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      Jun 14 2011: I can definitely agree with that - I remember as a child going over what I would say to someone who had pissed me off in the past, or if I got the chance what I would say the next time. As an adult (still very young) I have taken joy in telling someone how I feel right in the moment instead of waiting until its too late. Especially now that I'm older than those angst-y days and have the power of wit...
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      anthony bruni 30+

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      Jun 14 2011: Muhammad. I think I have the exact opposite reaction when I am angry. I find myself so lost in thought that I become unaware of all that is around me. Even if I am expressing my anger at a person I more or less feel I am pushing myself from behind.

      I forget where I heard this but recently there was a study stating hate is a much more rational emotion than love. Say If you hate someone you most likely can think very logically about all that person's faults and why they are such a horrible human. On the other hand people don't think nearly as hard when it come to justifying why they love someone. This has been my experience.
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      Vanessa Cabrera

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      Jun 15 2011: What I think it´s that when you are angry at somebody else it´s just a projection on your own anger or little tolerance to your own self, i think that when you feel that way you blocked all the exciting things that could happen just by enjoying your own self as you are, telling that by own experience, I feel alive when i get to see people laugh, when i go through my own fears and try new things and start enjoying life just as it is.
      I feel alive when I´m by the sea and get to hear it and see it,.
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        Muhammad Aizat Zainal Alam 30+

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        TED Translator
        Jun 16 2011: Your answer made me think again.Loving yourself and the people around you is the best way to live.Thanks for the lesson!
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          Vanessa Cabrera

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          Jun 19 2011: I was just sharing my experience with you if thaht make you wonder some things it's great!!, it's a journey anyway it's not something that you can say one day and implemented that same day it's a day by day thing, !!
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        Muhammad Aizat Zainal Alam 30+

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        Jun 20 2011: That is so true Vanessa.
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      Linda Woodard

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      Jun 21 2011: The first line of Muhammad's post when he wrote "I feel alive when I am angry at something" (and not someone) is definitely me. Yes, I feel "alive" when there is a great discussion in class, when I can see students actually learn and take pride in something, when I am with my wonderful family and new grand daughter, when I am alone with nature, when I am exploring Belgrade and when I am with the man I love, but I feel the MOST alive when I try to DO SOMETHING about my anger which is usually due to something that is unfair/unjust, inane or limits me in doing something. So when I want to change (or at least address) whatever it may be, my whole focus is on that one element for the most part. I research, write, poll, query, and research and write some more in order to get my plan in motion. It is really an adreneline rush of sorts that I have not been able to duplicate.

      AND so like you, Muhammad, I need to get "angry again" as the last time was 2 years ago and time is running out!!!! *wink*
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    Rosemeri Chaney

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    Jun 14 2011: No Miss America answer here...
    What makes me feel alive is being alone with my boyfriend (high school sweethearts>loved each other 9 years and counting) - whether we are interacting with words or bodies, or just doing our own thing silently in separate rooms, I always feel like I'm experiencing something other people search for.
    Also, being with friends and laughing so hard that passer-by must think us problematic.
    And of course, good music, good conversation, and good beer culminate in a joie de vivre that can't be denied!
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    Helen Hupe 30+

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    Jun 14 2011: For me is feeling connected and compassion for my fellow human beings. This, for me, has to be present in order to live happily.
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    Salim Solaiman 50+

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    Jun 14 2011: For me it's hope & passion for a better tomorrow..................
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