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Are you an Outcast ? TED Men and X-MEN
so many Great Thinkers, Artists,Scientist, and.... seem to be outcasts and detached from their own society for a time or even their entire lives.
I don't know if that is good or bad , but what I am so curious to know is how many TED members were or are an outcast ? Do you feel good or bad about it ?
to me somehow TED people seem like mutated people in X-men, so did you ever wanted to be Normal ? not to think ? not to worry ? not to care ?
inspired by a conversation with Debra Smith
Comment deleted
Amir Azizi Sarajy
griffin tucker 10+
usually i would adapt my mood and thoughts to complement who i am talking to, which could be interpreted as wearing different masks and could also be unhealthy.
so, recently, i have decided to find who the 'real me' is. whether or not i am no longer in frequent contact with my aussie friends is the result of 'being myself,' i do not know, but i will continue to be myself, and i will try not to change who i am for anyone.
Amir Azizi Sarajy
" All the world's a stage,And all the men and women merely players " - William Shakespeare
Amy Peach
I would stop short of saying that the commentary here on TED is more intelligent...I've seen a number of very bright and insightful comments on other sites. I would assert, however, that the level of involvement is quite different. For the most part, people on TED are heavily invested in these discussions and debates because they see their value. Personally, I have seen (and been involved in) hotly debated topics that clearly show a difference of opinion, but still demonstrate respect for others' ideas. Again, I can't speak for Amir's situation, but it is not always easy to find such an environment "out there" where disagreement is seen as a knife in the back.
Amir Azizi Sarajy
On may 2004, I was getting into chat rooms just to be able to talk and communicate about art and culture , I d love to know more about different cultures and people . long story short , Yahoo chatroom, Art, Movies, Culture and…..People were just talking about porn or cyber sex or things like that not a single word about art nor culture and even worse when I started talking about it, they laughed at me , mocked me and wrote the nastiest things you can possibly imagine.
After two days and visiting over 100 chatrooms I almost got the same reaction everywhere. I am not a religious person but I respect Art and more than that people, when you go to Louvre or British museum you are there to see art not porn. That was the last time I visited chat rooms.
And based on the Amanda Knox story on CNN it has not changed that much.
hopelessly many of them think Freedom of speech means doing porn right in the middle of British museum and if not then you are not Free.
unlike Krisztián I believe in here debates are serious and real and not even close to those places, I would not put TED community in the same league let alone the same level.
Krisztián Pintér 200+
Amir Azizi Sarajy
By the way on your profile you have a line that says , concerned citizen , I love that line.
Krisztián Pintér 200+
Amir Azizi Sarajy
Mike Euverman
Here, it doesn't matter who you are, as there will always be someone who takes a moment to listen to you. In the outside world, where differences are more easily noticed, many people will tune others out based off of appearance. If you do not speak with confidence, then people immediately downgrade what is being said. It's the most obvious when you see a child attempting to explain their idea to an adult. Rarely will you see an adult taking the child seriously, as they look down upon the youth of the child. Here, people are judged based off of their ideas.
Where I live, there is most likely no topic that I could talk about on ted, that I couldn't talk about in public. In other cities, where prejudices run deep, you're unlikely to find someone who is publicly willing to agree with you if your view is opposed to the majority. My best example of this, would be someone who is homosexual, attempting to talk about sexuality in a small homophobic town. They're more likely to be attacked, then to have their argument listened to.
Krisztián Pintér 200+
Amir Azizi Sarajy
Parents are afraid to talk about it cuz they have enough trouble sending their kids to these boring schools already
Krisztián Pintér 200+
but actually, once i was able to convince a colleague of mine about free education. but i was never able to convince anyone about anything else. so people seem to be a little bit more open about education outside too. certainly not enough though.
Amir Azizi Sarajy
and for most big ones we need the majority of people, the same ones who are always afraid.
Renata K. 50+
I don't feel comfortable in a society where people are more excited about, say, a new iPhone or game release than they are about stuff that matters, that's crucial these days, and that's exactly what TED is about. BUT, I think this comparison is also a bit exaggerated, as I don't claim to be or feel like a great thinker, artist, scientist, or in any way extraordinary. I'm only (trying to be) conscious, mindful, empathic and supportive - which is, compared to the truly great historic figures, a really uncool mutation ;)
Amir Azizi Sarajy
I don't believe just being smart makes anyone special, but caring , conscious and curious certainly does.
by the way great mutation and by my sight a very cool one :)
Renata K. 50+
Many artists, especially poets, writers, painters, etc. create things because it's their way of coping with their own suffering. Surely you know lots of great artists who have suffered from depression or some other sort of mental disorder. Some of my favorite poets and poems are about pain and misery and I am entirely sure they didn't have humanity and mankind on their minds when they wrote them. They are deeply personal and I don't think most of them thought about becoming famous either.
So would this mean that these personal, pain-driven (or happiness-driven) creations are not valuable? I think not. What's the definition of "value" anyway?
Or how many inventions and discoveries are the results of pure coincidences?
You see, I don't think you have to be caring, mindful, selfless, you don't have to want to help in order to create something great and vice versa - if I'm mindful and supportive, it doesn't make me great.
Amir Azizi Sarajy
I believe Da Vinci , Newton, or any other Genius would have lived another life if lived all alone in a deserted island, We humans need others respect and we would try for it , If many artists felt miserable about life it was mostly for caring about other not just themselves
All I am saying is caring is a valuable thing and as Dan Dennett said here on TED We are the only species that Sacrifice ourselves to serve an idea , and a goal, for the future of others.
But I agree , just being mindful or careful does not change anything.
Great People are innovative hard working and caring .
Scott Armstrong 50+
It's also the only self-indulgence that is worth sharing.
Krisztián Pintér 200+
Renata K. 50+
I didn't mean to imply that those things aren't cool, because I have many interests myself that don't serve the best interest of humanity either. It's good to have fun and good to be careless, but what I wanted to say was that many people don't care about stuff that matters (TED-material, if you will) at all. And that just makes me sad.
I don't know if it's laziness, stupidity, carelessness or what, but I don't like it. I know I'm not going to save the world either, but I'm at least interested, I'm concerned, and I do my best to change little things for the better - and sometimes that's only playing a game to brighten my mood :)
Krisztián Pintér 200+
maybe ted is a way to escape swamp of local culture?
Renata K. 50+
TED, and the internet in general is not just an escape but also an opportunity for me because here it's nearly impossible to live the life I want to live, especially in this little town. I used to judge the people who left the country for a better life and now I'm about to do the same.
Well, the cultural revolutions and innovations always reached us belated, so in a way it makes sense even now. What I don't understand is why, because the internet, the modern infrastructure would make it possible everywhere to change things. So I have to assume it's because of the way people are thinking...
Mike Euverman
and yes, I spent a large portion of my childhood attempting to fit in and be normal.
But now that I'm older, I've learned to use the differences to my advantage. That being different and being an outcast provides me with a different perspective from the majority of people around me, and that makes me useful. That I end up being called upon as a last resort, to deal with something only when everyone else has tried and failed.
Amir Azizi Sarajy
thanks a lot for the comment :)
tishe Hires 10+
tishe Hires 10+
Let me get this straight. You are comparing history to TED? ( i love X-Men!) Oh, FYI, history did not have a clue about TED!! Oh, nope, I would not ever want to be normal. I do like TED!! (crap, I am mutated!) With Respect To Ya!
Amir Azizi Sarajy
I am comparing history and outcasts and now that they have a community and it feels like X-men ;)
HA HA , I am so happy to hear that , so you actually like to be an X-men :)
when mutated, you can't go back to your normal life , we have chosen the Red Pill of matrix long time ago.
tishe Hires 10+
I liked your OP! I hope I am not being a smart butt!?
Stay mutated my friend!! (normality bites!)
Amir Azizi Sarajy
you know reading more and being more curious does not necessarily mean that it makes us happier , but we don't have any other choice do we ?
when in doubt , find it out
Timothy Campbell
A few years later I was in a social club with a group of adults. Some said I was in the prime clique. It didn't matter. Outside the club, though, I had some close nerdy friends. We had lots of fun.
Somewhat later I was in a political party. Some said I was near the center of power. It didn't matter. My actual friends were apolitical nerds. We had lots of fun.
Still later I joined an intellectual organization. I was on the board of directors. It didn't matter. My best friends were unaffiliated nerds. We had lots of fun.
I remember the pre-Internet days when I'd be online with my nerdy friends. People thought we were weird, but we had lots of fun.
It has always been easy to see myself as an outsider. But it was always ME who cast myself out. And I had lots of fun.
Now I'm here on TED! Make of that what you will.
Amir Azizi Sarajy
I think intelligent people have very different values and as for that ways of joy , and to most people that does not make sense , a small gathering with 3 people talking about some nerdy thing might be as fun for us as going to hawaii for some people, but when you say I am actually enjoying it they don't believe it or they don't get it . We can't blend in and we either being cast outside or we cast ourselves outside by our own. I personally feel so happy and so good even if I am an outcast .
Thanks a lot for the comment, it was cool and heart warming :)