TED Community » Skye Kelly

Comments

• TEDCred score: +0.90 TEDCred reflects your contribution to the TED community.

• +4

  A comment on Conversation: What experiences have made you more comfortable with mental health disorders?

  Oct 14 2012: Realizing that we are all the same- seems so simple. My father was schizophrenic and growing up around that and seeing when he was unmedicated how people would dismiss him- how it ended up that I had to move away to be able to function myself. For a while I was in denial, but ultimately that with other struggles helped me see that everyone- even people that make me very uncomfortable- are a part of this world the same way I am, they are the same as me- no better no worse. I make eye contact, I listen, I share- with people no matter who they are or if they seem to make sense or not. Seeing yourself in them no matter how different you *think* you are- then everything is less "weird" "bad" or "wrong" and more just a different shade.

• A reply on Conversation: What are the best and worst laws and practices of your region/state/country

  Sep 25 2012: I agree with you. The corn subsidies have created all of these unhealthy foods to be cheaper then natural, fresh foods by making corn, corn by products, corn syrup etc the go-to for all of those wonderful fast food restaurants- geeze- a lot of places actually. All the while monsanto is a major benefactor.
  Kids- for sure- about time we give incentives for fewer offspring. (harsh but true I think)
  And then fuels/resources- that is my pet peeve- Europe for years has had a more realistic pricing for energy sources- and guess what- their economies didn't shrink (from that at least- only from poor lending practices they picked up from America) but people became WISER. In general I think these subsidies of "The American Way" are part of our downfall- and we need to relax them and tier them off to become more resilient and aware.

• A comment on Conversation: Can we expect emerging countries to curb their energy consumption, even though we had decades of flagrant use?

  Sep 25 2012: John.....exactly. Reading between lines and making assumptions is childish. This is a question open to opinion and discussion but provides no opinion in itself. Expecting or hoping for energy conservation is just that...not legislating. Obviously ideally all people have the same standards. But in reality we are in different places...but can we hope for everyones sake that we can reduce fossil fuel intake? Can we find a common ground ? Can other countries take charge of this issue without outside lead? Are they already? Awareness is not a 4 letter word.

• A comment on Conversation: Should we limit our use of cellphones, internet and TV to get back our mental peace?

  Sep 24 2012: It is exciting as well as frightening to me to think about the kids growing up attached to cell phones and computers the way I was to garbage pail kids and teddy ruxbin. I can't image having that kind of limited attention span. My 19 year friends are addicted to twitter. All my other friends are addicted to facebook. Here I am on TED. There is a great film called PLAY AGAIN that is about the phenomenon of kids and screens (tv, computer, phone etc) and the ADD effect and the complete lack of being in nature. For me that is the key- balance of also being in nature- filmmaker Tiffany Shlain made a film called Connected that also addresses this and she takes a techno-shabbat for 24 hours. Try it- much more difficult then it seems and the expectation of immediate replies is also part of the culture- you expect people to be checking their texts and emails all the time-

• A comment on Conversation: How can we sustain infinite growth on a finite planet?

  Sep 24 2012: Do you wonder if the earth will self regulate? That the "natural" disasters that come from global warming will help to remove some of the "blights" on earth. It is scary and seems random- I think if we begin to make some of the changes in our policies and behaviors maybe we can regain some control, but in the end- we have very little. The earth chews and spits out now and then what isn't working for it I think.
• +1

  A comment on Conversation: How Do We Teach Children Compassion and Empathy?

  Sep 17 2011: I think doing charity work from a young age and exposing kids to documentaries are small steps. But anything you try and stuff down kids throats they often will rebel against, I found my empathy on my own. and I do think there are innate abilities within us to be more or less empathic biologically- Basically though if they are treated kindly and with boundaries and understanding, I think kids would be more likely to have compassion towards others, if they are socialized and then acceptance is re-enforced from a very young age with all parents being involved and doing the same instead of parents judgements rubbing off on them, it can make for more well rounded young adults as they progress through adolescence. Sadly, it is also taught when children are ostracized to some degree they in turn, as adults have a better understanding of compassion since they have experienced the hardships themselves.