TED Community » Denver Cannon

More About Me

I'm passionate about

people and learning

An idea worth spreading

listen first, foremost and always, ask prepared to hear, reason the truth of it, speak truth prepared to be proven wrong.

Talk to me about

anything you believe or know to be true, let me decide if it is worth hearing.

People don't know that I'm good at

being silent. If I believe and know anything, I share it.

My TED Story

I love TED, I was directed here a few years ago by someone knowing I would hate it and disagree with all that I heard. By sharing we break down walls of misunderstanding. I am a true Socratic philosopher, a mason by trade, and here I see a true sharing of thoughts that would otherwise go unspoken.

Comments

• TEDCred score: +0.60 TEDCred reflects your contribution to the TED community.

• A comment on Conversation: For 2012, what 3 things should schools focus on for students?

  Dec 31 2011: "I'm bored", "(Insert subject here) is boring", "My teach is boring", these are the three of the areas I find needing attention.
  So, I would say, focus on the child, the curriculum and the teachers.
  The problem is that all the focus ends up being on the number of subjects taught, test scores, discipline, legal requirements, Et al, leaving the child waiting in line or at desk "quietly" for a great amount of the day while the staff does paperwork, waits for space availability, or just to takes a break.
  (And preemptively, I have the utmost respect for teachers, what I consider the most noble of professions) And being your question was brief, I will not bloviate further.

• A comment on Talk: Karen Tse: How to stop torture

  Dec 28 2011: I think this talk is mislabeled. I would consider her mission, not to end torture, but to bring justice. She does this by reinforcing the humanity of those both guilty and innocent, She has her mission and I applaud her for what she does. Comments on this talk both give me joyous hope and sadden me. Some even would fall into the "dehumanizing" category. I understand the frustration of a starving man being offered a coat on a hot day in the desert, but I would hope he recognize the restoration of dignity. I have seen injured children displaced by war adorned with gifts by soldiers who could not give them medical aide. The child will not remember fondly my poking him with needles, cleaning his wounds, or feeding him, but he will hold dear those trinkets and friendly soldiers which restored his childhood. So too, I believe that even with the need of "greater" action, the acts of kindness, the moments of shared recognition of worth, will be just as great a healing tool in bringing Justice to all.
  One need not wait to start with grand gestures, a smile when eyes meet, a kind word, a common recognition of worth, In his presentation, Philip Zimbardo "shows how people become monsters ... or heroes", and each of us have that potential to be both. Some will be monstrous with words, others can become heroes. Most of us will be both, but let us try to work towards that more virtuous of our potentials.
  I would hope each of us has the opportunity to be heroic in ending injustice, whether it is in small ways or in grand gestures, I salute those who do. One of my new heroes is Colleen Steen, not because I agree with everything she says, but because regardless to whom she comments or reply, she shows respect for the worth of that person. I often must delete comments I type before posting, and am thankful for her example.
  This video and the work Karen does is virtuous, she in her way makes the world more just, and that is an idea worth spreading.

• A comment on Conversation: Is it accepted as ethically positive behavior to confront any view anywhere on which we do not agree?

  Dec 21 2011: Mr Long, I have reworded the question. I agree, the word attack is not the word I should have used, I hape confront is a better way to say it.
  Mr. Kinder, thank you for example. rules are essential to civil discourse. there is a a possibility to confront without being hostile.

• A comment on Conversation: How would we treat each other if we were not controlled by a need to be right?

  Dec 21 2011: I strive to be right, and the internal conflict creates self inflicted pain. In all aspects of life I am more in conflict with myself than with any other. When I do conflict with others, no matter how much "more" right I "think I am" than they, it is a victory. You have won a greater victory with the peace you have within yourself when dealing with your horses and dogs than most have ever had. I think many like myself who continue to strive within ourselves, will always have that need to be right when dealing with others. I would think few, but hopefully I am wrong, have confidence and peace in any aspect of their lives as you do.
  There are two quotes I learned in High School. My best friend and I each choose one without the knowledge of the other's choice.
  His was, “It is better to be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt”.
  And mine, “It is better to speak and be thought a fool for a time, than be silent and remain a fool forever”.
  He had rather be perceived as being right regardless of its truth, I had rather be perceived a fool, than to be wrong forever. Both of us had a need to be right, only our criteria for what is right was different. In our search for knowledge and wisdom, we took different paths. He was unwilling to be associated with me from then on, believing the adage, “birds of a feather” would make him be perceived a fool. This of course is my perception of me being right and him being wrong. This lead me to a life of being seen as wrong, even foolish often, maybe even now. But, at least if I am wrong there is hope in that I will be corrected as I have been many times in my life. Not always accepting the correction and holding to my “foolish” understanding to this day.
  I had rather do right, than be right, which is often a much easier path for me to follow. I am going to be happy whether I am right or wrong. http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_gilbert_asks_why_are_we_happy.html this talk probably explains why I am always happy.
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  A comment on Conversation: How does one choose a good Surgeon and/or know that the procedure is even called for?

  Dec 18 2011: I worked in surgery for several years first as a technician, and then as an assistant. The best advice I can offer is to find technicians, nurses and assistance who worked with them, either while they were students or while practicing. Another resource group is less politically correct, parking lot patients. Ask each of these questions.
  Who is the best surgeon you have worked with?
  Have you worked with this surgeon and what was the experience like?
  Remember that people can be biased and give distorted views.
  Surgeons are trained to hold bias of technique, others have biases based on their particular abilities.
  I have worked with surgeons who many considered barbaric in their practice of medicine, yet had shorter recovery times and less infections. Other surgeons were compassionate and informative, clinically exceptional, but their surgical technique and post op results were less impressive. I have not been impressed with professional referral services primarily because of their clinical and formal criteria can be distorted.
  The real problem is that we usually wait until we are in no condition to decide. Pain clouds judgment. When I had my hernia repaired I was fortunate to have an exceptional surgeon, who gave me the option of repair I choose. Also the fact that I had assisted with several hundred repairs by several surgeons prior to the need was beneficial.
  Is the procedure necessary? This is one I cannot answer for you and will leave to those who are better trained and informed in diagnosis and prognosis. I know my repair was necessary being unable to function normally. And post op my health rapidly improved. I have witnessed cases where the repair was postponed that cause life threatening health issues and if pain persist, demand care.
  I recommend increasing your social network to include people of all specialties in an outside of health care. While healthy, lunch at hospitals, visit with the staff, they love talking about their profession, normally.(biased)
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  A comment on Conversation: The beauty of the trees, the feeling of a gentle breeze and other facts of nature lead me to believe life is essentially positive.

  Dec 18 2011: I have wondered why I and most people find "the changing of the leaves" beautiful, aesthetically pleasing. We think of it as aesthetically positive, yet it is a recession of life, a negating of life. Should it not be viewed as a warning sign that winter is on the way? As the leaves fall, even while I rake these dead and decaying remnants of life I feel rejuvenated. None of it makes sense, and I rarely contemplate it long before the euphoria of the day out doors anesthetizes me from any negative. But when I do manage to contemplate the beauty of reality and the negative there of, I come to the "understanding of being" to be only positive. Yes, I place a negative value on some things and positive on others, but in the context of more or less. Light is, darkness is not. Variations of light and darkness, is not the increase in darkness, but the decrease or increase of light. Darkness does not exist, Ugly does not exist.
  Evelyn Glennie in her presentation on "how to listen", demonstrates by playing a piece of music, after which there is applause, As I listened to her, I heard only a beautiful sound. What I heard was not what she played but what I pulled from my own consciousness. When I see positive or negative it is only my interpretation of reality, not reality itself. From my perspective, Life is only positive, regardless of the degree or amount of life I have. Most however find when it is diminished , to be a negative, and who does not want more? It at the fullness of life we count it as 100%, even with only 1% we still have a positive life. I say this as one who has had great suffering(another confusing state of being I will not expound upon).
  I think my perspective of reality is positive when it enhances my life, and negative when it threatens or detracts. A bear is beautiful life until it threatens mine, I see 'grace' and beauty in an eagle catching a fish, for the fish, not so much I bet.
  I love your idea and see LIFE as ONLY POSITIVE.
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  A comment on Conversation: What's your favorite word?

  Dec 15 2011: Pixelated, I heard it first as a child in the movie "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town" with Gary Cooper, two elderly ladies use it to describe everyone they know. Their meaning is one who is adversely affected by pixies. Over time, as I have meet more and more people, I tend to agree but with a variance on the meaning. We are all made of many parts coming together to form a whole and unique image. Often we only see parts, pixels of people and because of our inability to see the whole, all people are pixelated, all things are pixelated, all knowledge, everything is PIXELATED! ! ! ! ! Silly pixies.