TED Community » Steve Frazee

More About Me

I'm passionate about

1. Forms of commerce that naturally decrease human suffering and improve well being. 2. Forms of spirituality that transcend and include rational thought to inform the human experience.

An idea worth spreading

We each get about 30,000 days in life if we are lucky. What we do with those days is what gives life meaning. Don't waste a single day.

Let’s bring a sense of wonder back to human institutions and teach not just how to survive, but how to thrive!

Talk to me about

Your Highest Purpose? Have you found it? How did you find it? What changed?

People don't know that I'm good at

Crafting intimate seven course meals with wine pairings. I also like making business models in Excel. (yeah, geeky, but I love it).

My TED Story

TEDGlobal 2009 was my first TED conference. May 12th was our first TEDxGrandRapids where we hosted 650 thought leaders. I am very excited to return to TEDGlobal in 2011 to meet new people and share ideas worth spreading!

Comments

• TEDCred score: +3656.50 TEDCred reflects your contribution to the TED community.

• +3

  A comment on Talk: Dan Pallotta: The way we think about charity is dead wrong

  Mar 11 2013: I've been waiting for Dan's TED talk since I read his book "Uncharitable: How Restraints on Nonprofits Undermine Their Potential ". Well said sir. Well said.
• +1

  A comment on Talk: LZ Granderson: The myth of the gay agenda

  Jun 15 2012: Thank you LZ for offering your time and wisdom at TEDxGrandRapids this year. Well done! Great talk.
• +1

  A reply on Talk: Kevin Slavin: How algorithms shape our world

  May 30 2012: Thank you for bringing your integrity to this discussion and owning your missteps. Well done! I was in the audience at TEDGlobal2011 and found your talk to be very informative and profound.
• +2

  A comment on Talk: Bryan Stevenson: We need to talk about an injustice

  Mar 12 2012: It is good to see TED engaging openly on topics of race, poverty, and justice.
  
  It's obvious this is an important talk because Chris let it go long by about 2 minutes. :)
• +2

  A reply on Talk: Bryan Stevenson: We need to talk about an injustice

  Mar 12 2012: There is a systemic issue caused by the attributes of poverty colliding with the war on drugs. In areas where poverty is pervasive some people turn to dealing drugs as an obvious economic escape. For many, this is the only obvious economic escape. They see little other choice because society has unconsciously failed to provide them other choices. Once they make that choice they become the 'enemy' in the war on drugs.
  
  Year to date, over $8 billion has been spent on the war on drugs. http://www.drugsense.org/cms/wodclock
  
  Those resources will be better spent experimenting with mechanisms that offer economic mobility to communities trapped by poverty.
• +5

  A comment on Talk: Paul Gilding: The Earth is full

  Mar 1 2012: Collaboration must transcend but include the competition at the center of Capitalism. Imagine a new form of economics called Collaboratism where economic agents are in competition to best serve human needs, defined as the reduction of suffering and production of well being. The outcome of such a system is potentially a self organizing economy that naturally improves the human experience and reduces the waste of resources. However, the issue may be that we need new forms of money to take this step.
• +5

  A comment on Talk: Alain de Botton: Atheism 2.0

  Jan 19 2012: After this talk I asked Alain if he recognized a difference between spirituality and religion, and he said he did not. This is a mistake. In the US, 72% of Millenials identify as more spiritual than religious. An estimated 25%+ of Americans call themselves SBNR, spiritual but not religious.
  
  Alain sadly misses Chris' great question about spirituality and being connected to something larger than ourselves but without a need for religion. After my conversation with Alain I can't help but feel he is as dogmatic about Atheism as religious people can be about their traditions.
  
  I personally find that meaning making systems which include the possibility that we are connected to something larger than ourselves, even if we don't know what that, or those, might be, opens the door to humility and curiosity that is lacking in all dogmatic philosophies and scientific pursuits. But maybe I'll change my mind. I don't want to be dogmatic about it. :)

• A comment on Conversation: As a TEDx organizer please share a best practices, an innovation, something incredible or something useful from your TEDx event.

  Jun 10 2011: In my experience, the TEDx brand will draws volunteers that are aspirational in their desire to help, but who may not have developed the expertise to manifest those aspirations. Discernment is required to balance evolving creativity and within the constraints of delivering a quality product on time and at budget. Servant leadership by experienced professionals is very helpful in making it all come together.

• A reply on Conversation: What are 10 things YOU know to be true?

  May 2 2011: I love your question Thomas!
  
  All life is a paradox, except the part that isn't.
• +21

  A comment on Talk: 9/11 healing: The mothers who found forgiveness, friendship

  May 2 2011: Thank you for posting this today. This is a great example that we can bring the cycle of violence and hate to an end through the force of our compassion.
  
  A great lesson from our mothers. Be generous and meet the "other". When we do, we will meet ourselves.