TED Community » Karina Herman

More About Me

I'm passionate about

...People. People's dreams, people's accomplishments, people's failures, people's needs, people's smiles and fears.
...Technology and all the innovation and creativity behind it.

Comments

• TEDCred score: +102.20 TEDCred reflects your contribution to the TED community.

• +6

  A comment on Talk: Shea Hembrey: How I became 100 artists

  Aug 11 2011: Oh, come on! :) It takes brains, a lot of imagination, great sense of humor and, not least of all, a great deal of talent to pull something like this off. Not to mention the natural and energetic way of presenting it all. This talk has really made my day! :)

• A comment on Talk: Selinah

  Mar 22 2011: My eyes kept opening wider and wider as the days moved backwards and understanding crept in my brain... Very touching, and really unexpected! WOW!

• A comment on Talk: Dulux Walls

  Mar 22 2011: Really beautiful, to see the whole place practically coming to life, with all the colors and the people smiling and milling about...

• A comment on Talk: Changing Our Future

  Mar 22 2011: And then, leaving aside the technicalities of the ad itself, this is indeed wonderful news. I followed Steven's links and indeed, now it all makes sense. A complex process explained simply and clearly :)
  
  The most amazing thing for me is how common-sense it all sounds, and yet it took so much research before someone figured it out. Congrats and thank you for doing it.

• A reply on Talk: Changing Our Future

  Mar 22 2011: Well, I definitely do not expect sex, music or flashing screens with such a message. What I do need, though, is something that I can grab onto, something that makes it real for me. I would need an image that shows me what he is talking about. I would need some logical reasoning that makes it all make sense.
  
  I do understand that this is supposed to be an ad, so full explanations of the solution are not appropriate. I also understand his call to "come see it for yourself to believe it". But then again, this invitation is meant for a select 20. Which is fine in itself. Up to where we, the regular people, are also supposed to get involved in the process.
  
  The general public is still made of people with different learning styles, who need various elements for their attention to kick in.

• A comment on Conversation: Tiger Mother or Pussy Cat, makes no difference -- anyone who's raised more than one child knows it is all about Nature (not nurture).

  Feb 15 2011: Well, in my opinion, there are several things that can make such differences in parenting succeed or fail.
  
  First of all, the final goal of the process. On one hand there's the happiness of the child/future adult, on the other hand there's his/her success. One focuses on who the child is, while the other focuses on what the child can do. I believe you cannot force children to become happy, even if indeed there's a lot of fun in being really good at something. Unless that thing you're becoming excellent at is something you really dreamed of, there will always be a yearning for your real dreams, that you weren't allowed to follow. So, each type of parenting will serve its own goal.
  
  Then, there's the environment in which you apply the parenting. What the children see as examples outside their homes. The values of the community. If the community values success over happiness, then the harsh parenting is likely to have better results. But if it is the other way around, I believe success will be a sad consolation prize when compared to the carefree happiness of those around you. Unless, of course, that is what you really dream of.
  
  Another one would be the way you apply this parenting. They will both fail unless, as a parent, you genuinely love your children, and genuinely believe in them. Fake encouragements and praises can be just as harmful to one's self esteem as insults that are meant as insults and not motivators. Loose, free parenting has no value if it comes from not wanting to be bothered with the child. At the same time, despotic parenting will be harmful if that's all it is. Despotic.
  
  As a sort of conclusion, I believe there's little influence to be had over the child's intelligence, but a tremendous one over the values that they guide their life upon or over their definition of happiness and success and the way these depend on each other. And yes, this is all my humble opinion. :)