TED Community » Petra Prichici

About Me

Location:
Romania, Cluj-Napoca
Gender:
Prefer not to say

Comments

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  • +2

    A comment on Talk: Dave Meslin: The antidote to apathy

    Apr 13 2011: LET THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE TO LIVE WITH WHAT YOU BUILD HELP GUIDE YOUR HAND (Paul Downtown, 1994)

    Thank you, thank you, thank you Dave! A great and timely talk that addresses one of the big elephants in our "democratic" society's living room - namely where is the citizen participation and what's purposely blocking it. This talk applies not just to Canada but to most developed countries where reclaiming public space and engaging citizens to make the decisions that ultimately shape their daily lives is crucial to a building any semblance of sustainability.

    As an environmental planner and student of urban ecosystems I've studied the scientific literature of citizen participation is planning and development extensively - the results conclusively show that citizens who are involved in planning from beginning to end are happier with the physical results, care for their spaces better, and create smarter collaborative design ideas... so why don't we apply these 'best practices'? Dave was spot on in pointing out the barriers to participation and the large ray of hope that these can ALL be overcome. Do we want to live in a top-down socio-political system or one where all affected actors can engage - I say we DEMAND the latter!
  • +1

    A comment on Conversation: How can creativity and chronic depression coexist?

    Mar 26 2011: Thanks Ed, Vladimir Craig for making my message that much shorter by including your ideas! Mary I feel like I've been in a similar place to you while trying to claw up from rock bottom so here's my insight on depression.
    http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/matthieu_ricard_on_the_habits_of_happiness.html
    After watching this talk I really thought about what Matthieu said regarding the soul being like water in cup (where every movement might cause a spill) or deep like the ocean, where the weather at the surface can be sunny or stormy without affecting the water below. Solution: among all of the other things people have listed I'm going to add meditation. I'm an artist as well and I can understand the existential angst, not to mention when the world seems so full of pain it overwhelms completely. BUT amongst all the change and the uncertainty there always remains an anchor, you. Even as you're always changing, you change with yourself (okay stupid statement but you see what I mean, you are your only absolute constant in your life) Which makes having the best relationship possible you can with yourself so important. Learning to love yourself is a cure for depression (not sadness mind, but the debilitating mental health issue we name depression) and just like positive thinking its much easier said than done.
    I think you can beat depression, and it's one of the most difficult fights there is because really it is the fight to love your mind, body and spirit in order to honestly tell your story to the world.
    (http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/brene_brown_on_vulnerability.htm)
    All the best through your journey, and always keep your sense of humor :)
  • +3

    A reply on Talk: Eythor Bender demos human exoskeletons

    Mar 25 2011: "I hope this is the last time I see a military uniform on the TED stage for the purpose of hawking military weaponry..."

    Agreed (TED STOP WHITEWASHING!). Unfortunately it goes back to "there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so". Good ol' Shakespeare. If you are curious, passionate, keen minded and inventive then you try to make your ideas manifest into reality, perhaps in the circumstances of this particular idea the only way to make it manifest was through military funding - and though I deeply wish all military were done with (Yes John, it's time. Let's give peace a chance for a change) at the moment we are burdened with this massive military-industrial complex and it's twin hammers of power (combined w. wall street that's basically current American government) and MONEY.

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