TED Community » Elizabeth Gu

More About Me

I'm passionate about

Educational philosophy, humanism, psychology, and literature.

An idea worth spreading

working on it.

People don't know that I'm good at

Coming up with new ideas--especially when I am moved by someone's speech or impressive movies or novels that contain ingenious stories.

My TED Story

At first, I just watched many videos and read people's comments in order to study English. However, as time went by, I've been captivated by this TED site. Thesedays, I visit TED in order to quench my THIRST.

Comments

• TEDCred score: +32.70 TEDCred reflects your contribution to the TED community.

• A comment on Conversation: Do you write letters on a regular basis? Is this an important habit to model for our children? How do we renew appreciation for letters?

  May 3 2013: I love writing letters. It certainly takes more time to write a letter than it does in writing emails, but it's clearly more meaningful. I do keep most of letters I’ve received from others so far, too—for they remind me of the feeling of “appreciation” I had at those very times. Anyway, I haven't tried anything to encourage my siblings to write letters just like the way I do.
  No need for persuasion.
  The value of writing letters with their hands is not appreciated unless they truly appreciate it.
  Just the way of doing it somehow draws their attention.
  With curiosity, they once mimic what I do and find it quite enjoyable to write and receive letters.
  
  (btw,
  I’ve seen some school teachers who force their students to write letters on every special occasion.
  Not only is it an ineffective way, but it’s also a devastating factor in the joy of writing letters.
  Just like studying math with the frowning look on one’s face, writing letters against one’s will would be the very thing that ruins the value of “doing it”.)
• +1

  A comment on Conversation: If you have NEVER been to Africa, when someone mentions "Africa" or you hear "Africa", what is the FIRST thing that comes into your mind?

  Apr 6 2013: Water.
  Just that Africa is so in need of water.
  
  Don't want you to take this the wrong way, but whenever I think of Africa, I feel necessity not to waste water.
  
  It would be awkward to ask if it's okay to have this kind of thought..
  But is the way I think sounds ridiculous?

• A reply on Talk: Hyeonseo Lee: My escape from North Korea

  Mar 21 2013: Awesome.
  
  As a South Korean, I can't help feeling necessity to dedicate myself to help the fellows in North Korea (just like your saying, "anyway I can")because we happen to be "one" in the name of "Korea".
  
  Honestly, before watching this video, I haven't paid much attention to the lives of North Koreans.
  
  But this talk was touching enough to inspire me somehow(not just in an emotional way)…
  
  
  These days, I'm studying Chinese for my future.
  
  How could I utilize every chance I take for their future..?
  
  Any suggestion?
• +1

  A reply on Talk: Hyeonseo Lee: My escape from North Korea

  Mar 21 2013: tell me about it!
• +1

  A reply on Conversation: How can we help to prevent bullying?

  Mar 17 2013: Yeah, I see what you mean Colleen..
  
  By no means I should judge them by their appearances or their attitudes.
  No one knows what they've been through.
  
  Some get aggressive when challenged, others become timid.
  
  The former could be the bullying and the latter could be the bullied.
  
  Do you think it's also about their personalities and the way they deal with difficult situations or horrible memories?
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  A reply on Conversation: How can we help to prevent bullying?

  Mar 16 2013: Hi Colleen…!! :)
  
  Right...
  
  I've seen a few.
  
  Those girls were "book-smarts" , but also "street-smarts".
  Not only were those bullying students popular, but also they were really clever.
  
  It's still a mystery to me that they tried so hard to be the center of attention and bully weak students(who were smart, but not really sociable.).
  
  It seemed to me they had enough..! They didn't seem to lack anything..
  
  Perhaps, they did bully the weak because of their miserable childhood memories or something like that, but still, some of them didn’t seem to have any terrible experience…
  
  I think the core of this problem is not just about an individual wanting to get attention from others, but socially common phenomenon whether we'd like to accept that or not.
  
  There's always a queen bee in any groups especially in schools.
  
  People unconsciously want to or are forced to follow the queen's lead.
  
  
  
  
  But the bullying issue is surely something more.....
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  A reply on Conversation: How can we help to prevent bullying?

  Mar 16 2013: Sorry, I beg to differ.
  It's not a great story.
  It's awful...
  I don't think he wrote the story to appeal to our sympathy.
  
  I hope he can make a change as to preventing bullies around schools.
  
  Although he suffered from the experience, through the experience, he must have realized something about bullying. Only the ones who were or have been victims know what it is to be bullied. I appreciate his courage to talk about it and I believe he can really make a change as long as he tries to influence people with all his heart.
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  A comment on Conversation: If you try to fail and you succeed, what have you accomplished?

  Mar 16 2013: Nothing. It's all about one's intention,
  Even though it may sound unconvincing, fundamentally success depends on one's perspective.
  
  You fail to fail no matter what.

• A comment on Conversation: What is the advantage of evolving the ability to cry?

  Mar 16 2013: If you cry pretty, you can be an actress LOL
  
  
  You can just catch the moment of being sad or miserable.
  
  Crying is like laughing although both seem contradictory.
  
  I from time to time try to embrace the moment of crying—or sobbing.
  
  It often helps me come up with words to describe my feelings uniquely and precisely when writing stuffs.
  
  Or… it could be a good inspiration to you.
  
  
  Just like drinking coffee, you can just taste what it is to cry and what it is to feel sad or extremely happy.
  
  Crying is the most humanlike action.
  
  Although we might not like the feeling of crying—it's bitter anyway, the action of crying plainly shows your vulnerability, and your inner-self constantly reminds you that this is also part of “you” whether you'd like to acknowledge that or not.
  
  Thinking big, I know the ability to cry makes you realize so many things about your life and further, the world with a healthy dose of bitterness.
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  A comment on Conversation: What is the most important thing you've learned on your own?

  Mar 16 2013: I've learned that no one would be charge of developing my potentials.
  
  Family, friends, colleagues, and teachers......
  
  They tell you what to do or what you ought to be,
  
  but they can never know what your real potential is unless they are "you".
  
  Ultimately, I'm on my own.
  
  If I miss an opportunity, then I literally miss a chance no matter how many times others say to you that it's okay. Sometimes they don’t realize how crucial it is to take a chance because it happens to be your chance, not their chance.
  
  If you are to ignore one of your precious potentials because your parents tell you not to pursue your career in accordance with that kind of talent, then you just ignore it no matter what your parents think about your choice to be “reasonable”.
  
  I've also realized it's really important to be aware of this "truth(I'd like to call it that way)".
  
  No one's ever told me this, but I feel lucky to know now that I can no longer be passive toward my future.
  
  That’s what healthy tension all about(between you and others’ expectation)