TEDx Mile High: Imagine

On November 16th, I went to Denver to attend a TEDx Mile High conference, and the experience left an everlasting effect on my intellectual growth. As an avid scholar, I considered this event as an opportunity for me to enrich my knowledge in different fields and get a deeper understanding of global-burning issues that are occurring around the world. The moment I arrived at the conference, I was totally amazed: from a VR adventure to Mars to making toast by electricity generated from riding bicycles. TEDx creates an environment where thoughts are voiced and ideas are heard, where attendants, as well as presenters, come with an open mind to immerse themselves into a whole new experience.

The first talk was delivered by Tom Teves- the founder of No Notoriety, which is a campaign dedicated to reducing the mass murders received in the media. After having lost his son in a public shooting, Teves discovered a pattern of media news reporting which contributes to the increasing numbers of mass murders. In any newspaper or media, the magnifying culprit’s mugshot is printed on the front page and his name is mentioned throughout the report, which inadvertently creates fame for these culprits and motivates potential copycats. I was in awe of the results from a survey showing that the chance of copycats increases by 30% in nearly 30 days after a mass shooting occurs. Accordingly, he proposed three alterations for the news report: provide facts, mindset, and motive of the criminal, drastically avoid mentioning the name or picture of the criminal in articles or headlight, and refuse self-serving material from murderers. Fueled by the impactful speech, I become stricter with myself to use appropriate diction, structure clear sentences, and craft effective writing to effectively convey my message to the right audience. If writing can help to kill or save lives, I strive to achieve the second one.

The next interesting lecture that left a permanent mark on me - Don’t let fear control your life - was presented by Ruth Soukup. People often have fear when they are presented with a challenging task and that fear often induces specific expressions and behavior. Soukup showed the audience seven types of fear: from a procrastinator to an excuse maker and pessimist. Personally, I see myself in some of these seven categories whenever I have difficult work, approaching deadlines, or something I haven’t prepared for: I procrastinate, I doubt myself, and I am afraid of bad outcomes. However, Soukup’s lecture significantly changed my mindset that every achievement starts with small steps and that we cannot decide the outcome, but we are totally able to control the process. After that, I believe more in my capability, start to work ahead in any work, and actively approach teachers whenever I have questions.

All the lectures that TEDx offered were informative, diverse, and captivating. A poignant poem performed by Jovan Mays in tribute to his deceased friend beautifully closed the conference and received a standing ovation from the audience. The amazing experience at TEDx truly exceeded my expectations and still reverberates in my mind as I jot down these sentences.