Where's TED?

TED was @ BU! TEDxBU quickly evolved from myth to reality this past Sunday. And were we excited!

The theme "To Epiphany and Beyond" did stimulate a personal epiphany of my own. In the final couple of weeks of my last year of college, I realized how many gifted and interesting people I failed to meet during these past four years due to the choices I have made for lack of better judgment. What counts is the realization, better late than never as the saying goes.

TED is a sweeping phenomenon in a category of its own, growing in popularity with every minute passed. The appeal of having such an independently organized event at BU (hence the "x" in the title) was felt by everyone from the presenters (who, by the way, showed that age/experience is the last thing that matters for the creation of an engaging and powerful presentation) to the organizers and the listeners, myself included in the last category. Whether the talk failed to spark the much advertised, following discussion-to-be is beside the point. Who wouldn't rush out of the auditorium after 5 hours of almost non-stop presentations, which were intriguing yes, but tiring nonetheless? We all needed a breath of cold, fresh, late-April-in-Boston air.  

Either way, I felt like I left that auditorium a better person. If you've met me, you know that I say what I mean and I mean what I say in the wise words of Dr. Seuss. Whether I agreed or disagreed, I never failed to applause. Up until today, I couldn't make up my mind whether to focus on the small steps (to which the first part of TEDx was dedicated, with a direct approach on non-profit action in Africa) or to look at the big picture where hugs can heal hate. With a nudge from yesterday's talk, I dare to explore the possibilities and to dream that one day, in this global village we live in, there will be no such choice as the frontiers will continue to be shifted until there are none left, until the actions on a local scale affect everything we do on the more global level. 

Most likely, I will continue to be called an idealist or a hippie, but to quote Salvador Allende, "Ser joven y no ser revolucionario es una contradicción hasta biológica." I'd like to think that I'm still young...