2018 TEDx at Berkeley conference: An experience of a lifetime

A spotlight, a bright round red carpet and an awe-inspiring tagline read “You are Here.” The 2018 TEDx at Berkeley conference was all set to begin. Each TEDster was eager to be mind-blown, travel into dimensions unknown, and simply learn something new. After all, their expectations were justified for they had signed up for a day packed of novel ideas.
Enter Decadence, an acapella group at UC Berkeley, that delivered a breathtaking performance, both literally and figuratively.Their song, coupled with their swag, set the tone for a special day. However, even before the first TED talk had been delivered, Decadence asked, “How did they build the Stonehenge,” a question that seemed to really grip all TEDsters.
Courtesy: Renee Blodgett
Next up was Christopher Emdin, an educator, who stripped off some baggage-carrying clichés. He questioned why “loud people” (mostly youth of color who are not trained to talk in a “genteel” manner) are not considered educated or intelligent, something he strongly disagreed with. His main idea: to be a “Ratchetdemic,” someone who is a ratchet and an academic, two qualities that are often considered incompatible. Emdin, a tenured professor at Columbia University, has been doing some extraordinary work in academia. Look up his work here.
Dean Ornish, an MD in lifestyle medicine talked about the power of intimacy and how loneliness and isolation can be detrimental to one’s health. He argued that in life, only when meaning and pleasure are combined can we truly be happy for a long-term. He mentioned the benefits of a plant-based diet and how merely choosing not to eat something can imbue life with meaning and can increase the joy of living. See Ornish’s work here.
Courtesy: Renee Blodgett
In San Francisco, a city where in every square mile, 107 millionaires and 160 homeless people live, Doniece Sandoval has been doing something very simple: offering the homeless a shower. Through Lava Mae, a nonprofit that converts public transportation buses into bathrooms on wheels for the homeless, Sandoval has been giving the homeless “a sense of dignity.” She argued that just a mere shower and access to a clean bathroom can go a long way in bringing a smile on the homeless people’s faces, besides giving them something deeper: dignity, something that makes them feel they too are worthy members of society. See more of Lava Mae here.
Courtesy: Renee Blodgett
Next was Daria Musk (see this), a musician, millennial, an “artistpreneur,” someone who spreads her music through a unique method: interactive online concerts. As Musk took the stage, she mesmerized fellow TEDsters by her eloquently delivered speech, in sync with the video that played. A unique TED Talk, Musk’s performance was a treat to watch. After her performance, Cal Ballroom, UC Berkeley’s only competitive International Ballroom Dance Team delivered a Salsa and Rumba performance, one that took everyone by surprise.
All in all, this TEDx conference was a treat to have covered for me. More than just a learning experience, it was an experience, one that I will always enjoy.
Watch the entire TEDx here.