Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Finally a TED talk that explains why seeing the big picture is such an amazing capacity. Why it can alter your life. Why it allows you to learn. Why it takes you out of the fear of making mistakes…
It also explains why “normal” adults stop being able to learn, experiment, be creative…
One student asks:
If I have identified something as worth having/knowing, when I set out to read a book or take a class, if there is an agenda there, what do I do with that agenda? How, if I could, would I abandon what I think I should be going after to pursue life as more of an experiment? Does the courage to walk away from what I think is the path, the missing piece?
The agenda he is talking about is the “economical” little (or big) piece you want out of your activity. And once you fix what you want, you’ll see nothing else, like a machine.
No creativity, no growth, no experimentation. Dull. Boring. And a perfect waste of a life.
Another student, I don’t have a quote, is afraid to make a mistake. So he lives his life in a self-built little box full of rules. Same reason, same result. Impoverished life, no chance to grow.
Now… when I started to learn Hebrew, I was thinking of maybe moving to Israel. And I was debating whether it is a good idea to re-learn Hebrew, when I could also go to France… And my French at one time was better than my Hebrew.
But then I caught the fear-based, survival based agenda… and let go.
As I am learning for learning’s sake now, my learning is faster and more fun. I grow faster than I would if I had my nose to the grindstone. And while I am doing my Hebrew drills I can pay attention to my cone of vision, my muscle tension, my breathing.
I am calm, I am in an expansive state… almost meditative.
Most people even meditate like an adult: try to narrow their attention to where their agenda says it should go… Not fun, and not useful.
OK, here is the TED talk I so loved…
