The Spy was fortunate to attend the first annual TEDx ChesterRiver at the Gibson Center for the Arts, Washington College, last Saturday afternoon. (As media sponsor, we were invited, but were eager to attend in any case.) For those not familiar with TED, it is a non-profit
organization, started twenty-four years ago, (originally standing for Technology, Entertainment, Design), and created to bring together the world’s thinkers and do-ers at annual conferences to share their “ideas worth spreading.” TEDx events, such as TEDxChesterRiver, are independently organized community events licensed by TED. Attendees were asked to provide answers to the following; Talk to me about___, and: I’m changing the world as a ____. The information was included on name tags; it was intriguing to see what friends and acquaintances wrote, and also facilitated conversations among strangers during the break and reception following the talks.
Elise Kolaja, organizer of Chestertown’s event, invited twelve regional speakers, ranging from scientists to guitar makers, teachers, chefs, and, er – zombie enthusiasts, to discuss, in 18 minutes or less, their perspectives on the theme “Where We Belong”. The college provided a projection screen for speakers to display images in conjunction with their talks. Following is an all too brief synopsis of their talks:
Paul Reed Smith, creator and owner of PRS Guitars, opened Part 1 of the conference, (titled Our Society and Culture). Reed Smith used a deck of cards as an analogy to life’s puzzles, encouraged the audience to, “..balance work, friends and family….and enjoy the moment,” and entertained attendees with a Hendrix-like version of “The Star Spangled Banner” on one of his signature electric guitars.
Director of Athletics at Washington College, Bryan Matthews discussed the role of parents in children’s college education, stating that college may be one of the largest but least understood investments people make. He recommended that instead of, “..cutting the cord,” when your child goes to college, you, “stretch the cord.”
Actress Jen Friedman followed, introducing more than a bit of levity with her take on stage performance. Friedman likened the stage to life, and suggested that everyone plays roles daily without realizing it. She urged the audience to be yourself, laugh, and make others laugh.
Environmentalist, teacher and former congressman Wayne Gilchrest suggested that we are, “…in the throes of a dawning of a new age,” and that, like nature, we should produce and nurture for the next generation. Gilchrest remarked that in all his years in Washington, he had, “…met lots of smart people, but that none of them was concerned with keeping human beings’ activity compatible with nature’s design.”
John Shields, chef and author discussed the “Chesapeake Kitchen of the 21st Century,” and asked the audience to eat sustainably; ie. instead of crab cakes, eat crab soup; instead of going to the supermarket, go to the farmers’ market. Shields said that food gives us a definite sense of where we are located.
Astronomer Carol Christian of the Space Telescope Science Institute took the audience on a whirlwind trip through our universe, pointing out that there are numerous other galaxies out there. Christian believes our minds are up to understanding everything from cosmic scale to the scale of the sub-atomic particles that rule our existence. This Spy has since become addicted to their website.
Gabrielle Tayac, an historian at Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian opened Part 2, (Our World and Other Worlds), asking the attendees to imagine Chestertown and environs as if the native Wicomiss were still thriving. She said they treated everything as an extended family; trees, animals, fish, rocks…and that there was much they could teach us about balance, reciprocity and responsibility. ( The English annihilated the tribe in 1669; any left were sold into slavery and sent to Barbados.)
Washington College Assistant English professor Corey Olsen described how his existential publishing crises led to a whole new world: podcasting as “The Tolkein Professor,” starting an online lecture series, which evolved into the Mythgard Institute, and ultimately an online university. Olsen was continually amazed at the online comradery; saying that the interaction was better than most college classes.
Technologist (and apparently long time zombie enthusiast) Joe Fino offered a glimpse of the latest technological breakthroughs that will keep you one step ahead of the zombies. According to Fino, you will soon be able to beam your cell phone image anywhere, as in perhaps your hand, and dial away.
Sailor and adventurer Matt Rutherford took the audience on a very scary (to this Spy) trip, describing his nonstop, 309 day, solo voyage circumnavigating the Americas on St. Brendan, a 27 foot sailboat: 800 pounds of freeze-fried food, 45 pumps to make a cup of water for coffee in the morning, 3 hours of sleep for every 50 hours awake, barely missing an iceberg in the Arctic, breaking his engine 15,000 miles from home. Rutherford equates exploration to, “..the physical aspect of intellectual activity,” saying that, “..reward lives in the house of risks.”
Meg Olmert, human-animal bond expert, and author of Made for Each Other: The Biology of the Human-Animal Bond, gave a fascinating talk on biological factors in social bonding, positing that interacting with dogs helped humans become the “top dog,” enabling us to go faster and further than our prey, (prior to that we were prey animals). Olmert further suggested that the neurochemical oxytocin promotes social well-being and inhibits the “predatory instinct.”
Dancer and instructor Kwame Shaka Opare told the attendees about his eye-opening experience teaching Baltimore 9th graders; their initial utter disregard for everyone and everything, and their view of the word as a five block radius of poverty and despair. Opare said we need to give them ownership and a connection to history; instead of teaching them solely about white history, they should study African history, geography, and art. He further stated that, “Arts are a way to subvert the status quo.” Opare concluded his speech with a Ghanian/Nigerian dance lesson; something the mostly white, middle-aged audience was perhaps not all that comfortable performing – which may have been the point.
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