I stumbled on my first TED talk a few years back and was so taken with it that I became hooked forever.
Three women were onstage in front of the big red TED logo. One woman, Phyllis Rodriguez in clothing you’d find a women wearing in any US city is holding the hand of another woman, Aicha el-Wafi, who is dressed in black Muslim garb. These two women stand side-by-side, holding tightly to each other’s hands. To Aicha’s left is an interpreter.
Phyllis begins to speak. She shares that she lost her son in the World Trade Center bombing and then talks how she accidentally met Aicha, who turns out to be the mother of Zacarias Moussaoui, one of the terrorists. These two mothers have form an unlikely, powerful friendship and they go around the world speaking for reconciliation and peace.
As they spoke, with such passion and authenticity, I was thunderstruck and frankly shed more than a tear or two. What IS this TED thing that would feature such extraordinary speakers?!
Since then, I’ve watched hundreds of TED and TEDx talks and have always left them feeling inspired, illuminated, informed and more hopeful.
How about you? Let me know what your favorites are!
You can see Phyllis and Aicha’s TED talk here: https://www.ted.com/talks/9_11_healing_the_mothers_who_found_forgiveness_friendship