Community member Rachael Williams left this thoughtful comment on Andrew Solomon’s recent TED Talk, How the worst moments in our lives make us who we are:
“Forgive my honesty here but a lot of the time when watching motivational speeches I think, ‘Yeah, that’s all good and fine, but this is what you do for a living.’ The ‘hell yeah-ness’ (I suppose the motivation) of it all is short lived …
However, this was not only motivational, it was inspirational, deeply touching and heartfelt. I have listened to other TED talks by Andrew Solomon, and I agree with [your son] George: If you were small (as in not famous), I’d be your friend too. You seem so full of humility and kindness. My dad always told me that the most beautiful flowers bloom out of adversity (or manure is maybe what he was trying to say, but not really what you can tell an upset six-year-old). Looking back, I know he’s right and I have some lovely yellow roses in my garden!”
— Rachael Williams
[ted id=2005]
We’re always on the lookout for sharp critique, thought-provoking questions or interesting insights in response to TED Talks. Post your thoughts alongside any talk; we read them all and will feature one comment on ideas.TED.com each weekday. (Comments are lightly edited for spelling and grammar.)
