5 Inspiring Stories from TedxAmsterdam

Along with several clients, colleagues and partners, it was a pleasure to attend the TedX Amsterdam edition a few days ago. Supported by Tata Consultancy Services and Schiphol Airport, this 11th edition of the event was themed PlanetAct – focusing many of its sessions on inspiring stories of sustainable thinking and actions that are required to meet the most challenging problem of our times – Climate Change.

I particularly enjoy being at Tedx events, since the highly curated and compelling set of speakers at these events take you well outside your comfort zone. Like muscle, unless the mind is exercised with new thoughts and new angles, it does not grow and shape to potential. True to form, the Amsterdam edition was a fabulous all day work out.

While every speaker was thought provoking in their own right, I am sharing five sessions that inspired me the most personally:

1.      Why everyone should follow a crash course in Astronomy – Govert Schilling

An astronomist-journalist, Govert made a compelling case that when we study the cosmos and the expanse of time, a sense of humility gets ingrained in us. We are just one speck among billions of people, on a planet among billions, which is a part of a galaxy among billions. As show and tell, Govert used a 14 set encyclopedia to demostrate that if the first page of the first book represented the start of time, then humanity would only appear on the bottom last page of the fourteenth and last book. The humility that our irrelevance in terms of space and time forces upon us, leads to better outcomes and more humane behavior from leaders. No wonder then, Govert says that its time to send politicians to the moon.

You can see his whole session here:

2.      The Beauty of Birds – Arjan Dwarhuis

Just 3 years ago, Arjan set a new world record. Over the course of one year, he observed 6852 species of birds (2/3rd of all bird species that currently exist) in 40 different countries – making him the world’s most proficient bird watcher. Arjan’s passion for birds came at an early age when we was a child and followed him for life. He spoke passionately about many species that are dying out and heavily endangered due to human encroachment on their habitats, climate change and disturbances in their food chains. He made a compelling case that parents need to ensure they children spend time in and appreciate nature. For only when they really love nature, will they act to save it. So make sure you take your kids for a hike in the woods this weekend. I certainly will, Belgian weather notwithstanding.

 See the story of his original adventure here:

3.      Save Trees & Refugees – Carola Rackete

Possibly the activist rock-star of this year’s TedX, Carola is a Captain at sea who works for rescue organization Sea-Watch and has helped save scores of refugees stranded in the seas, running afoul of national authorities in her quest for getting them to safety. She spoke with great passion, making the point that while we work to save the planet, we musn’t forget to save the humans who inhabit it.

Here is a recent interview of her's on France 24:

The issues raised remind me of the emotional real life story A Hope more Powerful than the Sea so passionately scribed by Melissa Fleming, the Chief Communications officer of the UN and formery of UNHCR. It helped me understand the complex situation in Syria and the challenges that migrants face, from the eyes of a very heroic young girl. It is a very moving tale. Highly recommend that you read it, if you haven’t already. More on it here.

4.      A Plea for Sorrow - Femke Vander Laan & Who Cares for the Caregivers - Toine Heijmans

Both of these speakers were exceptionally brave and had something in common. They openly shared their personal sorrows on the loss of their husband and father respectively, to make a larger point. Femke, the wife of the former Mayor of Amsterdam, Eberhard Van der Laan (whom we have great respect for at TCS, given his constant support and partnership to us while he was in office) spoke about the fact that our society doesn’t deal well with grief and should be more accepting and encourage people to be more openly sad, to cope with their loss.  Toine, whose father was diagnosed with Alzheimer, spoke about his family's efforts to support him. He made the point that while supporting caregivers give their all to their family member who is suffering, they themselves need to be better trained and supported by society.

You can see their sessions here:

5.      Turn Facts into Feelings – Thijs Biersteker

Certainly a session that anyone in the marketing profession must watch. Thijs is an artist who has created something special. He weaves together technology and art to create “experiences” that help people better understand the scale and impact of big issues like climate change, deforestation, migration etc. Experiencing something internalizes it, hence his installations have been path-breaking in creating emotional responses from his audiences.  

 You can see his whole session here:

Finally, a huge congrats to the entire team and volunteers at TedxAmsterdam for a great show. Given that it is an event driven by temporary volunteers, it always amazes me how well the show is organized and run. It was a privilege for TCS to partner with this and look forward to many more inspiring editions.