Are you an IDEA worth spreading?

I attended a TEDx conference today at BU (FYI - TEDx is a series of local conferences across the globe that stems from TED, an organization that invites remarkable people from all walks of life to give a mini-spiel about their life's work - "ideas worth spreading"). As always, the TED talks left me speechless - awed with inspiration, drawn by intrigued, and most importantly, empowered to act.

The conference invited speakers mostly around my young age, but to my envy (and inspiration), have all accomplished something in their lives worth spreading. The speakers were not molds of their stereotypes. They were forward thinkers, listeners of their calling, champions of a cause, etc. A blond ditsy girl, straight out of college, flew to Kenya and successfully built an orphanage (www.flyingkitesglobal.org) for a desperate community. A son of Indian immigrants, strayed from a "professional" path to engage in his love for hip-hop, and just recently, opened at the House of Blues Boston for Kid Cudi (http://aviator.bandcamp.com). A BU Japanese exchange student flew to the sinking island of Tuvalu to record a video on the effect of climate change on one of the world's smallest, and fastest dying, countries.The list goes on...and I become ashamed/jealous as I fret over what greater cause or purpose I have impacted in the first 21 years (young, but nonetheless long) of my life or that I have yet to create an idea out of my life that is worth spreading.

I realize that self-reflection is often the critical, missing element to connect and prod one from simply inhaling an idea...to taking action. We all have seen the sad commercials of starving children or sat in on an inspiring lecture. However, as soon as we get up and leave the building, the inspiration quickly dissipates and we regress to the silly, insignificant headaches of our daily schedule. I stress self-reflection because I believe the speakers of the TEDxBU conference and larger community all prevailed in taking proactive action for their passions, versus settling down in the comforts of middle class job security and lying to oneself with excuses to act "one day."

I currently sit at this crossroad, but I certainly received the extra push I needed. I know that I, and you, are filled with latent ideas or dreams we shove in the back of our minds in the "unpractical" category. Nothing is more practical than our happiness. We make a conscious decision every single day of our lives to be happy or not. When we are happy, the joy spreads so naturally from us, and our lives, become the idea that is worth spreading.

"In the moment" ... "In the zone"

Here's a great post on Zen Habits (a daily must-read for me) that reflects my advocacy for simplicity, mindfulness, and contentment in daily living. The "Zen of doing" may be hard to comprehend at first, but we've all experienced it before. Try to compare it to thinking/acting "in the moment" or when you're "in the zone." Whether it's the last 5 minutes of an exam and you're scrambling to finish your last page of questions, or you're stuck in a burning house with your adrenaline pumping, the Zen of daily doing tries to replicate that amazing feeling -- when time is frozen, mind is completely focused, and natural action precedes too much thinking-- to all the mundane acts of our daily lives. When such is achieved, welcome to enlightenment.

I am not a tourist. I am a traveler.

Most people who know me know that I am a traveler. I acknowledge I am a fortunate human, especially for the opportunities I've had in my life to see the world, its peoples, and its wonders. At my core, I am wanderer. The comforts of a settled life or career/financial success, etc...may be ideals for most people, but for me, drains my passions and cuts off my life.

My travels are not for fun, per se, in the tourist sense. Rather, my travels are mentally fulfilling, physically challenging, and spiritually enlightening.

I do not vacation to simply take a picture of an old/new structure or lie on a white beach. I travel in order to learn about the livelihoods of our world's amazingly diverse cultures and natural environments. I look for the commonalities that help me understand myself by understanding others. I search for happiness by examining the roots of happiness in others. I dig under the political crap and technological barriers that bombard my life in order to connect with the basic, universal human needs that tie all of us together, despite our worldly issues. I return to the source of our existence - nature - to discover beauty in simplicity. I reassess the desires of my modern life, the drivers of my rat race. I fulfill my curiosity to see a glimpse of the trillions of molecular formations outside of my personal bubble. I break my own a priori assumptions and cynicism about humanity. I free my mind from my own limits.

Well, I'm excited to proclaim that my next stop is India - one of the oldest civilizations, both in the religious and paleontological sense. I'm not just intrigued by the taboos of Bollywood or the diversity within the Indian people, its traditions, and cuisines. I really know little about India, and this obscurity that India tries to wall themselves within will certainly be a challenge I look forward to climbing over in the summer months.

China vs Google

Kudos to Google for trying to maintain its integrity by taking on the Middle Kingdom.

(Even the US doesn't have enough balls to convince China from manipulating the Yuan...or carelessly overlooking its environmental duties for the sake of economic growth...or suppressing the voices of its "autonomous regions"...or censoring any voice that tries to dissent the communist party...or establishing military/business partnerships that disregard human rights in foreign countries...or etc...)

Firstly, I do commend Google for standing by its "Do no Evil" motto. Although I am not sure I'd go as far as calling censorship "evil", I also do realize that Google is a for-profit business. As such, if a business desires to enter into foreign markets, it should naturally follow the country's own laws and regulations. This is no different than the requirement for businesses to face different tax laws, government safety regulations, etc.

Google, as a symbolic representation of America's freedom of speech/print, obviously clashes with China's own interpretation as to how to best govern its people. While, western (esp. American) ideals are driven by individualism and self-righteousness, Chinese beliefs follow traditional Confucian teachings of obedience and national/filial piety. As a Chinese American, I understand how these ideologies are fundamentally different and require different approaches to government. Democracy undercuts China's penchant for authority (much like a father ruling his children like an iron-fist), and censorship undercuts the Western system of free information (and optimistic trust in its citizens). Both systems work (more or less), and its arguable which one works better...

Wow. No comment necessary.