“If you want to see the change, you have to become the change.” Samantha Powers begins her TED talk by sharing a story about a conversation between Pat Schroeder, a CO congresswoman, and a journalist discussing the genocide happening in Rwanda and why U.S. Congress isn’t doing something to stop it. Schroeder said that Congress is receiving more calls on the extinction of the mountain gorilla. Why? I think people care, or at least call and voice their concerns, about animals more than people because animals don’t have a voice of their own and people do. This reminds me of our discussion about A Whole New Mind; humans have empathy, meaning being able to feel for others. Humans also easily feel sympathetic for animals. There is so much happening in our country, why should I get involved in affairs of another country?
Powers goes on to share the life of Sergio Vieira de Mello, a U.N. diplomat who wants to help the people living in un-supported places around the world, such as places where genocide would be primary targets. Government are usually stronger than the people and even though the people want to fight back, they do not have the numbers. Examples include dictatorships in places like China and Egypt(before the president stepped down). The people do not have a say or cannot make change to the dictators' laws. Sergio started to get involved and began movements in Africa to make changes and help the people living there by giving them food and shelter.
“If you want to see the change, you have to become the change.” I think this means that in order to make change, you have to understand why it needs to happen and how you can participate in making it happen. I admire Sergio’s motivation for his cause because he really understood the change. I wonder how someone could be so motivated for a cause, even though he appears to receive no benefit from it. In class and throughout Dan Pink's books, we explored intrinsic and extrinsic motivations and rewards. Sergio put his own life at risk, so that he could have intrinsic rewards instead of extrinsic ones. People like these are the true heros in America. The people who want to make a difference in order to help others are the true heros. I wonder if he had been doing it for the extrinsic reward (being called a hero) whether he would have accomplished as much. If the reward is the happiness of others, then I think it should be encouraged. If you help others for the feeling you have inside, then that is an intrinsic reward. To me, this is the best reward possible. I relate this to myself because I want to make a change in people’s understanding of others. I dislike judgment; however, it is a part of every person. It is a proven fact that all people judge because they cannot put that feeling aside. When I think of the fact that people are so judgmental, I feel sometimes like I can’t change this, and I feel sad. I know that if I want to help make changes I have to understand why people make judgments. Powers ends her TED talk with the four lessons she learned because of Sergio’s accomplishments - a relationship to evil, a respect for dignity, understanding freedom from fear, and an awareness of the world around you. I understood her TED talk as, change can only happen if you make it happen.
