something about this man is kind of celestial. As if he were a member of a more gentle, developed race. His voice, the way he moves, how he lifts his beautyful eyes, and of course the truth in his words. its silly but he somehow remainded me a little bit of Mr.Spock. obviously he would be quite a different Mr.Spock, because he would embrace his humanhalf and his non-humanhalf would be based on love and wisdom instead of pure logic, but anyway there was a moment in his speach when he finally said the word:"enterprise",and i just cought my self thinking: dont leave us behind!
Yeas I agree...as if he's an earth angel or an angelic being. You ought to listen to his talk on depression. That one will tug at you. It too is on Ted talk.
Wow amazing speach! (this is my storry and im norwegian so sorry for any bad grammar) I had a rough start to my life with adoption to different families because my dad was a drunk and my mother overdozed on drugs when I was only a baby.. When I finaly got to my new family (I started living with them at the age of 4 and still look at them as my real family) my new mother was hit with brain canser and my new dad went into a depresion... Life was rough and I saw little to no meaning and I messed up in school at so many levels. I then at the age of 16 talked to my friends brother who was a "shrink" and I told him everything. What he said to me changed my life compleetly! I was expecting him to feel sorry for me, but he said: Thats beautiful! I was shocked and got a bit mad, then he explained it to me: The fact that you have felt so much pain, anger and despair but you are still here today is amazing and a good thing! You have learnd more about pain and feelings then I can ever do in any book! This changed my life, im not sad because of the bad things, im happy I endured it, becuase it forged me into who I am today! I understand my friends pain better then many and I developed a great understanding of empathy! I now just finished colage and I'm now working with troubled children in kindergarden! I dont think I would have become anything close to this if my life was different. Thanks for reading this and do not feel sorry for me in any way! :) My "new" mom survived the canser, and my dad is no longer depressed!
I never thought about forging meaning, I just assumed I had to find it. This is a totally different way of looking at it, and it might change a lot of things in my life. Thank you!
Hence: Life is What you make it. So seemingly trite that it's ignored out of hand; it is the essence of your life.. what you decide it to be. Same as Dr. Phil's way of saying the same thing: There's no good news or bad news; there's just news. You decide what meaning it has.
Forge meaning builds identity. wow a powerful words. it's amazing how little kids can see and interpret reality in different ways. "Daddy if you were little, i'd be your friend" wow just wow. I almost moved.
This is the most impactful resonating painful and truthful Ted Talk ever! I cried at his words ....This shook me to the core! I am also in his narratives. *I was finally unconditionally grateful for a life I would have done anything to change. There is always someone who wants to confiscate our humanity. And there are always stories that restore it. If we live out loud, we can trounce the hatred, and expand everyone's lives. Forge meaning. Build identity. Forge Meaning. Build Identity. And then invite the world to share your joy*
_Am I the only one reminded of Sheldon Cooper?_ Great speech by the way! It was compelling and inspiring; and as the others have said, he is a wonderful speaker and storyteller. Forge meaning, build identity.
Such a beautiful speech. The people I know who have suffered the most are the most amazing people I know. Something happens to them that wakes them up and makes them “real”. It’s not something you can buy or be taught but something that happens in their mind that transforms them. They just evolve. All their suffering becomes amazing strength or creativity or clarity. It’s like they have transcended human consciousness to something greater that we don’t have a word for yet. “Amor Fati”. Fredrick Nietzsche documented his struggle with this transition so well and offers great insight into the dark journey of this inner transformation, although he didn’t quite make it there. He suffered terribly. Nonetheless, he absolutely saw it and addressed it but never really grasped what he had discovered. I wish more people would awaken but you cannot ask people to suffer thir own selves in such a way. You cannot make them understand the value in the gain when there isn’t a word for it, nor can you lend them the endurance for the hardship they would face. So many people we cross are on the cusp of that awakening but never reach it, and I believe being caught in that threshold is what we call depression. It’s a hopeless hope until you cross that line of awakening. In a sense, they are trapped in that “slow death” this leaked mentioned in another one of his speeches. And there isn’t medicine or words of encouragement that can aid them unless it’s from someone who has already awoken themselves, someone who has survived the suffering. They must find themselves by doing the most terrifying thing a person can do which is to spend time alone with themselves. You have to unplug from society, to give yourself isolation time away from the tv, away from the phone, away from anything that will distract you from your own demons (that which you despise in yourself) and then you have to learn to love it. It’s not about changing yourself but rather realizing who you really are inside and truly and deeply appreciating all that is you. When you can know yourself so throughly and still love yourself when all the world is silent, then you can evolve or awaken. You become a permanent student to life and you are your own teacher, you gain great wisdom and that is where you find genuine happiness. That is the secret to life. There is nothing artificial within the happiness of being awake. You would trade it for nothing in the world. So if you read this, take some time and unplug from all you know from time to time until you learn to enjoy that time moreso than the artificial existence you have when you’re hanging out at a pub, when you’re watching your favorite tv show, when you’re numbing your mind with Facebook, alcohol or whatever dopamine crutch you use. The old saying goes, “no pain, no gain”. And awakening is indeed very painful, but the enlightenment is a gift well worth the suffering. Sure it sounds too simple, just spend time alone with yourself, but it’s the hardest thing you can do. Humans are social creatures and they always like to cheat on finding ways to escape themselves. The people who are forced into isolation, because they don’t fit into normal social circles, are more likely to achieve this than social butterflies. Because they are forced to face themselves, it can be a much more painful process for them. You begin that process with bitterness towards those who shut you out and only learn later in life to be thankful for their ill behavior, biases, bigotry, etc... Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerburg, Elon Musk, Isaac Newton, Einstein and a large number of other freakishly talented and successful people didn’t become what they are because they were out partying every night. They were awkward people that the world shunned and turn their back on, so they ended up spending a lot of time alone and used that time to reflect on themselves, the world or the universe, and without realizing it they evolved. They mastered their suffering and simply woke up. So not only did they understand life more, they saw how they could change their lives and more amazingly the world! They transcended commonness and averageness and became students and their own teachers. How else can you learn things that no other human knows without focusing on your own thoughts, without leading and following yourself to avoid the ideals of others which inhibit unique and abstract thinking that end up transforming the world? You can’t change the world with your own mind by following others. We all have potential of value, but we don’t all reach that value. Only the rare and very precious few ever do. So if you’re brave, try to learn how to be you. You never know what person you might discover hiding there in the shadowy recesses of your mind.
If people would just knew how life really worked then they would know that life works according to a fair system, how odd it may sound. *Just look at the big picture everything in life balance, for example when you are hungry you eat, phone rings, you pick it up. The 3th Law of Newton ( action/reaction) is the motherlaw of the universe, it applies everywhere*. So this actually also means that every badtime in life will be equally balanced by a good time. I know it sounds strange if you hear this for the 1st time, but as it always goes with the *truth*, first it will piss you off, then it will be laught at and eventually the *truth* will prevail. Just learn the big picture of life in every facet, it is your true purpose and the key to true fulfillment. Google *TruthContest read the Present*, the truth will change your view on life thus your mind in the best way possible
Balance is important in life sure but sometimes bad things just happen or good things just happen not all pleasant experience causes future unpleasantness or vice versa. Also just because learning a radically different truth might initially piss you off and then seem silly and then prevail doesn't mean that all new ideas that piss you off or seem silly are actually true, sometimes they're just dumb ideas.
I don´t understand how ppl forgive. I just can't. I have tried for 10 years and I still hate the ones that caused me wrong. Nothing positive came from them. Just a heavy hate that I carry at my back when probably they already forgot all about me.
"Insulin was invented at the University of Toronto, Canada, from 1921" Please support ! Please Donate！Invest! help me! Hello World! ! I want to eradicate diabetes type 1 from the world I want to help eliminate pain from people around the world with diabetes please donate your money develop the Cure for Diabetes. The complete cure of diabetes is a dream for humanity of 100 years! please invest and Donate for diabetes cure New Technology And Talk about diabetes with family (^o^)ノシ(^o^)ノシ(^o^)ノシ＼(^o^)／（＾w＾）ノシ
Julia Gandrud Not sure he is a hero.sad for him he can 't just take a gift , believes it's a trick.after inspecting in .please don't talk to people when your sad and sound honestly open I believe you could not find someone you wanted.I cared when I thought you lived in your Grandmother basement no job. bad girl friend ext.
Yes ,but the torment which stems from cancer illnesses is always meaningless and sadly it is the main wellspring of torments in life ....Torments stemming from illnesses are the most meaningless kind of torments and yet the millions of individuals ought to bear , to daily to undergo it to the end of their healtily wrecked life...
Birds For Brains Yep. Me, too. It was an ugly cry, too😁 with my lip trembling & that scrunched up face🤣. George is a very sweet, profound lil 4-yr old. 🌈
That has to be the most insightful and thought-provoking TED speech I've ever heard. His words concise, yet their inherent meanings pierce deeply. From the ashes of adversity came a man of outstanding character, razor-sharp wit, broad knowledge and heartfelt compassion, and that man is Andrew Solomon. If only God would bless the world with more people who think, feel and love as deeply as he does, humanity would be better off for it.
+Xeno I could sympathise with your nitpicking over 'thought-provoking' but would say that personally, no other TED talk has been more 'emotion-provoking' than this.
+Xeno Learning to come to terms with my own suffering, I can say with confidence that there's a world of difference between knowing basic human truth on a rational level, and knowing it on an intuitive, visceral level. What he was communicating is as important as the man communicating it and it has nothing to do with being novel or revolutionary. That's the thing about human truth; humans lose the capacity to see it when we need it most. The message may be simple, as all human truth is, but this messenger is delivering it with compassion, empathy, and deep personal understanding of the meaning of suffering. This isn't just a great TED talk. This is among the very best.
Wow amazing speach! (this is my storry and im norwegian so sorry for any bad grammar) I had a rough start to my life with adoption to different families because my dad was a drunk and my mother overdozed on drugs when I was only a baby.. When I finaly got to my new family (I started living with them at the age of 4 and still look at them as my real family) my new mother was hit with brain canser and my new dad went into a depresion... Life was rough and I saw little to no meaning and I messed up in school at so many levels. I then at the age of 16 talked to my friends brother who was a "shrink" and I told him everything. What he said to me changed my life compleetly! I was expecting him to feel sorry for me, but he said: Thats beautiful! I was shocked and got a bit mad, then he explained it to me: The fact that you have felt so much pain, anger and despair but you are still here today is amazing and a good thing! You have learnd more about pain and feelings then I can ever do in any book! This changed my life, im not sad because of the bad things, im happy I endured it, becuase it forged me into who I am today! I understand my friends pain better then many and I developed a great understanding of empathy! I now just finished colage and I'm now working with troubled children in kindergarden! I dont think I would have become anything close to this if my life was different. Thanks for reading this and do not feel sorry for me in any way! :) My "new" mom survived the canser, and my dad is no longer depressed!
Aysima Beril Baydar Same. Every speech he makes is not only eloquent but inspiring too. I actually take something away from his lessons. I will begin to apply his advice to my own life. He speaks such wisdom.
A total stranger gave me a copy of it a few years ago after a brief conversation. I think he could tell I had a lot of questions and existential crises. Thanks for the reminder. Must get it out again.
"I tend to find the ecstasy hidden in ordinary joys, because I did not expect those joys to be ordinary to me." I can go through periods of intense depression, and this quote sums up exactly how I feel when I am thriving and not in its grips.
as a Muslim, I can relate to this so much... being hated and bullied so much almost every where I go. Getting those stares n frowns from ppl. It's tough. And I am sorry, as a practicing Muslim woman, that gay ppl are treated that way in so many places in the world. Who are we to judge? don't we have our own faults to work on and to improve? What gives us the right to judge if others are pure or not? :| Peace
I want to click the like button so hard my mouse breaks. I love this TedTalk, I have watched it three times now, and it is relevant for almost every person in this freaking world. Thank you, Andrew Solomon.
He has a very particular and discrete way of using inflections, somewhat strange but not in spite of eloquence and profound lucidity. The book he talks of is "Far From The Tree" very highly recommended, is refreshing as well as powerful, moving and full of wonderful insight.
@Luke Farrugia he said replacing the “toxic stuff”. If it’s not toxic there’s no problem. The fact you feel threatened by what he said just shows that you can’t differentiate between the two, and like most men, refuse to admit your faults or even try to fix them
"After you've forged meaning, you need to incorporate that meaning into a new identity, you need to take the traumas and make them part of who you've come to be, and you need to fold the worst events of your life into a narrative of triumph. Evincing a better self, in response to things that have caused you hurt." "In the end, some of your greatest pains become your greatest strengths." -- Barrymore
Sin578 • Kelly Clarkson, “What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger)” (2011): “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” • Ed Sheeran, “Drunk” (2011): “What didn’t kill me/It never made me stronger at all” • Melanie C, “Weak” (2011): “Everyone else is saying, what don’t kill you makes you stronger” • Papa Roach, “Kick in the Teeth” (2010): “What doesn’t kill me only, will make me stronger in my head” • Monica, “Still Standing” (2010): “Whatever don’t kill make you stronger” • Blues Traveler, “That Which Doesn’t Kill You” (2006): “That which doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger” • Vanessa Hudgens, “Promise” (2006): “They say what doesn’t kill you can make you strong” • 2Pac, “Only God Can Judge Me” (released 2005): (spoken) “Powers that judge cannot kill me/but only make me stronger” • Slipknot, “Pulse of the Maggots” (2004): “What doesn’t kill us only makes us stronger” • Eve, featuring Teena Marie, “Life Is So Hard” (2001): “Whatever doesn’t kill me makes me strong” • Blues Traveler, Opening Credits for Roseanne (1996): “If what doesn’t kill us is making us stronger” • Anthrax, “Fueled” (1995): “What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger” • Megadeth, “Skin O’ My Teeth” (1992): “That that doesn’t kill me/Only makes me stronger” • Kiss, “Betrayed” (1989): “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” • Bruce Willis, If It Don’t Kill You, It Just Makes You Stronger (1989) (album title)
I saw his last TEDtalks and always impressed by his talks, I've met people who wrote with such grace and poetry, but to hear someone speak it for more than 20 minutes is a true feat ~
I empathize with him as well. However, I would have loved this twist near the end of the speech: "I tracked down all my classmates and beat them within an inch of their miserable lives. So in conclusion, suffering sucks and looking at it in a new light helps a little, but revenge is still the sweetest."
I love life for people like you.
yeah same....
1000 likes, one comment? Two now :) me too
"And I was finally unconditionally grateful for a life I'd once have done anything to change"
If that is not an inspiring perspective
..I don't know what is.
"Far from the tree" is his book. Andrew Solomon is a brilliant man.
“The Noonday Demon” being his main book.
Absolutely. One of my favorite books of all time.
Oh, wow! I subconsciously thought of "Far From The Tree" during this lecture. Had no idea he was the author until reading your comment. ❤️
“If you were little I would be your friend” I don’t have words
Ilona Janser I cried when I heard that 😭
That really broke me 😢♥️
@@blackrainbow192 Me too!😭Adorable❤️
I can only imagine how much emotion washed over him in that moment, I'm still tearing up now
Aw man, that made me cry!
something about this man is kind of celestial. As if he were a member of a more gentle, developed race. His voice, the way he moves, how he lifts his beautyful eyes, and of course the truth in his words. its silly but he somehow remainded me a little bit of Mr.Spock. obviously he would be quite a different Mr.Spock, because he would embrace his humanhalf and his non-humanhalf would be based on love and wisdom instead of pure logic, but anyway there was a moment in his speach when he finally said the word:"enterprise",and i just cought my self thinking: dont leave us behind!
Sarah Alicia I see why you mean. He’s almost intoxicating
Yeas I agree...as if he's an earth angel or an angelic being. You ought to listen to his talk on depression. That one will tug at you. It too is on Ted talk.
This needs to be the US's new, non-toxic masculinity.
Wow amazing speach! (this is my storry and im norwegian so sorry for any bad grammar)
I had a rough start to my life with adoption to different families because my dad was a drunk and my mother overdozed on drugs when I was only a baby.. When I finaly got to my new family (I started living with them at the age of 4 and still look at them as my real family) my new mother was hit with brain canser and my new dad went into a depresion... Life was rough and I saw little to no meaning and I messed up in school at so many levels.
I then at the age of 16 talked to my friends brother who was a "shrink" and I told him everything. What he said to me changed my life compleetly! I was expecting him to feel sorry for me, but he said: Thats beautiful! I was shocked and got a bit mad, then he explained it to me: The fact that you have felt so much pain, anger and despair but you are still here today is amazing and a good thing! You have learnd more about pain and feelings then I can ever do in any book!
This changed my life, im not sad because of the bad things, im happy I endured it, becuase it forged me into who I am today! I understand my friends pain better then many and I developed a great understanding of empathy! I now just finished colage and I'm now working with troubled children in kindergarden! I dont think I would have become anything close to this if my life was different. Thanks for reading this and do not feel sorry for me in any way! :) My "new" mom survived the canser, and my dad is no longer depressed!
@@grimeselianna1003 - your story is beautiful and you've presented it very well. Thank you. It's very inspiring. You're a healer.
This is the best TED talk I've ever heard. Simply beautiful. And what a powerful message
I am completely in awe of how conscious and enlightened this man is. He has changed my life.
I never thought about forging meaning, I just assumed I had to find it.
This is a totally different way of looking at it, and it might change a lot of things in my life.
Thank you!
also, most heteros aren't half the man he is.
Hence: Life is What you make it. So seemingly trite that it's ignored out of hand; it is the essence of your life.. what you decide it to be. Same as Dr. Phil's way of saying the same thing: There's no good news or bad news; there's just news. You decide what meaning it has.
I'm crying... SO TRUE!
A legendary talk. I come back to this regularly.
Andy Collicott same here❤️❤️
Life is difficult. I weep when I hear Andrew speak. He is gifted
Forge meaning builds identity. wow a powerful words. it's amazing how little kids can see and interpret reality in different ways. "Daddy if you were little, i'd be your friend" wow just wow. I almost moved.
What a man! What a human being! Speacheless!
Love your thoughts!! Also love your book..The Noonday Demon..opened my mind to my Demon..Depression..Thank You Andrew for your wisdom and words!!
This is the most impactful resonating painful and truthful Ted Talk ever!
I cried at his words ....This shook me to the core!
I am also in his narratives.
*I was finally unconditionally grateful for a life I would have done anything to change.
There is always someone who wants to confiscate our humanity. And there are always stories that restore it.
If we live out loud, we can trounce the hatred, and expand everyone's lives.
Forge meaning. Build identity.
Forge Meaning. Build Identity.
And then invite the world to share your joy*
Thank you so much. You're a wonderful person. Thank you for sharing that
I nearly applauded myself, and I'm sitting at my computer on my own.
Excellent talk.
This speech was magnetic. One of the best Ted talks I ever watched. A beautiful mind with a beautiful way with words.
Wow. That last section of the talk was truly amazing. Thank you, I was in tears at the end!
Andrews talk on depression really saved me many times. Great man
What an amazing man. What an amazing speech. What an inspiration.
One of the best talks I've heard so far. I applaud you sir.
Force meaning, buid identity !!
Thank you, Andrew, You made my day!
Best wishes for you and others who watch this TED talk.
_Am I the only one reminded of Sheldon Cooper?_
Great speech by the way! It was compelling and inspiring; and as the others have said, he is a wonderful speaker and storyteller. Forge meaning, build identity.
"If you were little, I'd be your friend" speechless😭❤
This is probably my favorite ted talk ever.
If only people knew how rich this video is. Simply a treasure.
This was breathtakingly beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing your story and enabling us to see things in a different lens. 🇿🇦
Excellent speech!!!!!! Very inspirational!!!!!
what an awesome poem about life now.
5:30 this question has troubled me a lot and still does
he somehow reminds me of Sheldon Cooper... is it just me?
Christine Hood
i was abt to comment it below, but u were here
His speech (the tone, intonation), and his looks kind of combine in a lost older brother way :P
I was thinking the same thing!! but yeah I agree with +ATonk that it's definitely the way he speaks, and his voice sounds exactly like Sheldon's.
😂 Yea
Such a beautiful speech. The people I know who have suffered the most are the most amazing people I know. Something happens to them that wakes them up and makes them “real”. It’s not something you can buy or be taught but something that happens in their mind that transforms them. They just evolve. All their suffering becomes amazing strength or creativity or clarity. It’s like they have transcended human consciousness to something greater that we don’t have a word for yet. “Amor Fati”. Fredrick Nietzsche documented his struggle with this transition so well and offers great insight into the dark journey of this inner transformation, although he didn’t quite make it there. He suffered terribly. Nonetheless, he absolutely saw it and addressed it but never really grasped what he had discovered. I wish more people would awaken but you cannot ask people to suffer thir own selves in such a way. You cannot make them understand the value in the gain when there isn’t a word for it, nor can you lend them the endurance for the hardship they would face. So many people we cross are on the cusp of that awakening but never reach it, and I believe being caught in that threshold is what we call depression. It’s a hopeless hope until you cross that line of awakening. In a sense, they are trapped in that “slow death” this leaked mentioned in another one of his speeches. And there isn’t medicine or words of encouragement that can aid them unless it’s from someone who has already awoken themselves, someone who has survived the suffering. They must find themselves by doing the most terrifying thing a person can do which is to spend time alone with themselves. You have to unplug from society, to give yourself isolation time away from the tv, away from the phone, away from anything that will distract you from your own demons (that which you despise in yourself) and then you have to learn to love it. It’s not about changing yourself but rather realizing who you really are inside and truly and deeply appreciating all that is you. When you can know yourself so throughly and still love yourself when all the world is silent, then you can evolve or awaken. You become a permanent student to life and you are your own teacher, you gain great wisdom and that is where you find genuine happiness. That is the secret to life. There is nothing artificial within the happiness of being awake. You would trade it for nothing in the world. So if you read this, take some time and unplug from all you know from time to time until you learn to enjoy that time moreso than the artificial existence you have when you’re hanging out at a pub, when you’re watching your favorite tv show, when you’re numbing your mind with Facebook, alcohol or whatever dopamine crutch you use.
The old saying goes, “no pain, no gain”. And awakening is indeed very painful, but the enlightenment is a gift well worth the suffering. Sure it sounds too simple, just spend time alone with yourself, but it’s the hardest thing you can do. Humans are social creatures and they always like to cheat on finding ways to escape themselves. The people who are forced into isolation, because they don’t fit into normal social circles, are more likely to achieve this than social butterflies. Because they are forced to face themselves, it can be a much more painful process for them. You begin that process with bitterness towards those who shut you out and only learn later in life to be thankful for their ill behavior, biases, bigotry, etc...
Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerburg, Elon Musk, Isaac Newton, Einstein and a large number of other freakishly talented and successful people didn’t become what they are because they were out partying every night. They were awkward people that the world shunned and turn their back on, so they ended up spending a lot of time alone and used that time to reflect on themselves, the world or the universe, and without realizing it they evolved. They mastered their suffering and simply woke up. So not only did they understand life more, they saw how they could change their lives and more amazingly the world! They transcended commonness and averageness and became students and their own teachers. How else can you learn things that no other human knows without focusing on your own thoughts, without leading and following yourself to avoid the ideals of others which inhibit unique and abstract thinking that end up transforming the world? You can’t change the world with your own mind by following others.
We all have potential of value, but we don’t all reach that value. Only the rare and very precious few ever do. So if you’re brave, try to learn how to be you. You never know what person you might discover hiding there in the shadowy recesses of your mind.
Bless you Andrew.
A beautiful man. Thank you
Hus book aboute depression changed my life and saved me
Wow! What an astounding talk!
Wow... just wow.
That was deep... gave me a lot to think about
If people would just knew how life really worked then they would know that life works according to a fair system, how odd it may sound. *Just look at the big picture everything in life balance, for example when you are hungry you eat, phone rings, you pick it up. The 3th Law of Newton ( action/reaction) is the motherlaw of the universe, it applies everywhere*. So this actually also means that every badtime in life will be equally balanced by a good time. I know it sounds strange if you hear this for the 1st time, but as it always goes with the *truth*, first it will piss you off, then it will be laught at and eventually the *truth* will prevail. Just learn the big picture of life in every facet, it is your true purpose and the key to true fulfillment. Google *TruthContest read the Present*, the truth will change your view on life thus your mind in the best way possible
God is fair and perfect, in other words.
Balance is important in life sure but sometimes bad things just happen or good things just happen not all pleasant experience causes future unpleasantness or vice versa. Also just because learning a radically different truth might initially piss you off and then seem silly and then prevail doesn't mean that all new ideas that piss you off or seem silly are actually true, sometimes they're just dumb ideas.
obi wan wow
Excellent, wonderful thanks
This is the sort of man we need as a president. Not the jokes we’ve had for the last 27 years of my life.
Excellent speaker 🙏
solomon indeed!
This was a very beautiful presentation 👏
Best TED speech ever!
AMAZING 😭
this guy is deep af and his words limit his depth
Hallelujah!
I am struck by your tone Amen
so beautiful...
Bazinga
That was remarkable
Can someone say Sheldon cooper
ikr XD i have been thinking that!! and was going to type but i saw yer comment XD
he's got beautiful eyes
Great guy
I don´t understand how ppl forgive.
I just can't.
I have tried for 10 years and I still hate the ones that caused me wrong.
Nothing positive came from them. Just a heavy hate that I carry at my back when probably they already forgot all about me.
"The pain you feel today, will be the strength you feel later on."
SuperOlivess I agree with this
"Insulin was invented at the University of Toronto, Canada, from 1921"
Please support ! Please Donate！Invest!
help me!
Hello World! !
I want to eradicate diabetes type 1 from the world
I want to help eliminate pain from people around the world with diabetes
please donate your money develop the Cure for Diabetes.
The complete cure of diabetes is a dream for humanity of 100 years!
please invest and Donate for diabetes cure New Technology
And Talk about diabetes with family
(^o^)ノシ(^o^)ノシ(^o^)ノシ＼(^o^)／（＾w＾）ノシ
It can take a while to get it
Yeah, you can always tell yourself you've been through worse. Doesn't make it better but it's something.
QqqqqqqqqQq1q@@thelastoutcast9266 1
"If you banish the dragons, you banish the heroes"
Julia Gandrud Not sure he is a hero.sad for him he can 't just take a gift , believes it's a trick.after inspecting in .please don't talk to people when your sad and sound honestly open I believe you could not find someone you wanted.I cared when I thought you lived in your Grandmother basement no job. bad girl friend ext.
Julia Gandrud no such thing. take care of your self or get used
Julia Gandrud You don't need heroes if there are no dragon
Let's not let nazi's continue to fabricate dragons, though. Many, particularly adamant capitalists, use this concept as an excuse to do so.
Characters in Brecht plays (more than once, I think) said, "You know, in a well managed war, you wouldn't need heroes."
*"We can endure great pain if we believe it's purposeful"*
Powerful thought.
Ryan Lamont you might enjoy Victor Frankl’s ‘man’s search for meaning,’ where I beleive Andrew borrowed this quote from.
Always always give props to the original writer of any quote, poem, story, etc. Remember..
Thanks for reiterating that...I'd forgotten that line.
Definitely very powerful.
but when the pain takes longer than planned or expected- then you feel like you are very unlucky and luck can never come to you
Great true quote.
*"We cannot bear a pointless torment : but we can endure great pain if we believe that it's purposeful."*
This is deep
Love it.
Yes ,but the torment which stems from cancer illnesses is always meaningless and sadly it is the main wellspring of torments in life ....Torments stemming from illnesses are the most meaningless kind of torments and yet the millions of individuals ought to bear , to daily to undergo it to the end of their healtily wrecked life...
I almost burst into tears when he said his kid's speech. Children are so pure.
Same, except I actually did. That speech was too pure 😭😭😭
Birds For Brains Yep. Me, too. It was an ugly cry, too😁 with my lip trembling & that scrunched up face🤣. George is a very sweet, profound lil 4-yr old. 🌈
We should form a club.
I did. That parr got to me most.
ArtOfTheBart I completely burst into tears 😭💕
He speaks so poetically...
Lawrence Lui He is a writer
+Nape Star And also an amazing speaker.
Lawrence Lui i
Lawrence Lui does it matter? its not about how he speak. but about what he spek about.
And eloquently
I could listen to this man talk ALL DAY. He is an amazing story-teller.
VxNx he sounds like a calming Google
I completely agree!
VxNx I concur!!!
@Ligeia D.Aurevilly Same impression I had too.
You should check out his audiobooks on Audible, he reads them himself and they're absolutely wonderful!
This is no doubt one of my very favourite TED talks, if not my very favourite
2021 still my favorite speech.
I’ve seen this a hundred times and I still tear up at various points. Absolutely brilliant.
Me too. It hits hard
I did not expect to get teary after that "If daddy was my age I'd be your friend" moment. Goddamn that was well put
Loved this..such a kind soul
Just so much joy wow
same lol
'there's always someone willing to confiscate your humanity'
Why people did that!? Thats really cruel!
I know this really well, as I have lived with its oppression for years. It is scary how cruel people can be.
"Oppression breeds the power to oppose it" my millennial vocabulary permits me only to say, "I am shook"
This quote struck me so strongly that had to come back to listen to it again.
jackboot only jumps down when people are standing up
He looks like sheldon cooper 20 years from now
Mike Llerena I started to think I was the only one.I am not!
Hahaha yeah he totally does!!
Mike Llerena so true
Mike Llerena lol
Mike Llerena He sounds like Sheldon too!
"Forge meaning, build identity and then invite the world to share your joy"
That has to be the most insightful and thought-provoking TED speech I've ever heard. His words concise, yet their inherent meanings pierce deeply. From the ashes of adversity came a man of outstanding character, razor-sharp wit, broad knowledge and heartfelt compassion, and that man is Andrew Solomon. If only God would bless the world with more people who think, feel and love as deeply as he does, humanity would be better off for it.
6672rock Really? While I totally agree with the idea he's communicating, I think it's something not hard to arrive at, or it's even obvious.
+6672rock captivating, felt so sorry for him imagining him as a kid getting picked on and taunted. seems like such an inspiarational person.
+Xeno I could sympathise with your nitpicking over 'thought-provoking' but would say that personally, no other TED talk has been more 'emotion-provoking' than this.
Ben Leah
Yeah, maybe
+Xeno Learning to come to terms with my own suffering, I can say with confidence that there's a world of difference between knowing basic human truth on a rational level, and knowing it on an intuitive, visceral level. What he was communicating is as important as the man communicating it and it has nothing to do with being novel or revolutionary. That's the thing about human truth; humans lose the capacity to see it when we need it most. The message may be simple, as all human truth is, but this messenger is delivering it with compassion, empathy, and deep personal understanding of the meaning of suffering. This isn't just a great TED talk. This is among the very best.
“Forging meaning and building identity does not make what was wrong right, it only makes what’s was wrong, precious”.
😭
This was absolutely breathtaking
Andrew Solomon you are a beautiful being and spoke so eloquently. Thank you for your insights.
Mr. Solomon,
50kgs??
There's no point doing this at all unless we're shipping at least a metric ton!
(i'm sorry... )
I cried when he said that his Son would be his friend. He earned his happiness and he deserves it.
Me too
Wow amazing speach! (this is my storry and im norwegian so sorry for any bad grammar)
I had a rough start to my life with adoption to different families because my dad was a drunk and my mother overdozed on drugs when I was only a baby.. When I finaly got to my new family (I started living with them at the age of 4 and still look at them as my real family) my new mother was hit with brain canser and my new dad went into a depresion... Life was rough and I saw little to no meaning and I messed up in school at so many levels.
I then at the age of 16 talked to my friends brother who was a "shrink" and I told him everything. What he said to me changed my life compleetly! I was expecting him to feel sorry for me, but he said: Thats beautiful! I was shocked and got a bit mad, then he explained it to me: The fact that you have felt so much pain, anger and despair but you are still here today is amazing and a good thing! You have learnd more about pain and feelings then I can ever do in any book!
This changed my life, im not sad because of the bad things, im happy I endured it, becuase it forged me into who I am today! I understand my friends pain better then many and I developed a great understanding of empathy! I now just finished colage and I'm now working with troubled children in kindergarden! I dont think I would have become anything close to this if my life was different. Thanks for reading this and do not feel sorry for me in any way! :) My "new" mom survived the canser, and my dad is no longer depressed!
+Ivan Pedersen you are an amazing person. And I wish you all the happiness in the world.
Mike Law thank you so much for that kind comment! I wish you the same! :)
you type and can obviously speak better English than most people I know. Rock on Mr. Ivan!!
I wish you the best in your life, Ivan! Thank you for sharing your story!
Bravo Ivan! Bless your heart! I have, in my own life, been there, done that.
He is my favorite TED speaker to the date.
Aysima Beril Baydar Same. Every speech he makes is not only eloquent but inspiring too. I actually take something away from his lessons. I will begin to apply his advice to my own life. He speaks such wisdom.
"We can endure great pain if we believe it is purposeful"
thank you
rkgk1517 o
A total stranger gave me a copy of it a few years ago after a brief conversation. I think he could tell I had a lot of questions and existential crises. Thanks for the reminder. Must get it out again.
rkgk1517 f
It is the book I am reading today
"It took an identity to save me from my sadness."
I just burst into tears.
" If I succeed in sheltering them from adversity I will have failed as a parent." 🙇🏾♀️
I have never heard anyone be so articulate and clear spoken. Truly amazing and touching talk.
"I tend to find the ecstasy hidden in ordinary joys, because I did not expect those joys to be ordinary to me." I can go through periods of intense depression, and this quote sums up exactly how I feel when I am thriving and not in its grips.
"What doesn't kill you, will try again later."
Nicole Watterson
"What doesn't kill you, makes you wish it did"
found this while playing ME Andromeda lol
Thank you to the Bobby Finkels in our lives.
as a Muslim, I can relate to this so much... being hated and bullied so much almost every where I go. Getting those stares n frowns from ppl. It's tough.
And I am sorry, as a practicing Muslim woman, that gay ppl are treated that way in so many places in the world. Who are we to judge? don't we have our own faults to work on and to improve? What gives us the right to judge if others are pure or not? :|
Peace
It’s sad that people are so judgmental and prejudice
I’m sorry you have gone through that
Peace to you also
I want to click the like button so hard my mouse breaks. I love this TedTalk, I have watched it three times now, and it is relevant for almost every person in this freaking world. Thank you, Andrew Solomon.
No, it is not. It is relevant only for gays as it is a gay propaganda.
Congratulations! You just succeeded in being the dumbest person alive.
I like how he is very meditative in his thinking.
Dusk BINGO! That’s what it is about his voice that’s so therapeutic!
He has a very particular and discrete way of using inflections, somewhat strange but not in spite of eloquence and profound lucidity. The book he talks of is "Far From The Tree" very highly recommended, is refreshing as well as powerful, moving and full of wonderful insight.
This completely moved me. Thank you Andrew Solomon, for making a difference in my life with your video. I will forge meaning, and build identity.
This masculinity needs to be what replaces the toxic stuff.
@Luke Farrugia he said replacing the “toxic stuff”. If it’s not toxic there’s no problem. The fact you feel threatened by what he said just shows that you can’t differentiate between the two, and like most men, refuse to admit your faults or even try to fix them
I'm wallowing in the beauty of this wonderfully crafted story.
"After you've forged meaning, you need to incorporate that meaning into a new identity, you need to take the traumas and make them part of who you've come to be, and you need to fold the worst events of your life into a narrative of triumph. Evincing a better self, in response to things that have caused you hurt."
"In the end, some of your greatest pains become your greatest strengths." -- Barrymore
"That which does not kill us makes us stronger." - Friedrich Nietzsche
星
"Defeating a sandwich, only makes it tastier" - Vegeta
"Kanye"
Sin578 • Kelly Clarkson, “What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger)” (2011): “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”
• Ed Sheeran, “Drunk” (2011): “What didn’t kill me/It never made me stronger at all”
• Melanie C, “Weak” (2011): “Everyone else is saying, what don’t kill you makes you stronger”
• Papa Roach, “Kick in the Teeth” (2010): “What doesn’t kill me only, will make me stronger in my head”
• Monica, “Still Standing” (2010): “Whatever don’t kill make you stronger”
• Blues Traveler, “That Which Doesn’t Kill You” (2006): “That which doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger”
• Vanessa Hudgens, “Promise” (2006): “They say what doesn’t kill you can make you strong”
• 2Pac, “Only God Can Judge Me” (released 2005): (spoken) “Powers that judge cannot kill me/but only make me stronger”
• Slipknot, “Pulse of the Maggots” (2004): “What doesn’t kill us only makes us stronger”
• Eve, featuring Teena Marie, “Life Is So Hard” (2001): “Whatever doesn’t kill me makes me strong”
• Blues Traveler, Opening Credits for Roseanne (1996): “If what doesn’t kill us is making us stronger”
• Anthrax, “Fueled” (1995): “What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger”
• Megadeth, “Skin O’ My Teeth” (1992): “That that doesn’t kill me/Only makes me stronger”
• Kiss, “Betrayed” (1989): “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”
• Bruce Willis, If It Don’t Kill You, It Just Makes You Stronger (1989) (album title)
That which makes you scream obscenities while kicking cats through field goals makes you stronger.
"Daddy, if you were little, I'd be your friend." Where are my tissues???
Lesson learned: marry the person who not only brings you happiness but also eleminates the unhappiness of you in the past:)).
This man is my new hero. I was in tears by the end
Madi Johnson l
Madi Johnson Cuộc đời nhàm chán méo có ý chí cầu tiến :v0lppllllp0ll0ll
Madi Johnson Lppp0p0
200th liker
Anyway r u still active
I think "Bobby Finkle" (and 489 of his friends) disliked this video...
And I think that you may be another "Bobby Finkle" for judging people you don't know.
Who is judging?
Alfredo Rafael Habersham Pabon 😂😂😂
dude thsi guy is beyond eloquent
"If you banish the dragons, you banish the heros"
I saw his last TEDtalks and always impressed by his talks, I've met people who wrote with such grace and poetry, but to hear someone speak it for more than 20 minutes is a true feat ~
Very powerful talk. I definitely empathize with him as this one hits close to home.
If what he stated is true I have much respect for this man
I empathize with him as well. However, I would have loved this twist near the end of the speech: "I tracked down all my classmates and beat them within an inch of their miserable lives. So in conclusion, suffering sucks and looking at it in a new light helps a little, but revenge is still the sweetest."