Post 1 - Zander & Bono

I developed a passion for Ted talks more than a year ago, and have listened to many from Brene Brown (personally my favorite) to Jay Silver's talk on how to make a keyboard from a banana. However, this talk by Benjamin Zander about the transformative power of classical music was one of the best Ted talks that I have listened to as of late. Why? Partially because I love classical music; I must be in the 3% of the population that likes classical music. I find that number to be astonishingly low and sad, by the way. Who couldn't like the works of Vivaldi, Bach, and Beethoven? I was raised listening to classical music, and furthermore began taking piano lessons at the age of 6. 

Interesting points that I found noteworthy from Mr. Zander's talk include: 

 - One buttock playing - I see this as a metaphor for 'don't get too comfortable.  Shake things up (pun not intended) and make life more interesting' 

 - Classical music is for everybody - it really is. Whether you turn it on with a glass of Merlot after a hard day, or to wind down on your drive home from the office to students studying before an exam, classical music offers something for everyone. 

 - The conductor doesn't make a sound - how very true. I had never thought of this before, and its very profound. This is what I like so much about Ted talks; it opens your eyes to things you had never thought about previously.

 - What we say makes a difference. Also, never say anything that you couldn't stand for it to be the last thing that is said.  - Very powerful, and very true. 

Bono: Action for Africa. 

Bono is a very influential person, both in his music and his philanthropic cause: ONE. I remember when the action began in 2006ish, and the very powerful messages that the organization shared. Justice, not charity was their message then, and is still today. Bono shared that this [Africa]  is not a cause, its an emergency. It's a human rights movement for a continent that is in flames. Sadly, 6,500 individuals die daily in Africa; a phenomenon that would not be tolerated anywhere else in the world. What Bono said resonated with me, "Where you live in the world shouldn't determine whether you live." He also made an interesting point by stating that our era will go down in the history books as a digital revolution, the period of the war on terror, and what we did or did not do for Africa. If the internet can transform a country, why can it not transform Africa? That is precisely what ONE has set out to do, and now has 3,332,119 global members.