This TED Talk from Sam Burns is certainly one of my favorites as it cultivates some much needed personal reflection about our attitudes towards life. Sam, who is diagnosed with a rare neuro-muscular disorder called progeria, explains that he doesn’t want the pity of other people for the disadvantages presented by his condition, but wants everyone to know that he lives a happy and fulfilling life. In our modern culture that often emphasizes the importance of material success and prosperity and equates these things with happiness, it is refreshing to hear Sam’s personal testimony to the importance of personal philosophy and attitude. In delineating his personal philosophy, Sam covers three main points: we must focus on our strengths rather than our weaknesses, surround ourselves by people that support and love us, and continually strive change the world. Overall, Sam’s talk is inspiring and motivating; a reminder that we aren’t defined by our external circumstances, but by our internal character.
I have a few possible ideas for topics that I believe would allow for in-depth research regarding how attitudes/ideologies surrounding them have changed in our culture over time. My first idea is to explore the changes in family structure over the past few decades, namely the rise in single motherhood. I think that this topic lends itself to a wide-variety of research methods including the possibility to explore longitudinal studies and statistical analysis, as well as personal testimonies and examples. I would like to explore what specific cultural attitudes, political policies, or events could have precipitated the rise in single motherhood. Another topic that I would like to explore is the recent shift in the workforce that favors working from home over commuting. This is a very recent trend that largely owes its shift to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which revolutionized working from home on an unprecedented scale. Certainly this is a trend that is being studied in depth by many social organizations and there should be an abundance of recent surveys, statistical analyses, and testimonies that could support the validity of this topic as a paradigm shift. The last topic that I am considering is investigating how religious participation has changed over time in the United States. I would like to investigate what events, attitudes, and things led to America’s decline from an extremely religious nation to one that is increasingly agnostic and secular.
I have never seen this TED talk before, but it sounds really inspiring! I like all of your ideas for unit 2 topics. I am most interested in hearing more about the rise in single motherhood because I’m sure there’s a lot of research you could find for this and a lot of different aspects to this topic that you could explore
It definitely true that our culture prioritizes material success over other accomplishments, such as achieving happiness. This TED talk seems very inspiriting to encourage others to have a positive outlook on life as well as to make positive change in the world. I think your most interesting idea for research is the shift in working from home rather than commuting. You could explore whether or not the trend was beginning before covid- 19, or if covid- 19 was solely responsible.
This TED talk seems that it’s one that is meant to inspire viewers, and I think it does an amazing job at that through the experiences that are told. Additionally, your ideas for your U2 project look great! I’m especially interested in the topic investigating the religious participation change in the United States, as I feel that participation has gone down, and I’m interested in why that’s happened.