TED Talk Tuesday #61 – Colin’s new favourite TED Talk ever!

Watching TED Talks is a popular pastime at CN&CO. We visit TED.com regularly to clear our heads, have a laugh or get inspired. TED Talks open our minds, spark new ways of thinking and can lead to some very interesting conversations. Each week we pick a favourite and publish it on a Tuesday, because we like how “TED Talk Tuesday” sounds. This week’s talk was posted by CN&CO word nerd Colin Ford. Here’s why he chose it (and it’s not for the reason that you might think it is, given the header image):

 

I write this on 9 March 2018, and I think it’s perfectly apt that it gets published today, 1 May 2018.

Up until 18 minutes ago, my favourite TED Talk was Jill Bolte Taylor’s My stroke of insight. I was studying psychology when I first saw it, so it resonated with my academic pursuits. (Pretentious much?)

This morning (9 March) when I opened my email, I saw this:

Lethabo-Thabo Royds (aka Thabs), who sent me the mail, burst into my life a few years ago when we worked together at Flow Communications. (Anyone who knows Thabs will understand that she never – ever! – enters one’s life quietly. “Burst” might, in fact, be an understatement.)

Time passed and we moved on. I left Flow to get the piece of paper one gets after the aforementioned academic pursuits, then hooked up with some amazing humans to start CN&CO. Thabs took a job at St Stithians, where she went to school, and where her mum, Nthombi, is vice-chair and our Carel chair of the governing council (or something equally impressive-sounding).

The bond that Thabs and I formed in our couple of years working together was formidable. It wasn’t a “best friends” kinda vibe, but it’s not something that’s going to go away. Every time I hear “our song”, I think of her. Sometimes I even record a clip when it comes on the radio and send it to her. We have the odd WhatsApp or email. We tried to get together for a catch-up at one point, but things happened and our date never happened.

Anyway, now I am going to talk a little bit about serendipity. When I saw the email from Thabs this morning, I watched the talk, and I loved it beyond! It has displaced the one where a human brain is brought onto the stage as my favourite TED Talk ever.

“I have to post this,” I thought. “Let me see who is up next week. Perhaps we can swop.”

And then I saw that I am scheduled to post my TED Talk today, on Tuesday, 1 May 2018 – which is the day Thabs becomes an official member of the CN&CO team! The serendipity of this was too much for me to pass up on. And so I didn’t.

It’s a long time to wait – from 9 March to 1 May. Plus today is public holiday, so you may only see this tomorrow. My immediate gratification nerve is having a breakdown!!!

Anyway, long story, but I felt I had to share it. I will also admit that I cried after watching this talk. So… please watch it – ESPECIALLY if you are a man. You’ll see why I ‘fessed up to my tears. Perhaps you’ll shed a few of your own.

I am also going to add that Thabs has, on more than one occasion, reminded me of my white male privilege in the most gracious, tender and subtle-yet-unmistakable way. I hold her up as a role model, a muse almost, when dealing with people who don’t have the privilege that society has bestowed on me – and even those who do.

#WhatWouldThabsThink

Now watch…