World Peace Is Not a Myth | Rut Yirdaw | TEDxSSE

Summary

The speaker, feeling honored to give a TED talk, shares her initial nervousness and how it mirrors her first day at Sweden's leading business school. She expresses her hope for world peace and equality, contrasting the negativity she encounters with her own optimistic belief in humanity's potential for progress. Drawing on Jody Williams' definition, she redefines world peace as sustainable peace with justice and equal access to resources. Citing improvements in poverty reduction and education, she argues that world peace is achievable. She concludes by encouraging a positive outlook and the belief in a better world, emphasizing the power of collective actions to shape history.

Takeaways

• 🎤 The speaker feels honored to give a TED talk among inspirational people.
• 😓 The speaker was nervous before the talk, but relates it to the excitement of starting university.
• 🏫 The speaker was thrilled to attend a leading business school in Sweden, hoping to change the world.
• 🤔 The speaker was surprised by the lack of enthusiasm from classmates about making the world a better place.
• 🌐 The speaker noticed a pattern of negativity and skepticism about world peace being achievable.
• 💡 The speaker argues that if we can achieve things like flying, world peace should also be possible.
• 🌱 The speaker uses Jody Williams' definition of world peace, emphasizing sustainable peace with justice.
• 📈 The speaker points out that the world is already improving in terms of poverty, education, and access to electricity.
• 🌱 The speaker believes that world peace is feasible and we are on the right path.
• 🤷‍♀️ The speaker admits not having all the answers but aspires to inspire youth to think creatively about world peace.
• 💪 The speaker concludes with a quote by Robert Kennedy, encouraging everyone to work towards changing small parts of the world for the better.

Q & A

What was the speaker's initial feeling before starting the TED talk?

The speaker was very nervous before starting the TED talk, to the point of feeling like they were going to 'pee their pants'.

Why did the speaker feel nervous?

The speaker felt nervous because they were about to speak in front of an audience that included many inspirational and driven people, some of whom were their idols.

What was the speaker's reaction when they first attended the business school in Sweden?

The speaker was very eager and excited to attend the business school, believing they could change the world with the help of their classmates.

What was the speaker's perception of their classmates?

The speaker initially thought they were sitting next to future leaders and innovators, such as the next billionaire or prime minister.

Why did the speaker feel disappointed with the reactions of their classmates and family?

The speaker was disappointed because their classmates and family responded with skepticism and counterarguments when they talked about world peace and equality.

What was the common counterargument the speaker received regarding world peace?

The common counterargument was that world peace is a nice idea in theory but not practical due to human nature and the survival of the fittest.

How does the speaker refute the idea that world peace is not in human nature?

The speaker refutes this idea by pointing out that many human achievements, like flying, are not natural but are accomplished through human innovation.

According to the speaker, what is the definition of world peace?

The speaker defines world peace as sustainable peace with justice, where the majority of people have access to enough resources to live a dignified life, and have access to education and healthcare.

What evidence does the speaker provide to support the idea that the world is becoming a better place?

The speaker cites statistics from Hans Rosling's book 'Factfulness', showing that extreme poverty has decreased by half in the last 20 years, and access to primary education and electricity has significantly increased.

What is the speaker's main aspiration with the TED talk?

The speaker's main aspiration is to inspire youth to think outside of the box and to show that world peace is feasible.

What advice does the speaker give to the audience regarding world peace?

The speaker advises the audience to have a positive outlook and hope, and to believe in the possibility of a better world, despite the challenges.

Outlines

00:00

🌟 Pursuing Passion and Challenging Cynicism

The speaker expresses their honor in delivering a TED talk amidst inspirational individuals, revealing initial nervousness akin to their first day at a prestigious Swedish business school. They recount their joy in choosing business over medicine and their eagerness to utilize school resources to enact global change. However, they encounter a surprising lack of enthusiasm from peers, who seem dismissive of grand ideals like world peace, viewing them as unrealistic. The speaker reflects on their own past skepticism, acknowledging the cynicism around them but ultimately challenging this mindset. They argue that many human achievements defy 'human nature,' so why should world peace be any different? They advocate for a redefined version of world peace that focuses on sustainable peace with reduced inequality, access to resources, education, and healthcare.

05:03

📈 Progress Toward World Peace

The speaker acknowledges the progress already made toward world peace, citing Hans Rosling's 'Factfulness' and its statistics on the significant reduction in extreme poverty over the last 20 years. They highlight improvements in education and access to electricity, as well as a drastic decrease in child mortality. While recognizing that there is still much to be done, they emphasize the importance of maintaining a positive outlook and hope for the future. The speaker, despite not having all the answers, aims to inspire the youth to think creatively and believe in the possibility of world peace. They conclude with a quote from Robert Kennedy, encouraging individuals to contribute to positive change, no matter how small, as these collective efforts will shape history.

Keywords

💡World Peace

World Peace refers to a state of global harmony and stability where conflicts are resolved peacefully and people live without fear of violence. In the video, the speaker challenges the notion that world peace is not achievable by arguing that it is not only possible but also in line with human progress. The speaker uses the example of how flying, which is not natural to humans, is now a common reality to illustrate that what seems unnatural can be achieved through human effort.

💡Human Nature

Human nature refers to the inherent characteristics and tendencies that define human behavior. The speaker discusses how some people argue that world peace is not in human nature due to concepts like 'survival of the fittest' and rivalry. However, the speaker counters this by pointing out that many human achievements, such as flying and technological advancements, also defy what is considered 'natural'.

💡Innovation

Innovation is the process of translating an idea or invention into a good or service that creates value or for which customers will pay. The speaker mentions innovation in the context of the students at the business school, implying that their innovative ideas could be harnessed to contribute to world peace and make the world a better place.

💡Passion

Passion is a strong and barely controllable emotion. The speaker expresses passion for the idea of world peace and for their education, which they believe can contribute to making the world a better place. This passion drives the speaker's message and quest for a more peaceful world.

💡Survival of the Fittest

Survival of the fittest is a phrase that refers to the concept in evolution that those who are better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring. The speaker uses this term to highlight the counterarguments they received when discussing world peace, suggesting that some people believe conflict and competition are inherent and unavoidable.

💡Resources

Resources refer to the materials and assets that are available for use. The speaker talks about the importance of resources in achieving world peace, emphasizing that sustainable peace is not possible without ensuring that the majority of people have access to enough resources to live a dignified life.

💡Dignity

Dignity is the state of being worthy of esteem or respect. In the context of the video, the speaker relates dignity to the idea that people should have access to education, healthcare, and other basic necessities to live a life free from want and fear, which is a fundamental aspect of world peace.

💡Globalization

Globalization is the process of increasing global connectivity and interdependence. The speaker mentions that the world is becoming more globalized, which could lead to more cultural clashes and potential conflicts. This highlights the need for a global approach to achieving peace.

💡Hope

Hope is the feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. The speaker encourages hope as a driving force for change and for believing in the possibility of world peace. Hope is presented as a necessary condition for working towards a better world.

💡Youth

Youth refers to the early period of life when one is young. The speaker aspires to inspire youth with their talk, emphasizing the importance of the younger generation in thinking creatively and working towards world peace.

💡Mental Barriers

Mental barriers are psychological obstacles that prevent individuals from achieving their goals or accepting new ideas. The speaker talks about breaking through mental barriers as a way to believe in a better world, suggesting that overcoming internalized doubts and skepticism is crucial for progress towards world peace.

Highlights

Honored to start TED talk and be in the presence of inspirational people.

Feeling nervous before the talk, similar to the first day at university.

Accepted to a leading business school in Sweden and found passion.

Eager to meet classmates, thinking they could be future leaders.

Surprised by the lack of enthusiasm for world peace and equality.

People's reactions to world peace ideas were dismissive and negative.

Realized that the speaker had once shared the same negative views.

Questioned why people believe in technology but not in peace.

Defined world peace as sustainable peace with justice and equality.

Cited Jody Williams' definition of world peace.

Highlighted that world peace is about access to resources and dignity.

Mentioned that world peace is already improving with decreasing poverty.

Referenced Hans Rosling's book 'Factfulness' for positive global trends.

Stated that 80% of women in low-income countries finished primary school.

87% of the world population has access to electricity.

Child mortality rate has significantly decreased.

Encouraged not to neglect the progress towards a better world.

Admitted not having the exact strategy for world peace but emphasized the importance of hope.

Called for a positive outlook and hope for the future.

Ended with a quote by Robert Kennedy about the power of individual actions.

Asserted that world peace is not a myth and thanked the audience.

Transcripts

I'm very honored to be starting up here

tonight not only to be able to hold the

TED talk but also for being able to be

in the same presence that so many

inspirational and driven people people

that I truly look up to some of them

being my idols I'm not going to lie

though I was nerve-racked before I

entered the stage I literally felt like

I was going to pee my pants don't worry

I'm good now but my my heart was racing

my stomach was hurting and my body was

sweating and then I realized that I had

felt like this before these feelings

that I had reminded me of my first day

in university you see when I got

accepted to the leading business school

in Sweden last year I was beyond happy

happy that I didn't pursue med school

and happy that I had found my passion I

had heard a whole lot about the school

and I was therefore very eager to meet

my classmates looking around the class

the first few weeks I thought to myself

I'm probably sitting next to Swedish

next billionaire or prime minister so I

better be nice with the help of all of

these contacts and resources I was sure

that I could change the world and make

it a better place however to my surprise

I was not met with the same enthusiasm

as I had hoped for even though these

students were very smart and innovative

because they were they seemed to get the

same response as the rest of the world

it didn't really seem to matter if I

talked to my auntie that a family dinner

or if I talked to sweetest most

brilliant students everyone reacted in

an identical manner it was like when I

talked about World Peace ending hunger

and creating equal opportunities for

every person on the planet

everyone in my surroundings sighed and

looked at me like I was crazy and on top

of that they all had the same counter

arguments Ruth you know world peace is a

nice idea in theory I mean have you

heard about the survival of the fittest

rivalry is kind of human nature you

would think that I understood

them because I've done that too once

upon a time I also lost hope in humanity

I remember laughing at people who

actually thought that the world would

become less barbaric with time and I did

not only laugh I made sure to assure

them that racial prejudice had not died

out the Holocaust was reoccurring with

the or girl Muslims in China and that

resource exploitation in the Middle East

was a fact but still I couldn't help but

be surprised how could so many people be

so negative I couldn't wrap my head

around it I mean they believed in crypto

currencies but God forbid you would go

work for charity electronic cars

smartphones artificial intelligence

everything was possible but equality

peace and understanding only

philosophical so pardon me for not

agreeing with the rest of the world

pardon me for keep talking about world

peace when no one else is agreeing

because the rest of the world doesn't

make sense to me there's clearly a

pattern here we have people arguing that

world peace is not human nature and they

are right but at the same time take for

example flying flying is not human

nature either but we do it every single

day we as humans have accomplished so

much in this world that does not align

with the idea of human nature so why

does the challenge of achieving world

peace frighten us so much I'm going to

use Jody Williams definition of world

peace and maybe then you will agree with

me that it's possible because just as

she said it's not about holding hands

and singing Kumbaya

unfortunately world peace according to

her and me is sustainable peace with

just this inequality it is a sustainable

peace in which the majority of the

people on this planet have access to

enough resources live dignified life

where people have access to education

and health care so that they can live in

freedom from want and a freedom from

fear because we cannot expect people to

believe in peace

when they go hungry when they don't have

jobs when there is such a discrepancy

between developing countries and those

that are already developed it's like

it's like this is the world right now

okay

some of us have it really good whilst

others are living in miserable

conditions this is the goal this is

world peace now if you talk about peace

in this sense the world is already

improving it is already happening we are

breaking through right now Hans Rosling

talked about this in his book fact

fulness which I read last summer and

it's a really good book and I recommend

all of you guys to read it but in his

book he stated that during the last 20

years

the amount of people living in extreme

poverty has decreased in half during the

last 20 years the amount of people

living in extreme poverty has decreased

in half that's amazing that's the goal a

total of 80 percent of the woman living

in low-income countries today finished

primary school and a total of 87 percent

of the world population also have access

to electricity during the 19th century

the amount of children dying before the

age of five was 44 percent today we are

down to four percent now some people

might argue and say that 4 percent is

still too much and I agree trust me I do

but at the same time it's wrong to

neglect the fact that the world is

actually becoming better when it is so

now when I have convinced you guys that

world peace is possible you might be

wondering how to achieve it and that's a

reasonable question but don't look at me

because I don't know to be honest I

don't I'm a 19 year old naive girl who's

barely barely surviving this Bachelor

education and on top of that this is my

first year if I had the answer I would

tell you trust me but that's not the

point of this conversation my aspirin

with this speech is to inspire youth to

think outside of the box my aspiration

with this speech is to show you guys

that world peace is feasible we did not

come this far to only come this far my

aspiration with this speech is to show

you that we are on the right path even

though I don't know the exact strategy

behind creating world peace the world

population is increasing by the minute

simultaneously the earth is becoming

more globalised according to the UN the

world population is projected to

increase by 1 billion people over the

next 13 years so there will be more

cultural clashes which in turn will

become seeds of serious conflicts

because of this I believe that the least

we can do is have a positive outlook

have hope consequently I would like to

finish off with a with a quote by Robert

Kennedy and I want you guys to know that

I truly believe that we can break

through our mental barriers and believe

in a better world

even though electric cars cryptocurrency

smartphones and world peace is not human

nature we as humans always seem to find

a way anyways back to the quote few

people will have the greatness to bend

history itself but each of us can work

to change a small portion of events and

in the total of all those acts will be

written the history of this generation

world peace is not a myth thank you

you