Parkour, Perception, and Community | Mark D'Agosta | TEDxNEOMED

Summary

Mark, a parkour practitioner, discusses the importance of engaging with one's environment, community, and obstacles in a playful, inquisitive way. Drawing on over a decade of parkour training, he emphasizes how physical activity, fear, and overcoming challenges can foster personal growth and connection. Mark explains how parkour has shifted his perception of motivation, fear, and community, advocating for a more inclusive and creative approach to movement and life. He encourages others to explore their surroundings, interact with diverse people, and build a healthy, engaging community by embracing spaces in between.

Takeaways

• 🏠 The speaker emphasizes the importance of engaging with one's own environment and the community in which one lives.
• 🌍 People often move through their world in a routine manner, ignoring the spaces in between, which limits their experiences and interactions.
• 🤸‍♂️ Parkour is described not just as a way of moving from point A to point B, but as a discipline that changes how one perceives and interacts with their surroundings.
• 🏃‍♂️ The speaker believes that people engage in physical activities more consistently when they find them enjoyable and exciting, rather than merely as a means to achieve long-term health goals.
• 😨 Fear is presented as a natural response that should not be ignored but managed as a tool to assess risk and make informed decisions.
• 🧗‍♂️ Overcoming obstacles is seen as a fundamental part of parkour, emphasizing the value of a growth mindset and the process of continuous learning through failure.
• 🤝 Building a good culture within a community requires fostering genuine connections and interactions, beyond just sharing common goals.
• 🎉 Creating inclusive spaces for creative interaction, like parkour events, can help individuals connect with diverse groups of people and break down social barriers.
• 🌱 The speaker advocates for a playful, inquisitive approach to one's environment, suggesting that this mindset can lead to personal growth and stronger community bonds.
• 🏢 The talk concludes with a call to action, encouraging the audience to explore their surroundings, engage with others, and actively build the culture they wish to see in their communities.

Q & A

What is the speaker’s main point about 'your environment'?

The speaker emphasizes that 'your environment' is not just the physical space you live in, but also the people and community around you. They encourage interacting with this environment in a creative and engaged way, rather than following prescribed, familiar paths.

How does the speaker define parkour?

The speaker offers a simple definition of parkour as moving from point A to point B using only your body in the most efficient way. However, they stress that parkour is much more than that – it's about being fully immersed in your environment, training your body, mind, and perception to interact with it in increasingly skilled ways.

Why does the speaker believe parkour helped them gain weight?

The speaker mentions that after starting parkour, they gained 50 pounds because it motivated them to engage in physical activity constantly. They explain that the motivation wasn't based on health risks but rather the enjoyment and excitement of parkour, which encouraged consistent activity.

What shift in motivation for physical activity does the speaker suggest?

The speaker believes that people are more likely to consistently engage in physical activities they find 'cool' or enjoyable for their own sake, rather than being motivated solely by long-term health goals. They suggest asking questions that focus on the immediate excitement of the activity, alongside traditional long-term motivational questions.

How does the speaker view fear in relation to parkour?

The speaker sees fear as a tool rather than something to overcome blindly. They emphasize the importance of evaluating risk and using fear to motivate thoughtful decisions. This perspective applies not only to parkour but to life challenges, like exams, where fear can help prepare and motivate.

How does parkour approach the concept of 'overcoming obstacles'?

In parkour, overcoming obstacles is part of the process, but the focus is often more on finding obstacles and trying again after failures. The speaker highlights that this approach builds resilience and fosters a 'growth mindset,' where failing is seen as part of learning and progress.

What does the speaker mean by 'spaces in between'?

The 'spaces in between' refer to the often-overlooked parts of our environment, like walls or areas between known destinations. The speaker encourages exploring these spaces creatively, as they hold potential for new experiences and learning, rather than being ignored.

How has parkour influenced the speaker’s approach to community building?

The speaker believes that parkour creates opportunities for creative interaction with diverse groups of people. Through their involvement in Denver Parkour and Freerunning, they learned about inclusivity and how shared, barrier-free activities foster genuine connections and build healthy community cultures.

What is the speaker’s view on the current societal approach to diversity and inclusion?

The speaker feels that society often overcomplicates discussions on diversity and inclusion with education and debates, but misses the value of simple, creative interactions with different people. They argue that engaging directly with diverse groups, as parkour allows, is a more effective way to build inclusive communities.

What is the speaker’s final call to action for the audience?

The speaker encourages the audience to explore their environment and engage with their community in creative ways. They suggest that playing in these 'spaces in between,' finding enjoyable activities, and sharing them with others can lead to personal growth and the building of healthier, more connected communities.