Touchstones Project
a theme-based ministry program
for Unitarian Universalist congregations
Videos: Eclectic Wisdom for the Common Good
If a picture is worth a 1,000 words,
what is a video worth?
New videos will be added to those listed below from time to time. Our intention is to share videos on important topics related to the common good that offer unique perspectives for your consideration.
Why ordinary people need to understand power
Eric Liu (17:15)
Far too many Americans are illiterate in power — what it is, how it operates and why some people have it. As a result, those few who do understand power wield disproportionate influence over everyone else. “We need to make civics sexy again,” says civics educator Eric Liu. “As sexy as it was during the American Revolution or the Civil Rights Movement.”
https://www.ted.com/talks/eric_liu_why_ordinary_people_need_to_understand_power
Also see the article at http://ideas.ted.com/how-to-get-power/
It’s time to reclaim religion
Rabbi Sharon Brous (16:27)
At a moment when the world seems to be spinning out of control, religion might feel irrelevant -- or like part of the problem. But Rabbi Sharon Brous believes we can reinvent religion to meet the needs of modern life. In this impassioned talk, Brous shares four principles of a revitalized religious practice and offers faith of all kinds as a hopeful counter-narrative to the numbing realities of violence, extremism and pessimism.
https://www.ted.com/talks/sharon_brous_it_s_time_to_reclaim_and_reinvent_religion
How to see past your own perspective and find truth
Patrick Lynch (14:26)
The more we read and watch online, the harder it becomes to tell the difference between what's real and what's fake. It's as if we know more but understand less, says philosopher Michael Patrick Lynch. In this talk, he dares us to take active steps to burst our filter bubbles and participate in the common reality that actually underpins everything.
Why you should define your fears instead of your goals
Tim Ferris (13:21)
The hard choices -- what we most fear doing, asking, saying -- are very often exactly what we need to do. How can we overcome self-paralysis and take action? Tim Ferriss encourages us to fully envision and write down our fears in detail, in a simple but powerful exercise he calls "fear-setting." Learn more about how this practice can help you thrive in high-stress environments and separate what you can control from what you cannot.
https://www.ted.com/talks/tim_ferriss_why_you_should_define_your_fears_instead_of_your_goals
The racial politics of time
Brittney Cooper (12:29)
Cultural theorist Brittney Cooper examines racism through the lens of time, showing us how historically it has been stolen from people of color, resulting in lost moments of joy and connection, lost years of healthy quality of life and the delay of progress. A candid, thought-provoking take on history and race that may make you reconsider your understanding of time, and your place in it.
https://www.ted.com/talks/brittney_cooper_the_racial_politics_of_time
Dare to refuse the origin myths that claim who you are
Chetan Bhatt (19:15)
We all have origin stories and identity myths, our tribal narratives that give us a sense of security and belonging. But sometimes our small-group identities can keep us from connecting with humanity as a whole -- and even keep us from seeing others as human. In a powerful talk about how we understand who we are, Chetan Bhatt challenges us to think creatively about each other and our future. As he puts it: it's time to change the question from "Where are you from?" to "Where are you going?
https://www.ted.com/talks/chetan_bhatt_dare_to_refuse_the_origin_myths_that_claim_who_you_are
12 truths I learned from life and writing
Anne Lamott (15:55)
A few days before she turned 61, writer Anne Lamott decided to write down everything she knew for sure. She dives into the nuances of being a human who lives in a confusing, beautiful, emotional world, offering her characteristic life-affirming wisdom and humor on family, writing, the meaning of God, death and more.
https://www.ted.com/talks/anne_lamott_12_truths_i_learned_from_life_and_writing
I grew up in the Westboro Baptist Church. Here’s why I left.
Megan Phelps Roper (15:17)
What's it like to grow up within a group of people who exult in demonizing ... everyone else? Megan Phelps-Roper shares details of life inside America's most controversial church and describes how conversations on Twitter were key to her decision to leave it. In this extraordinary talk, she shares her personal experience of extreme polarization, along with some sharp ways we can learn to successfully engage across ideological lines.
How your brain hallucinates your conscious reality
Anil Seth (17:01)
Right now, billions of neurons in your brain are working together to generate a conscious experience -- and not just any conscious experience, your experience of the world around you and of yourself within it. How does this happen? According to neuroscientist Anil Seth, we're all hallucinating all the time; when we agree about our hallucinations, we call it "reality."
https://www.ted.com/talks/anil_seth_how_your_brain_hallucinates_your_conscious_reality
Political common ground in a polarized united states
Gretchen Carlson and David Brooks with Chris Anderson (47:33)
How can we bridge the gap between left and right to have a wiser, more connected political conversation? Journalist Gretchen Carlson and op-ed columnist David Brooks share insights on the tensions at the heart of American politics today -- and where we can find common ground.
Photo by Christopher Burns on Unsplash