You might think this a comment on fashion…but it’s not. After listening to a TED talk by Mark Bezos in which he relates an experience as a volunteer firefighter which didn’t go as he had hoped, I’ve got a new perspective on what it means to be ‘hero’. It doesn’t have to be dramatic, but rather, it’s often about the little things. Take a look:

“Not everyday is going to give us a chance to save somebody’s life, but everyday gives us a chance to affect one”.

“The great thing about our leaders is that they should not only have passion in their belly, which practically all of them have, they’re also very innovative. An innovator is one who does not know it cannot be done.”-R.A. Mashelkar

Innovative thinking isn’t hard to stumble upon these days.  Heck, just walk into a corner pharmacy around holiday time and you’ll find a myriad of innovations in the As Seen On TV aisle.  You know what I’m talking about: the Clapper, Chia pet, the Snuggie.  But innovation that is doing more, for less, for more-how often do we come across that?

The more, for less, for more concept is at the core of Gandhian engineering-a movement inspired by the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi that “aims to democratize technology by developing ultra-low-cost products for the world’s poorest citizens while still creating a profit for companies.” (Platt).  It draws on Gandhi’s philosophies of Ahimsa (innovation via non-violence), Swadeshi (self-reliance) and selfless, compassionate and atypical action to create a better world for all. The term itself  was coined by R.A. Mashelkar, the president of the Global Research Alliance, and former president of the Indian National Science Academy.  In October of 2009, Mashelkar and a group of IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) graduates hosted a webinar to explain the concept of Gandhian Engineering to current IEEE members, as well as other young professional engineers and designers. The hope is to inspire a new generation of innovators to be socially responsible leaders who “…can make a strong impact on society by seeking holistic solutions.” (Joshi)

The strides that followers of Gandhian Engineering have made have been no small feat.  In a talk that Mashelkar gave in the TED forum, he notes several instances of astounding engineering feats.

The first, was a challenge laid down by Ratan Naval Tata, the Chairman of Tata Sons, one of India’s largest conglomerates.  Tata challenged a group of young engineers to design a four-wheel car that cost no more than 100,000 rupees ($2,000 USD).  People said it couldn’t be done.  The auto industry clucked. But Tata insisted to his group of young innovators, “Question the unquestionable. Stretch the envelope.” They succeeded!  And thus was born the first nano car -which started a dominoe effect in the car industry to create similar innovations geared toward the emerging lower class with a great need for automobiles, but limited finances. “You started actually a new paradigm shift, where the same people who could not dream of sitting in a car, who were carrying their entire family in a scooter, started dreaming of being in a car.”

True innovation inspires new dreams.  It pushes the boundaries of perception and possibility.  And the innovation that joins itself to compassion, well that innovation creates a new world.  “I view society as an iceberg,” says Mashekar, pointing out that most of society’s members exist below the visible surface. “I believe our challenge as engineers is to lift this iceberg above the surface so that everyone can have the quality of life they deserve.”  Who  is ready to help Mashelkar start lifting?  You? Come on, let’s do this. 1-2-3…

Recently, I was spending an evening ironing whilst watching some fantastic talks on the TED site, and came across a wonderful speech given by Steven Johnson, founder and Editor-in-Chief of FEED magazine, as well as an author and speaker on subjects that look at the intersection of technology, science and personal experience.  Johnson has most recently been researching the kinds of environments that foster and encourage great ideas and innovation.  He likes to call these environments “liquid networks.” They’re similar to what happens inside the brain as new ideas form.

“An idea, a new idea, is a new network of neurons firing in sync with each other inside your brain. It’s a new configuration that has never formed before. And the question is: how do you get your brain into environments where these new networks are going to be more likely to form?”

Johnson disputes the common conception that great ideas are born in one moment, in a quiet, isolated space.  A large amount of innovation doesn’t happen behind the microscope, hunched in front of the computer, or sitting under a tree as an apple thunks you on the head.  True eureka moments actually take place over a longer span of time.  Bits of diverse ideas, conversations, failures and problem solving all mingling together over time-and finally the last, little piece pops into place.  BAM! Innovation.  The environment for that innovation is often chaotic, informal, outside the lab, the cubicle, the workroom.  It is every bit as active as the neurons zig zagging new pathways around the brain.

“This is the kind of chaotic environment where ideas were likely to come together, where people were likely to have new, interesting, unpredictable collisions — people from different backgrounds. So, if we’re trying to build organizations that are more innovative, we have to build spaces that, strangely enough, look a little bit more like this. This is what your office should look like.”

We do a lot of imagining this kind of environment at the Hub Oaxaca where I work. The Hub is a global network of spaces and communities that inspire and support imaginative and enterprising initiatives for a better world.  Here in Oaxaca we’re adapting the model for this kind of space for a unique Latin American context.  Those of us on the staff and development team often think about what kind of environments will best lead to interaction, connection and action.  How can the way we welcome newcomers, position the coffee maker, tell our story in the space-invite the kind of environment that breeds new ideas?  What models already exist here in Oaxaca that could support cultivating the best community space possible?

We recently inaugurated our space at the close of October, inviting social actors, investors, artists, great thinkers and a host of others from our local community, as well as outside the region.  We honored our community, those who help finance the project and the team on the ground.  However, the main purpose of the event was to encourage that same mingling of ideas that Johnson notes.  Those who came with a hand extended looking for funding quickly found that the best thing to put on the table was not a request for money, but a challenge that required many minds.  Exploration, interconnection, shared experience were the key elements we fostered at our three-day conference.  It was our liquid network in action. Our hope was the same as what Johnson posits: “You have lots of different ideas that are together, different backgrounds, different interests, jostling with each other, bouncing off each other — that environment is, in fact, the environment that leads to innovation.”

So I invite you, dear reader, to consider the environment in which you work.  When and where do your best ideas arise?  Not everyone can work in a chaotic office space.  But perhaps this week or next it’s worth spending a few moments between the quiet exploring a liquid network of your own.  It could be a coffee shop, a class, over dinner with the family.  Perhaps a confluence of activity and thoughts will afford you a different perspective-one that could provide that little “click,” and Eureka!

Saludos,

Megan

Has anyone caught this fascinating talk on experience versus memory on the TED site?  This one is a bit longer (20 min) than the usual video I post to the blog.  But the subject is fascinating. If you take a peek, you’ll hear from Daniel Kahneman, who is said to be one of the most influential living psychologists. He and his former partner, Amos Tversky, won the Nobel Prize for their pioneering work in behavioral economics.

Kahneman starts by telling a story of a guy who goes to a “glorious” concert.  But at the end, there is a loud noise, that the guy describes as so bad it ruined the whole concert.  Kahneman argues that the concert wasn’t ruined, just the memory of the concert.

“What this is telling us, really, is that we might be thinking of ourselves and of other people in terms of two selves. There is an experiencing self, who lives in the present and knows the present, is capable of re-living the past, but basically it has only the present…And then there is a remembering self, and the remembering self is the one that keeps score, and maintains the story of our life…Those are two very different entities, the experiencing self and the remembering self and getting confused between them is part of the mess of the notion of happiness.”

If I’ve piqued your interest, then hit play below.

I’m curious what photographers and artists would have to say about this notion of the experiencing and remembering selves.  How does photography or the visual arts play into this concept and the cognitive trap of measuring experiences and emotions that Kahneman mentions (want to weigh in, Mike?)  What do you think, reader?  This has got my brain churning.

Saludos,

Megan

Green My Parents

I read an interesting article recently from one of the New York Times blogs about an environmental program geared towards harnessing the immense energy and tenacity of children.  It’s called Green My Parents.  As they state on their site, GMP, “is a movement that activates & enlists kids to lead their families in measuring & reducing environmental impact at home & ‘challenge’ their parents to share savings with kids.”  The effort was just launched this past Earth Day, and now has a presence on Facebook and Twitter, trying to spread the word to young people and their parents all over the globe.  I love the way the GMP empowers kids to take a more assertive role in decisions at home, leading the way for their families.  Sometimes we need the optimism and creativity of the next generation to help push us towards the innovative and oft-traveled paths.

Many of the GMP tips are focused on countries like the U.S., where infrastructure allows for many of the changes they suggest.  However, a few tips are applicable for other contexts. I would love to see GMP chapters pop up in other countries around the globe, adapting the format for local and regional needs and opportunities.  It could be a great global community project, all pioneered by kids!

This same blog also brought me to the TED site again to watch a short speech given by young dynamo, Adora Svitak.  Svitak is no stranger to speaking in public, despite her young age (12 years old).  In this TED video, she posits that adults need to encourage “childish thinking”: “bold ideas, wild creativity and, especially, optimism.”  Unhampered by past experiences, Svitak points out that kids tend to dream big; and perhaps our job as adults is to (1) learn from that example, and (2) create environments to encourage and incubate those big ideas.

Spring is a great chance to foster your child-like dreams, or those of a child you know and love.  The weather is warming up and new energy is in the air.  How can you take that natural vitality that Spring has to offer and approach a task with “childish” optimism and ingenuity? Or can you enlist a young person you know to collaborate with you in a personal project, or one in your community?  You might find the exploration rejuvenating! 

Cheers,

Megan

I’ve got a lot of fun YouTube discoveries this month for you,  HarmonyWishes community.  So get ready to strap in and take the visual (or auditory) journey.

This latest find I stumbled upon while on the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) video site.  (The link is actually via YouTube).  TED hosted a conversation about “Notes & Neurons” and the common, almost innate connection humans have to the Pentatonic scale. If you don’t know what a Pentatonic scale is, don’t worry, me neither. I had to look it up.  “A Pentatonic scale is a musical scale with five pitches per octave in contrast to a Heptatonic (seven note) scale such as the major scale.”  Apparently, Pentatonic scales are very common around the world, found in Celtic music, West African music, rock, blues, melodies from Korea, China, India.  The list goes on.

In this video you’ll see musician Bobby McFerrin demonstrate the very ingrained notes of the Pentatonic scale with the audience.  He comments that no matter where he performs this exercise, whatever country, the result is the same–”everyone gets it.”

It’s sometimes hard to believe in our giant world that we all could share some innate capabilities or instincts.  Here at HarmonyWishes our mission is to embrace and encourage diversity and tolerance.  Exploring our differences, as well as our common characteristics, whether through music, ideas, images or sound, is important to us.  We’d love to hear your stories of commonality in unexpected places.  You can share it with us here on the blog, or send us a line.

Happy May!

Cheers,

Megan

Does what we see really exist, or is it based on the context of surrounding elements? Do we see with our eyes or our minds? Is the color Red always Red? Pretty heady stuff, I know, but important for anyone who seeks to grow in understanding the amazing world we live in.

A new presentation by TED just might have you questioning your own sense of reality. As a photographer and art director, I repeatedly deal with the power of color and perception. Perhaps the most important thing I have learned is to not pre-judge what I see but to approach every new visual idea with a sense of wonder. You don’t have to be an artist or scientist to benefit from wrapping your head around the issues presented in this piece. Actually the questions raised have far reaching implications for just about every thing we do in life.

As Meg mentioned in a HarmonyWishes tweet recently, the TED video trove is an excellent source of inspiring talks from great minds.  HW’s recent interview on this blog with photographer and painter Nina E. Hauser reminded me of a wonderful TED video I saw several months ago.  Nina mentioned, “The Greeks believed that each child was blessed at birth with a personal “daemon” embodying the highest possible expression of his or her nature.”  Well, writer Elizabeth Gilbert (author of Eat, Pray, Love) spoke on that very subject in her TED talk. It is a lovely speech about the source of creativity, and the faith to believe in it.

Enjoy!

Megan