Want to change the world? Start by being brave enough to care | Cleo Wade

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4.1 • 11.9K Ratings

🗓️ 8 August 2019

⏱️ 11 minutes

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Summary

Artist and poet Cleo Wade recites a moving poem about being an advocate for love and acceptance in a time when both seem in short supply. Woven between stories of people at the beginning and end of their lives, she shares some truths about growing up (and speaking up) and reflects on the wisdom of a life well-lived, leaving us with a simple yet enduring takeaway: be good to yourself, be good to others, be good to the earth. "The world will say to you, 'Be a better person,'" Wade says. "Do not be afraid to say, 'Yes.'"

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Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to a special archive presentation of TED Talks Daily.
0:05.1	This talk features artist, poet, and author Cleo Wade, recorded live at TED Women 2017.
0:14.5	My best friend recently had a baby.
0:19.1	And when I met him,
0:21.2	I was in awe of witnessing this tiny, beautiful being
0:25.5	entering into our lives.
0:28.2	I also had this realization that he wasn't just entering our lives.
0:33.1	He was entering the world.
0:35.6	This crazy world that especially now feels so incredibly challenging.
0:41.4	I spend a lot of time in my work talking to people about who we are, who we must be, and what our healing looks like.
0:50.6	So, I mean, the first time I held him, I had my pep talk ready.
0:55.3	You know, I wanted him to know that the way we find our strength is through our challenges.
1:00.6	I wanted him to know that we can all do something big when we start small.
1:04.4	I wanted him to know that each of us is more resilient than we could ever imagine.
1:10.1	I looked down at him, and it hits me. He's a baby.
1:16.7	He's not going to understand a single word I say to him. So instead, I thought it'd probably be a better
1:22.6	idea if I went home and wrote. So, you know, this is for grown-ups, but it's also for Thelonius when he's old enough to
1:31.6	read it. The world will say to you, be a better person. Do not be afraid to say yes.
1:46.9	Start by being a better listener.
1:50.6	Start by being better at walking down the street.
1:52.3	See people.
1:53.6	Say hello.
	...

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