Summary: Clint Smith is a teacher who has some popular videos online. He had just four minutes for a TED speech. His speech dealt with The Dangers of Silence.
A teacher who has become popular with his online videos had just four minutes to issue his first-ever TED talk. The teacher, Clint Smith, spoke about the Dangers of Silence, which was the title of his speech.
If you have time to watch just one video today, make sure it is this one. His topics are on-point, poignant and very compelling in today’s world.
Quite possibly the most important part of his speech is as follows:
“We spend so much time listening to the things people are saying that we rarely pay attention to the things they don’t. Silence is the residue of fear. It is feeling your flaws gut-wrench guillotine your tongue. It is the air retreating from your chest because it doesn’t feel safe in your lungs. Silence is Rwandan Genocide. Silence is Katrina. It is what you hear when there aren’t enough body bags left. It is the sound after the noose is already tied. It is charring. It is chains. It is privilege. It is pain. There is no time to pick your battles when your battles have already picked you. I will not let silence wrap itself around my indecision.”