The thing I value most about this TED Talk is the truth she puts on her speech. Mainly when it comes to this moment of chosing to have or not a "second classe happiness". Just amazing!
And she quote "Coming true is not only the purpose of dream, It's most important purpose is to get us in touch with where dreams come from, where passion comes from, where happiness comes from. Even a shattered dream can do that for you."
Knowledge is the strongest foundation of someone's success. Books are the best way to communicate knowledge. Therefore, books help someone achieve their goals and reduce chance of failure probably better than any other thing
Well you can read books from your phone on play store, its not always books and there is audible, you tube, yes of course i love books but i read or listen or wacth what ever i want
This talk is a league of its own and cannot be compared with the other TED talks that I've watched. She deserves every minute of that standing ovation. So happy for this inspirational woman.
Jim Rohn once said: "You are the average of the 5 people you hangout with most" and although this is pretty subjective, I think it is somewhat true. The cool thing is though, let's say your 5 friends you hangout with most are all drifters, they only care about getting drunk and partying and you actually want to make something out of your life, how fucking amazing is it, that you can do that with books. If you want the opinion of Warren Buffet, you can read his book. If you want to know how Elon Musk looks at everyday things, you can read his book. In my opinion, books are not only great to broaden your horizon, but they can be powerfull for the people who are searching for meaning in life, just like As Lisa Bu was when she started reading.
The BOOKS created by these expert westerners, all ... almost all... appearing glorify the "books" create most of their books to DESTROY COMPETITION... DESTROY OTHER CULTURES AFTER THEY HAVE APPROPRIATED FROM THEM WHAT THEY CAN UNDERSTAND WITHING THE CONFINES OF THEIR RELIGION/culture/belief systems, & then criminalizing them to the point that even the original people will begin to feelashamed of themselves. The west has HONED the craft to perfection & have a very efficient network in place... SCHOLARSHIP & EVANGELISM... the 2 mercenaries that are sent out all over the world as trojan horses disguised as traders, adventurers, preachers teachers, & the MOST DEADLY OFALL, FAITH BASED CHARITY WORKERS... a complete chakervyuh to commit genocide & make it look like a favor to those they have demolished & legitimize their own crimes. How did I find out? BY READING THE BOOKS OFCOURSE... Those books which are like THE FORBIDDEN FRUIT OF THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE... The books that are being MALIGNED... the books ABOUT MY HERITAGE...
i love how genuine she was during her speech, especially around 1:30 when she talked about her fears of being stuck with some "second class happiness". broke my heart a little when her voice stuttered.
I am confused for many years and still on the selection of books. What kind of books I should read. I heard that the content I like, but it didn't work much and I am still searching for the answer.
@Zubaria Manzoor I don't wanna read books But I don't really want to live in this modern world either. I would want a world where I was at the top of mountain with a wooden house and a nearby review that I could always fish
These are the books she mentioned 1.Correspondence in the Family of Four Lei 2. Jane Eyre 3. Cheaper by the dozen 4. Lessons from History 5. Complete works of Sanmao 6. The good Earth 7. Benjamin Franklin: An American Life 8. David McCullough 9.Personal History 10.The snowball 11. Lamb 12.Power of myths
Reading is so fun, the thought of yourself gaining some new and unknown knowledge is always fun but none of my friends like to read and that makes me feel odd 😶
it's amazing to see how tolerant the audience is, she made a little bit of fun of the Holy Bible, but people out there took it so sportingly, This is the kind of people we need all around the world.
In my town people would have gotten up and left. I think it is incredible that people in the audience were able to laugh about it, and continue listening attentively.
She gave her opinion on the Bible. It isn’t making fun of it by saying it’s weird, because if the Old Testament doesn’t sound weird to u then ur weird lol
Spencer Maltby it’s only weird when you don’t have the Holy Spirit because when you do and first started you either find it complicated or not understanding and eventually wanting to know more about it because you have the Holy Spirit 😉
Rockkeslande Perard Your comment just sounds like jibberish to me. No offense. Sounds like a bunch of words put together into things that look like sentences but in actuality hold no value or meaning. If you wanna talk about the Old Testament then talk about the bad concept as well as the good. Not just the good sounding values and ideals it preaches, but the horrible ones as well. Because if you ignore the ugly bits of the Old Testament then you are ignoring full spectrum of the word of god and just picking and choosing.
Spencer Maltby 😂😂Wow!! you sound mad dude and nahhhh no offense taking obviously you didn’t get the part where I mention « the Holy Spirit » no way did I pick and choose from the Old Testament to justify anything but simply mentioning my best friend the Holy Spirit💙 the teacher of the holy word the BIBLE . Bye bye 👋
So I was trained to become a gymnast for two years in Hunan, China in the 1970s. When I was in the first grade, the government wanted to transfer me to a school for athletes, all expenses paid. But my tiger mother said, "No." My parents wanted me to become an engineer like them. After surviving the Cultural Revolution, they firmly believed there's only one sure way to happiness: a safe and well-paid job. It is not important if I like the job or not. 00:32 But my dream was to become a Chinese opera singer. That is me playing my imaginary piano. An opera singer must start training young to learn acrobatics, so I tried everything I could to go to opera school. I even wrote to the school principal and the host of a radio show. But no adults liked the idea. No adults believed I was serious. Only my friends supported me, but they were kids, just as powerless as I was. So at age 15, I knew I was too old to be trained. My dream would never come true. I was afraid that for the rest of my life some second-class happiness would be the best I could hope for. 01:22 But that's so unfair. So I was determined to find another calling. Nobody around to teach me? Fine. I turned to books. 01:33 I satisfied my hunger for parental advice from this book by a family of writers and musicians.["Correspondence in the Family of Fou Lei"] 01:42 I found my role model of an independent woman when Confucian tradition requires obedience.["Jane Eyre"] 01:49 And I learned to be efficient from this book.["Cheaper by the Dozen"] 01:52 And I was inspired to study abroad after reading these. 01:56 ["Complete Works of Sanmao" (aka Echo Chan)] ["Lessons From History" by Nan Huaijin] 02:10 I came to the U.S. in 1995, so which books did I read here first? Books banned in China, of course. "The Good Earth" is about Chinese peasant life. That's just not convenient for propaganda. Got it. The Bible is interesting, but strange. (Laughter) That's a topic for a different day. But the fifth commandment gave me an epiphany: "You shall honor your father and mother." "Honor," I said. "That's so different, and better, than obey." So it becomes my tool to climb out of this Confucian guilt trap and to restart my relationship with my parents. 02:57 Encountering a new culture also started my habit of comparative reading. It offers many insights. For example, I found this map out of place at first because this is what Chinese students grew up with. It had never occurred to me, China doesn't have to be at the center of the world. A map actually carries somebody's view. Comparative reading actually is nothing new. It's a standard practice in the academic world. There are even research fields such as comparative religion and comparative literature. 03:34 Compare and contrast gives scholars a more complete understanding of a topic. So I thought, well, if comparative reading works for research, why not do it in daily life too? So I started reading books in pairs. So they can be about people -- ["Benjamin Franklin" by Walter Isaacson]["John Adams" by David McCullough] -- who are involved in the same event, or friends with shared experiences. ["Personal History" by Katharine Graham]["The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life," by Alice Schroeder] I also compare the same stories in different genres -- (Laughter) [Holy Bible: King James Version]["Lamb" by Chrisopher Moore] -- or similar stories from different cultures, as Joseph Campbell did in his wonderful book.["The Power of Myth" by Joseph Campbell] For example, both the Christ and the Buddha went through three temptations. For the Christ, the temptations are economic, political and spiritual. For the Buddha, they are all psychological: lust, fear and social duty -- interesting. 04:32 So if you know a foreign language, it's also fun to read your favorite books in two languages. ["The Way of Chuang Tzu" Thomas Merton]["Tao: The Watercourse Way" Alan Watts] Instead of lost in translation, I found there is much to gain. For example, it's through translation that I realized "happiness" in Chinese literally means "fast joy." Huh! "Bride" in Chinese literally means "new mother." Uh-oh. (Laughter) 05:01 Books have given me a magic portal to connect with people of the past and the present. I know I shall never feel lonely or powerless again. Having a dream shattered really is nothing compared to what many others have suffered. I have come to believe that coming true is not the only purpose of a dream. Its most important purpose is to get us in touch with where dreams come from, where passion comes from, where happiness comes from. Even a shattered dream can do that for you. 05:38 So because of books, I'm here today, happy, living again with a purpose and a clarity, most of the time. So may books be always with you. 05:49 Thank you. Free transcription 😍
Books allow me to dive into the minds of some of histories greatest teachers and dream makers. When you think about it, books are truly one of mankind's greatest achievements. From taking us on adventures to far away worlds to helping us fundamentally understand ourselves in a deeper way and everything in between, truly brilliant.
"Loneliness can often be cured when you open a book". I heard this somewhere and now it's quite satisfactory to see that this fact is actually proved by various people on this earth. Thank you TED channel for constantly making such amazing content! so inspiring....
I am a middle school student who is poor at English. However, you inspired me to start reading books in two language: English, Korean!! THANK YOU SO MUCH~!!!
That's why i'll never give up on books. I've loved them for my entire life and i'll always continue loving them. Because when you're sad you can identify yourself with your favorite character and when you're without anything good to do, you can also lose yourself inside a great story.
This was really interesting. I have begun reading more often. This was hard at first because I never really read as a child. However, as I began reading more, I realized that not only am I becoming more knowledgeable about the topics I read, but I am understanding the formats on books. I also realized that reading more and understanding how the book is synthesize has allowed me to have a new strategy that I can use to learn other things such as music or politics. Thank You, Lisa.
It's just 7 am and I've started my day with this TED talk, I came to TED wondering how to get my " hum" as Shonda Rhimes calls it back, my hum, or my motivation is gone ,, I needed it back, and by this talk I discovered what I' m really missing to get my hum back: Books, I am a passionate book reader who didn't read for more than 5 months , thank you so much Lisa for those golden six minutes, yep , books can open your mind but also if you're a passionate book reader , they can save you, they can get your hum back , to study or to go to work , May Books be your Hum saver ^^
I really enjoyed the talk and I agree with her. I loved her words, "In books, you will never be powerless and lonely again." She also reminded us that second class happiness is not our fate. In my opinion, reading a lot of books instead of making me know a lot of things, it makes me feel like I don't know anything. I think reading books should become our daily habit. May the books always be with us.
I love her. Next time I need to get my point across to someone about the power of books, I'm just going to show them this video because she's said it all.
Idk about the successful life 🤣 But happy life? I AM TOTALLY AGREE I'm not trying to generalized mental condition of all human being, but I think, I'm less depressed because of reading book. But what interesting is.. in this digital era that makes people had short attention span (and therefore making people to less attracted in reading books), in the same time, I also found a fact that depression and suicide case are getting higher.
To ppl who are bilingual and tried reading two books same time about same subject in different perspective. You probably will have a better understanding of a certain situation. Also it will change your perspective about the world in a sense that, nothing is really true, there is always a obscured truth, cause history is really written by the victors and survivors. I think for a full understanding one must always read like the good bad and ugly, from three perspective and mindset.
I really love read books , with reading you will never feel alone , and you’ll learn a many things that will help you in your life and make you a special person ❤️
I don't agree with her opinion about the Bible, but I agree with her on importance of books. They are a fountain of knowledge in our world. They are key to success in life. If you wan't to be successful, read and do it lot more then your competitors do. Then you will have a good edge on them and will have a lot better life. That's why I wrote a book in which I argued that books can actually make you money in long run: ,,Investing in books: How reading can make you money". If you don't believe books can make a huge difference in your life, try reading and you will see the change.
Edg Latvia I agree with you and I just want to mention that she is from communism China and it is really difficult for many Chinese Young peoples to Touch western culture and other cultures at that time even today Chinese press was not allowed to freely publish books, these books must under their watching and get their permission to let public read. bible is totally a new culture for her and I think this new culture is so different and a little bit difficult for her to understand in the beginning of her cultural exploring outside china, she can speak so good English and I think she learned a lot from books, books give her second chance to live life, I think her opinion of Bible is gonna changed a lot.
"I have come to believe that coming true is not the only purpose of a dream. It's most important purpose is to get us in touch with where dreams come from, where happiness comes from. Even a shattered dream can do that for you "
most important purpose is to get us in touch with where dreams come from, where passion come from, where happiness come from...........this changed my aspect of thinking toward my shattered dreams.
"I have come to believe that coming true is not the only purpose of a dream. Its most important purpose is to get us in touch with where dreams come from, where passion comes from, where happiness comes from. Even a shattered dream can do that for you." Now that is wisdom.
Maybe the shortest TED talk I have seen...but may be the most effective and appealing. Thank you, Lisa Bu. I will recommend this short video to many people.
The video, entitled "How books can open your mind" by Lisa Bu, shares her views on the role books play in her life (including mine). Lisa Bu, who dreams of becoming a Chinese opera singer, is opposed by her parents. They wanted Lisa to be an Engineer, just like them. However, because Lisa Bu's book of thought can be more open about knowledge in the world, including her country of origin, China. The proverb which states that books are windows to the world is a very appropriate sentence, to describe the role and function of books. By reading books, we can know everything in this world. If asked by others about "what is your hobby?" Of course I answered "read". Because, I really enjoy reading, because with books I can be in this position as a third year nursing student. The hope is that the book can lead me to become a specialist nurse and lecturer (aamiin).
I've snoozed this video for a couple of days - wrong decision. This talk is so good I thought to myself halfway watching this - I wish this never ended. Her thoughts echo so much with mine. Books are a paradise indeed. Gave me some new insights as well - definitely gonna venture out the realm of a single book and start doing comparative reading. So thankful that I encounter this video - may books be with all of you as well :')
The video is very interesting. Lisa Bu learned to read books and compared their readings into your daily life. The books help to better understand the past and the present; strengthen our view about importants thopics. A book should always be our company, guidance and motivation for to live in armony with myself and with others persons.
It happened as the same thing to me! Vietnam though is changing positively but it seemed that the Confucianism still played an integral part in developing citizens' mindset. Its philosophy is still applied in the daily basis. My parents used to be taught to be obedience but now fortunately I have means of approaching to different ways to learn. I read many English-written books and they really changed me a lot in terms of mindset.
Great speech ! As a Chinese I NEVER realize the word " 快乐" literally means fast joy.Happiness usually translated into "幸福". So fast joy is different with happiness. In Chinese " 快乐" is more superficial and temporary than "幸福". So everything makes sense there.
I sincerely believe nothing is greater than the great book. A book should ask questions, give answer to your doubts, arose your curiosity and excite in someway. Here Lisa Bu explains more or less same thing that how she become a better person with her reading habit. Excellent. Strongly recommended for everyone.
Heard someone say the best season for a financial breakthrough is now, especially with inflation running at a four-decade high. I have approximately $650k stagnant in my port_folio that needs growth.What is the best way to take advantage of this downturn?
Just imagine retiring as a registered nurse, using all your income/salary to pay rent and tax without any good investment or means of extra cash, tending to leave your profession/job that has been part of you for many years with no good funds. How will you cope?
That's why we need to plan ourselves via making extras in all we do because depending on paycheck that can give us our comfort and peace till we die is not guaranteed
I'm a nurse and I saw all this coming, so l've planned myself so I engaged in forex trading, little I know about the business though but so far so good, Forex trading has been my very means of savings lately while my salary goes for bills and utilities
I've heard a lot complaining about how unsafe crypto and Forex trading is but honestly speaking, if you don't experience you won't know, I've seen the bad and the good part of Forex trading
It opens your mind, yet should go hand in hand experiencing the world with the rest of the senses. I know some who live their life reading a book, proud they read more than 50 a year, heavy head with so much knowledge, yet have difficulty coping with the world at the most basic level. Books are just tools, gives knowledge or inspiration, but learning happens when there is application/ action out of the inspiration you have just read. It"s not about how many books you've read, but how you can synthesize one book into living with your daily life
I am just finding this now and I love what I just listened to. After a lot of debate and a change in life circumstances, I am confident that I want to major in comparative literature when I graduate from high school this year. Like she said, it’s so interesting and mind blowing when you have the opportunity to pair different books from different backgrounds and find similarities and get something out of what you’ve read! Everybody asks me the same question though, “so you’ll graduate with this major, what do you plan to DO with it?” I’ll find out when I get there I guess
What an inspiring video! “Books have given me a magic portal to connect with people of the past and the present. I know I shall never feel lonely or powerless again.”
I sucked at school. Well, I think I chose to. I hated forced attention on subjects that didn’t interest me. I didn’t have the mental fortitude to read the readings or write the essays. They seemed to be robbing me of my life force. I wanted to do what I want and learn how I wanted to. Well. Time caught up with me, I realized I really should have tried harder but that’s not how life works. Living in a world of shouldas. Then, maybe it was maturity, or the sense of urgency, I started a running habit. 5 Kms three or four times a week. This in turn sparked something else in my mind. Positive thoughts, forward thinking and most of all a quiet powerful focus. I forget the book but it doesn’t matter. I finished a whole book, my first in over 10-12 years. What? I enjoyed that. What else do I want to read about. And on it went to present day. I’ve read 100+ books since 2015 and all I can say is thank you running shoes. The future is amazing when you apply yourself and learn to learn on your own. It is the best time to be alive.
As a young adult unsure of my future career, I really like her message. Research leads to a better understanding when you're lost. Find your place culturally and it might lead you to a better place, emotionally and geographically.
Qué alegría conocer a personas como Lisa Bu. Los libros nos permiten conocer y entender que a nuestro alrededor existe una diversidad de ideas y de fenómenos que jamás habríamos imaginado. Cuánta satisfacción da tener un buen libro al lado de la almohada.
"in books you will never be powerless or lonely again"
True.
Kat W true wisdom, books give me so much joy when reading them too ❤
Favorite quote❤
exactly
Kat Wong Thats right!
“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.” ~ George R.R. Martin.
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏😊
GOT……die too many times
thanks, I'll use this quote in my english presentation tomorrow morning :D!
One of my favorite quotes from the whole series
Lelouch Sup
May the books be with you.
inshaalah
May the oods be ever in your favor lmao
And with your spirit
And u as well
Always.
"Second class happiness."
I love that
Tristen Chomsky
Who she think she is by classifying happiness like some sort of aerial tickets?
@@aprendederechofacil happiness is vague and have different levels and it is true that you can be financially happy but not be completely happy
@@aprendederechofacil 😂😂
The thing I value most about this TED Talk is the truth she puts on her speech. Mainly when it comes to this moment of chosing to have or not a "second classe happiness". Just amazing!
If you read one book you are more inclined toward dogma; if you read many books you are more inclined to ask questions and think for yourself.
Trendy and interesting
Make that a pin, so I can save it.🤗
Trendy best comment ever!
@@queenbeethatme1009 mmmmmm
Exactly
And she quote "Coming true is not only the purpose of dream, It's most important purpose is to get us in touch with where dreams come from, where passion comes from, where happiness comes from. Even a shattered dream can do that for you."
Modi MJ
this shook me
The most impressive quote to me
me too
I wrote it down on a piece of paper immediately after I finished the video. Such a profound quote.
Knowledge is the strongest foundation of someone's success.
Books are the best way to communicate knowledge.
Therefore, books help someone achieve their goals and reduce chance of failure probably better than any other thing
+Thanos Sofroniou Do you thin this applies to fiction books as well?
+blownspeakersss of course. imagination is better than knowledge .
Thanos Sofroniou is it the best way to transfer knowledge though?
Thanos Sofroniou What types/genres of books do you read?
Well you can read books from your phone on play store, its not always books and there is audible, you tube, yes of course i love books but i read or listen or wacth what ever i want
This talk is a league of its own and cannot be compared with the other TED talks that I've watched. She deserves every minute of that standing ovation. So happy for this inspirational woman.
so true.
Jim Rohn once said: "You are the average of the 5 people you hangout with most" and although this is pretty subjective, I think it is somewhat true. The cool thing is though, let's say your 5 friends you hangout with most are all drifters, they only care about getting drunk and partying and you actually want to make something out of your life, how fucking amazing is it, that you can do that with books. If you want the opinion of Warren Buffet, you can read his book. If you want to know how Elon Musk looks at everyday things, you can read his book. In my opinion, books are not only great to broaden your horizon, but they can be powerfull for the people who are searching for meaning in life, just like As Lisa Bu was when she started reading.
very well said :)
wow
Wow..that's some really nice perspective..
The BOOKS created by these expert westerners, all ... almost all... appearing glorify the "books" create most of their books to DESTROY COMPETITION... DESTROY OTHER CULTURES AFTER THEY HAVE APPROPRIATED FROM THEM WHAT THEY CAN UNDERSTAND WITHING THE CONFINES OF THEIR RELIGION/culture/belief systems, & then criminalizing them to the point that even the original people will begin to feelashamed of themselves. The west has HONED the craft to perfection & have a very efficient network in place... SCHOLARSHIP & EVANGELISM... the 2 mercenaries that are sent out all over the world as trojan horses disguised as traders, adventurers, preachers teachers, & the MOST DEADLY OFALL, FAITH BASED CHARITY WORKERS... a complete chakervyuh to commit genocide & make it look like a favor to those they have demolished & legitimize their own crimes. How did I find out? BY READING THE BOOKS OFCOURSE... Those books which are like THE FORBIDDEN FRUIT OF THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE... The books that are being MALIGNED... the books ABOUT MY HERITAGE...
got that from the channel Improvement Pill?
"Books have given me a magic portal to connect with people in the past and the present." Amazing!
As an English Literature student and lover of books, I really enjoyed this talk.
Chloe Reynolds connecting nothing with nothing
I am also an English literature student...I . Love reading
I hate reading but I want to change. I just don't know where and how to start
i love how genuine she was during her speech, especially around 1:30 when she talked about her fears of being stuck with some "second class happiness".
broke my heart a little when her voice stuttered.
Reading gives me a motive and keeps my mind thinking , away from the robotic routine daily life we have to live
"have to live"? No you dont :) its just easier with routine, not necessary
I am confused for many years and still on the selection of books. What kind of books I should read. I heard that the content I like, but it didn't work much and I am still searching for the answer.
@Zubaria Manzoor try mark manson's The subtle art of not giving a fck. It will slap your face
@Zubaria Manzoor I don't wanna read books But I don't really want to live in this modern world either. I would want a world where I was at the top of mountain with a wooden house and a nearby review that I could always fish
These are the books she mentioned
1.Correspondence in the Family of Four Lei
2. Jane Eyre
3. Cheaper by the dozen
4. Lessons from History
5. Complete works of Sanmao
6. The good Earth
7. Benjamin Franklin: An American Life
8. David McCullough
9.Personal History
10.The snowball
11. Lamb
12.Power of myths
Thanks
There’s also:
• The Holy Bible
• Zhuang Zi 庄子
• The way of Chuang Tzu
• Dao De Jing 道德经
• Tao: The Watercourse Way
I loved her word, “in books you never be powerless or lonely again”.
Reading is so fun, the thought of yourself gaining some new and unknown knowledge is always fun but none of my friends like to read and that makes me feel odd 😶
Yao Don you too! 😎
NUR SYAFIQAH yeah me too . I am always ready to talk cause there is so much to share
same!
Any book to recommend?
Make book your friends then ;)
it's amazing to see how tolerant the audience is, she made a little bit of fun of the Holy Bible, but people out there took it so sportingly, This is the kind of people we need all around the world.
In my town people would have gotten up and left. I think it is incredible that people in the audience were able to laugh about it, and continue listening attentively.
She gave her opinion on the Bible. It isn’t making fun of it by saying it’s weird, because if the Old Testament doesn’t sound weird to u then ur weird lol
Spencer Maltby it’s only weird when you don’t have the Holy Spirit because when you do and first started you either find it complicated or not understanding and eventually wanting to know more about it because you have the Holy Spirit 😉
Rockkeslande Perard Your comment just sounds like jibberish to me. No offense. Sounds like a bunch of words put together into things that look like sentences but in actuality hold no value or meaning. If you wanna talk about the Old Testament then talk about the bad concept as well as the good. Not just the good sounding values and ideals it preaches, but the horrible ones as well. Because if you ignore the ugly bits of the Old Testament then you are ignoring full spectrum of the word of god and just picking and choosing.
Spencer Maltby 😂😂Wow!! you sound mad dude and nahhhh no offense taking obviously you didn’t get the part where I mention « the Holy Spirit » no way did I pick and choose from the Old Testament to justify anything but simply mentioning my best friend the Holy Spirit💙 the teacher of the holy word the BIBLE . Bye bye 👋
So I was trained to become a gymnast for two years in Hunan, China in the 1970s. When I was in the first grade, the government wanted to transfer me to a school for athletes, all expenses paid. But my tiger mother said, "No." My parents wanted me to become an engineer like them. After surviving the Cultural Revolution, they firmly believed there's only one sure way to happiness: a safe and well-paid job. It is not important if I like the job or not.
00:32
But my dream was to become a Chinese opera singer. That is me playing my imaginary piano. An opera singer must start training young to learn acrobatics, so I tried everything I could to go to opera school. I even wrote to the school principal and the host of a radio show. But no adults liked the idea. No adults believed I was serious. Only my friends supported me, but they were kids, just as powerless as I was. So at age 15, I knew I was too old to be trained. My dream would never come true. I was afraid that for the rest of my life some second-class happiness would be the best I could hope for.
01:22
But that's so unfair. So I was determined to find another calling. Nobody around to teach me? Fine. I turned to books.
01:33
I satisfied my hunger for parental advice from this book by a family of writers and musicians.["Correspondence in the Family of Fou Lei"]
01:42
I found my role model of an independent woman when Confucian tradition requires obedience.["Jane Eyre"]
01:49
And I learned to be efficient from this book.["Cheaper by the Dozen"]
01:52
And I was inspired to study abroad after reading these.
01:56
["Complete Works of Sanmao" (aka Echo Chan)] ["Lessons From History" by Nan Huaijin]
02:10
I came to the U.S. in 1995, so which books did I read here first? Books banned in China, of course. "The Good Earth" is about Chinese peasant life. That's just not convenient for propaganda. Got it. The Bible is interesting, but strange. (Laughter) That's a topic for a different day. But the fifth commandment gave me an epiphany: "You shall honor your father and mother." "Honor," I said. "That's so different, and better, than obey." So it becomes my tool to climb out of this Confucian guilt trap and to restart my relationship with my parents.
02:57
Encountering a new culture also started my habit of comparative reading. It offers many insights. For example, I found this map out of place at first because this is what Chinese students grew up with. It had never occurred to me, China doesn't have to be at the center of the world. A map actually carries somebody's view. Comparative reading actually is nothing new. It's a standard practice in the academic world. There are even research fields such as comparative religion and comparative literature.
03:34
Compare and contrast gives scholars a more complete understanding of a topic. So I thought, well, if comparative reading works for research, why not do it in daily life too? So I started reading books in pairs. So they can be about people -- ["Benjamin Franklin" by Walter Isaacson]["John Adams" by David McCullough] -- who are involved in the same event, or friends with shared experiences. ["Personal History" by Katharine Graham]["The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life," by Alice Schroeder] I also compare the same stories in different genres -- (Laughter) [Holy Bible: King James Version]["Lamb" by Chrisopher Moore] -- or similar stories from different cultures, as Joseph Campbell did in his wonderful book.["The Power of Myth" by Joseph Campbell] For example, both the Christ and the Buddha went through three temptations. For the Christ, the temptations are economic, political and spiritual. For the Buddha, they are all psychological: lust, fear and social duty -- interesting.
04:32
So if you know a foreign language, it's also fun to read your favorite books in two languages. ["The Way of Chuang Tzu" Thomas Merton]["Tao: The Watercourse Way" Alan Watts] Instead of lost in translation, I found there is much to gain. For example, it's through translation that I realized "happiness" in Chinese literally means "fast joy." Huh! "Bride" in Chinese literally means "new mother." Uh-oh. (Laughter)
05:01
Books have given me a magic portal to connect with people of the past and the present. I know I shall never feel lonely or powerless again. Having a dream shattered really is nothing compared to what many others have suffered. I have come to believe that coming true is not the only purpose of a dream. Its most important purpose is to get us in touch with where dreams come from, where passion comes from, where happiness comes from. Even a shattered dream can do that for you.
05:38
So because of books, I'm here today, happy, living again with a purpose and a clarity, most of the time. So may books be always with you.
05:49
Thank you.
Free transcription 😍
thanks!!!
Thank you❤️
Thank you🥰
Thnkyou very much. You made work very easy. Thnkyou once again. May you be happy all the time
Thank you 😊
Books allow me to dive into the minds of some of histories greatest teachers and dream makers. When you think about it, books are truly one of mankind's greatest achievements. From taking us on adventures to far away worlds to helping us fundamentally understand ourselves in a deeper way and everything in between, truly brilliant.
"Loneliness can often be cured when you open a book". I heard this somewhere and now it's quite satisfactory to see that this fact is actually proved by various people on this earth. Thank you TED channel for constantly making such amazing content! so inspiring....
She's so adorable.
Yash Saxena Very :)
I don’t think that’s the subject of the matter...🤨
I don’t think that’s the subject of the matter...🤨😢
@@krinjproductions9932 yeah! I think so too 😅
@@indiangirl874 cute cat
I am a middle school student who is poor at English. However, you inspired me to start reading books in two language: English, Korean!! THANK YOU SO MUCH~!!!
Your English is way better than many Koreans I have heard
Keep going ♥️
with books come knowledge and knowledge means power!
dosent matter to Saitama
except if you are a monarch. Then ignorance is power.
"And with power comes great responsibility" Peter Parker's Uncle lol
Samuel Fey Nice comment
Samuel Fey love it
That's why i'll never give up on books. I've loved them for my entire life and i'll always continue loving them. Because when you're sad you can identify yourself with your favorite character and when you're without anything good to do, you can also lose yourself inside a great story.
Short and sweet, lovely
This was really interesting. I have begun reading more often. This was hard at first because I never really read as a child. However, as I began reading more, I realized that not only am I becoming more knowledgeable about the topics I read, but I am understanding the formats on books. I also realized that reading more and understanding how the book is synthesize has allowed me to have a new strategy that I can use to learn other things such as music or politics. Thank You, Lisa.
Have read 4 books since this talk.
gillybloggs 👏well done. I'm going to start now.
are you continuing your reading?
Are you continuing to read?
What did you read?
Are you still reading???? We need answers
Having a dream shattered really is nothing compared to what many others have suffered
- Lisa Bu
She is so sweet and bubbly! I loved listening to her! People who don't read are really missing out on a whole new world!
I was smiling the whole time. Her delivery is perfect!
"the book is strong with this one"
"When I left you, I was but a reader; now I am the writer."
XD
Alia Albinali Good quotation!
deep
This is probably the shortest and the most meaningful TED TALK I've come across
I’ve never seen such an interesting and such loud clap from the audience during a Ted before, she’s amazing
It's just 7 am and I've started my day with this TED talk, I came to TED wondering how to get my " hum" as Shonda Rhimes calls it back, my hum, or my motivation is gone ,, I needed it back, and by this talk I discovered what I' m really missing to get my hum back: Books, I am a passionate book reader who didn't read for more than 5 months , thank you so much Lisa for those golden six minutes, yep , books can open your mind but also if you're a passionate book reader , they can save you, they can get your hum back , to study or to go to work , May Books be your Hum saver ^^
I wish I could like this more than once.
like how we does in medium.com
After the video i was about to like it and then, to my surprise, turned out i already did. 🤣
@@JoxeyEmanuely has
I really enjoyed the talk and I agree with her. I loved her words, "In books, you will never be powerless and lonely again." She also reminded us that second class happiness is not our fate. In my opinion, reading a lot of books instead of making me know a lot of things, it makes me feel like I don't know anything. I think reading books should become our daily habit. May the books always be with us.
"So books may always be with you"favorite quote in the end
I love her. Next time I need to get my point across to someone about the power of books, I'm just going to show them this video because she's said it all.
"The one who read books is always happy and successful in life "
I am so touched by her thoughts...
Really a big thanks for those precious words 👏🤗
Idk about the successful life 🤣
But happy life? I AM TOTALLY AGREE
I'm not trying to generalized mental condition of all human being, but I think, I'm less depressed because of reading book.
But what interesting is.. in this digital era that makes people had short attention span (and therefore making people to less attracted in reading books), in the same time, I also found a fact that depression and suicide case are getting higher.
Book teaches you to accept yourself and be yourself; it's not about success or failure, but finding yourself.
Great talk and so sincere and honest!
This speech gives me something to think about
To ppl who are bilingual and tried reading two books same time about same subject in different perspective. You probably will have a better understanding of a certain situation. Also it will change your perspective about the world in a sense that, nothing is really true, there is always a obscured truth, cause history is really written by the victors and survivors. I think for a full understanding one must always read like the good bad and ugly, from three perspective and mindset.
Its just so inspiring that I almost became teary at the end.
5:20
These are one of the words I keep in my mind. It is important to HAVE a dream and an aim.
I really love read books , with reading you will never feel alone , and you’ll learn a many things that will help you in your life and make you a special person ❤️
I don't agree with her opinion about the Bible, but I agree with her on importance of books. They are a fountain of knowledge in our world. They are key to success in life. If you wan't to be successful, read and do it lot more then your competitors do. Then you will have a good edge on them and will have a lot better life. That's why I wrote a book in which I argued that books can actually make you money in long run: ,,Investing in books: How reading can make you money". If you don't believe books can make a huge difference in your life, try reading and you will see the change.
Edg Latvia I agree with you and I just want to mention that she is from communism China and it is really difficult for many Chinese Young peoples to Touch western culture and other cultures at that time even today Chinese press was not allowed to freely publish books, these books must under their watching and get their permission to let public read. bible is totally a new culture for her and I think this new culture is so different and a little bit difficult for her to understand in the beginning of her cultural exploring outside china, she can speak so good English and I think she learned a lot from books, books give her second chance to live life, I think her opinion of Bible is gonna changed a lot.
I think the bible is also a good book.
"I have come to believe that coming true is not the only purpose of a dream. It's most important purpose is to get us in touch with where dreams come from, where happiness comes from. Even a shattered dream can do that for you "
most important purpose is to get us in touch with where dreams come from, where passion come from, where happiness come from...........this changed my aspect of thinking toward my shattered dreams.
"I have come to believe that coming true is not the only purpose of a dream. Its most important purpose is to get us in touch with where dreams come from, where passion comes from, where happiness comes from. Even a shattered dream can do that for you."
Now that is wisdom.
Maybe the shortest TED talk I have seen...but may be the most effective and appealing. Thank you, Lisa Bu.
I will recommend this short video to many people.
The video, entitled "How books can open your mind" by Lisa Bu, shares her views on the role books play in her life (including mine). Lisa Bu, who dreams of becoming a Chinese opera singer, is opposed by her parents. They wanted Lisa to be an Engineer, just like them. However, because Lisa Bu's book of thought can be more open about knowledge in the world, including her country of origin, China. The proverb which states that books are windows to the world is a very appropriate sentence, to describe the role and function of books. By reading books, we can know everything in this world. If asked by others about "what is your hobby?" Of course I answered "read". Because, I really enjoy reading, because with books I can be in this position as a third year nursing student. The hope is that the book can lead me to become a specialist nurse and lecturer (aamiin).
спасибо переводчикам! Благодаря вашей работы я пересмотрел 3 раза: на английском, на русском и на казахском :)
I watched this talk so many times I loved it.
I've snoozed this video for a couple of days - wrong decision. This talk is so good I thought to myself halfway watching this - I wish this never ended. Her thoughts echo so much with mine. Books are a paradise indeed. Gave me some new insights as well - definitely gonna venture out the realm of a single book and start doing comparative reading. So thankful that I encounter this video - may books be with all of you as well :')
Books are a love affair! Nice talk!
I just see this talk in 2019, books have giving me a magic to connect with people.; that's so true and amazing
Yeah, reading books is therapy ❤️
So, may books be always with you. Amen.
This is literally the most powerful prayer i've ever done.
The video is very interesting. Lisa Bu learned to read books and compared their readings into your daily life. The books help to better understand the past and the present; strengthen our view about importants thopics. A book should always be our company, guidance and motivation for to live in armony with myself and with others persons.
A TED talk about books instantly captured my attention. Books are magical vehicles of transformation. Thanks for sharing this video.
Most inspiring TED video I've seen today. The top comment about the true purpose of dreams is clearly the most important takeaway of this talk.
I've watched so many boring TED talks. This one was short, sweet, and very powerful.
this is one of the best videos I've ever seen
She's well read and so beautiful
she is so adorable ahh what an inspiration!!!
Had to download the video to watch over and over again. It convinces me that shattered dreams are worthwhile too. What's more joyful that that?
A pleasant lady with a friendly disposition.
It happened as the same thing to me! Vietnam though is changing positively but it seemed that the Confucianism still played an integral part in developing citizens' mindset. Its philosophy is still applied in the daily basis. My parents used to be taught to be obedience but now fortunately I have means of approaching to different ways to learn. I read many English-written books and they really changed me a lot in terms of mindset.
I do read a book every month. Thank you for sharing
She talked by all her heart. Thank you. Incredible presentation.
6 mins and i like her already
Great speech ! As a Chinese I NEVER realize the word " 快乐" literally means fast joy.Happiness usually translated into "幸福". So fast joy is different with happiness. In Chinese " 快乐" is more superficial and temporary than "幸福". So everything makes sense there.
I love her talk.. relatable!
I don't know why the speech made me feel so calm and comfortable. Felt like there was a strong aura around her.
A neuro surgeon hit me on my head with his book on neurosurgery. It really opened my mind.
I sincerely believe nothing is greater than the great book. A book should ask questions, give answer to your doubts, arose your curiosity and excite in someway. Here Lisa Bu explains more or less same thing that how she become a better person with her reading habit. Excellent. Strongly recommended for everyone.
Reading books indeed helps you in a long run. According to me every single person must read books.
Her choices of words and how smoothly she showed her idea was 🔝
Heard someone say the best season for a financial breakthrough is now, especially with inflation running at a four-decade high. I have approximately $650k stagnant in my port_folio that needs growth.What is the best way to take advantage of this downturn?
Just imagine retiring as a registered nurse, using all your income/salary to pay rent and tax without any good investment or means of extra cash, tending to leave your profession/job that has been part of you for many years with no good funds. How will you cope?
That's why we need to plan ourselves via making extras in all we do because depending on paycheck that can give us our comfort and peace till we die is not guaranteed
This is actually what most families are going through, tax and rents takes almost what they got monthly, leaving them with no savings
I'm a nurse and I saw all this coming, so l've planned myself so I engaged in forex trading, little I know about the business though but so far so good, Forex trading has been my very means of savings lately while my salary goes for bills and utilities
I've heard a lot complaining about how unsafe crypto and Forex trading is but honestly speaking, if you don't experience you won't know, I've seen the bad and the good part of Forex trading
It opens your mind, yet should go hand in hand experiencing the world with the rest of the senses. I know some who live their life reading a book, proud they read more than 50 a year, heavy head with so much knowledge, yet have difficulty coping with the world at the most basic level. Books are just tools, gives knowledge or inspiration, but learning happens when there is application/ action out of the inspiration you have just read. It"s not about how many books you've read, but how you can synthesize one book into living with your daily life
May books be always with you. Thank you.
Right 👍
5:02 best line ever said by anyone reading books❤️❤️
This makes me wanna read more books everyday :) tq so much...
I am just finding this now and I love what I just listened to. After a lot of debate and a change in life circumstances, I am confident that I want to major in comparative literature when I graduate from high school this year. Like she said, it’s so interesting and mind blowing when you have the opportunity to pair different books from different backgrounds and find similarities and get something out of what you’ve read! Everybody asks me the same question though, “so you’ll graduate with this major, what do you plan to DO with it?” I’ll find out when I get there I guess
*BOOKS, have given me the Magic Portal, to connect the people from the Past and the Present*
So bcoz of books You are Happy, Living with a purpose and Clarity .. I Hope everyone can understand the power of Books.
Loved it and Thank You.
Books. Are. So. Important.
What an inspiring video!
“Books have given me a magic portal to connect with people of the past and the present. I know I shall never feel lonely or powerless again.”
Books make me feel alive😍
I sucked at school. Well, I think I chose to. I hated forced attention on subjects that didn’t interest me. I didn’t have the mental fortitude to read the readings or write the essays. They seemed to be robbing me of my life force. I wanted to do what I want and learn how I wanted to. Well. Time caught up with me, I realized I really should have tried harder but that’s not how life works. Living in a world of shouldas. Then, maybe it was maturity, or the sense of urgency, I started a running habit. 5 Kms three or four times a week. This in turn sparked something else in my mind. Positive thoughts, forward thinking and most of all a quiet powerful focus. I forget the book but it doesn’t matter. I finished a whole book, my first in over 10-12 years. What? I enjoyed that. What else do I want to read about. And on it went to present day. I’ve read 100+ books since 2015 and all I can say is thank you running shoes. The future is amazing when you apply yourself and learn to learn on your own. It is the best time to be alive.
Came here for my English assingment on " Why books are best companions ? " 😂😂
As a young adult unsure of my future career, I really like her message. Research leads to a better understanding when you're lost. Find your place culturally and it might lead you to a better place, emotionally and geographically.
Wow she didn't age at all lol, I love her she is a great speaker!
Books are our truly teacher in all of our life.
May the books be with us.
One way to fight ignorance....read. The benefits of reading are under stressed
Qué alegría conocer a personas como Lisa Bu. Los libros nos permiten conocer y entender que a nuestro alrededor existe una diversidad de ideas y de fenómenos que jamás habríamos imaginado. Cuánta satisfacción da tener un buen libro al lado de la almohada.
Love this video!! 💙📚
One of the strongest ted talks I’ve ever watched
Great talk! It’s got me thinking about the books I plan on reading in 2018
have you read something yet ?
"Imagination is more important than knowledge" Albert Einstein, The only faculty of the mind you use when reading a novel, Imagination!