in the spirit

Description

Penis size is a much discussed topic among men in Indonesia, where Vaessen lived for 16 years. Most men in Indonesia are competetive about their penis size in relation to those of strangers. In relation to Indonesian men, Vaessen was always a stranger. This did not help her, in all her years in Indonesia, to create a feeling of trust between herself and the Indonesians. She always felt herself to be a stranger. Vaessen was not always in the mood to be a 'white alien'. Very often she just wanted to blend in and escape the extra attention. People that are strangers in Holland probably know the same feeling. Is there a way to create trust between people from different cultures? According to Vaessen, there is: by creating a feeling of empathy. She developed this in herself by stepping into other people's lives and getting to know them better. Her neighbours, a taxi driver from the neighbourhood, a Muslim terrorist, to name just a few. By doing this, she changed. This didn't make her one of them, but she also wasn't the same stranger anymore. She transformed into a new person. This is what we all can do to gain trust from other people. Get to know them better and see what happens. About TEDx In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)