In her TEDxKhargharWomen talk, Shibuki Maeda discusses the importance of prioritizing life first by emphasizing the four essential powers for living a fulfilling and purposeful life. Maeda highlights the power of awareness, urging individuals to be conscious of their thoughts, feelings, and actions in order to make positive choices that align with their values and goals. She also emphasizes the power of acceptance, encouraging listeners to embrace their strengths and weaknesses with self-compassion and resilience.
Furthermore, Maeda discusses the power of authenticity, emphasizing the importance of staying true to oneself and living in alignment with one’s true identity and values. Lastly, she underscores the power of action, emphasizing the importance of taking intentional steps towards personal growth and fulfillment. Through her powerful and insightful talk, Maeda inspires viewers to prioritize their well-being and live a life that is meaningful and authentic.
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Author Video Description
This talk introduces essential strengths for living: “the power to give,” “the power to share,” “the power to believe,” and “the power of trust.” The speaker, who worked as an NGO staff member, learned these powers from people living with all their strength in disaster and conflict zones. Surviving under the most extreme conditions, where everything is in short supply, these individuals never ceased to show compassion, share their limited resources, offer prayers amid the fires of war and chaos, and smile at others. Deeply moved by their way of being, the speaker asserts that within these qualities lies the key to humanity’s true path toward peace. The four powers she learned there helped her once-struggling life to flourish and made her dream come true.
In a modern society that often prioritizes economic efficiency, where human lives are sometimes reduced to mere numbers, this speech serves as a warm tribute to humanity, leading us to reaffirm the notion of “human dignity,” transcending borders, ethnicities, and religions.
As a former NGO staff member, Shibuki Maeda had been deeply involved in international aid and emergency relief efforts within Japan, including disaster response. While documenting these efforts on film and sharing them with television networks and through delivering public lectures, she was awakened to the power of “visual media” that has more profound storytelling impact than words. Her photographs of children in war-torn Afghanistan deeply resonated with audiences, leading to invitations to speak across Japan to over 1,000 people. In 2010, she produced a documentary film capturing the testimonies of Japanese war survivors. Currently, she is preparing a sequel to this film and working on publishing an e-book. Her life’s work, dedicated to using visual media to connect people across borders, includes filming a documentary during a round-the-world voyage. She is the representative of Moon Camera Japan.Her media appearances include Mainichi Shimbun, Yomiuri Shimbun, Iwate Nippo, OHK Broadcasting, RNC Nishi Nippon Radio, FM Takamatsu, and more. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
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Video “Life First – The “four powers” essential for living | Shibuki Maeda | TEDxKhargharWomen” was uploaded on 01/24/2025 to Youtube Channel TEDx Talks