Ben Saunders
Rating: ***
The TED Talk, Why Bother Leaving the House was very well written and presented, but it wasn’t very convincing. Despite all of the stories that Ben Saunders told about multiple explorers, including himself, who had gone on incredible adventures, his argument just wasn't very believable because he kept contradicting himself.
In this article, Saunders spoke about how he had heard someone ask the question, “Why bother leaving the house?” and he felt the need to answer. He spoke about how watching will never be the same as doing. Looking things up on the internet will never be able to compete with the excitement of doing them. He used examples such as the first man to possibly reach the top of mount everest (he died while he was on the mountain so no one knows if he made it to the top or not), a group of men who trekked across the south pole (and also died during their adventure) and himself when he went on his trip through the north pole from Russia to Canada. All of these trips were described as miserable, cold and (for the most part) unsuccessful. He finished by answering the question and saying, “... true, real inspiration and growth come from adversity and from challenge. From stepping away from what’s comfortable and familiar and stepping out into the unknown.”
Though most of this TED Talk wasn't very convincing nor was it very interesting, I decided to give it three stars because of the concluding statement. I found it to be a very intelligent answer to a very difficult question. It made me realize that Saunders did at least have some idea of what he was talking about and made me begin to agree with him. Though I don’t personally excel in the field of outdoor knowledge, I took this course to become better at things that involve me going outside and I am beginning to realize the value of the outdoors. I would definitely like to do some more outdoor activities.
Saunders, Ben. "Ben Saunders: Why Bother Leaving the House?" YouTube. YouTube. Web. 31 Oct. 2014.
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