When we realize just how tethered to one another we truly are, we can begin to see through the veil which separates us and imagine other people’s lives as mirrors of our own. You cannot be human in isolation but only when united with other people. We must appreciate the interconnection,the process by which we are woven to one another from the moment of our birth, bonding us perpetually to the entire human race. [Filmed at TEDxMaastricht]
Amalie Jahn grew up with her nose buried between the pages of her favorite novels. Like many other children who were ostracized or picked on in some way, she used the written word as a way to escape – reading whatever fiction she could get her hands on and writing her own verities as well. Happily, things are much better for her these days, and now she uses the power of the written word to inspire and encourage a new generation of readers as an author.
“I take inspiration for my novels from the collective experiences which draw people together. One of life’s greatest truths is that we are all much more alike than we are different, and what most of us are looking for more than anything else is acceptance. Capturing stories and drawing on the emotions which resonate inside all of us is my passion.”
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.
Piloted by 
The Detroit Free Press writer, Joel Thurtell, on June 3, 2007, writes, “A helicopter pilot with acrophobia? A flyboy who can’t stand at the edge of a tall building without panicking?