A couple of stories have been getting a lot of press around here this week. There is also a story about an infant who might be able to save the life of another. And certainly, there is no mistaking the bad that is continuing to evolve in Italy from the earthquake on this past weekend.
Both events bring up the need to find some good in what outwardly, appears very bad. Watch this video, from TED, by David Hoffman who had a bad thing happen, here.
Here is a comment that he made after this video was posted.
I am coming up on 10 months since the fire. The fire kicked me off the
mountain in Bonny Doon. The little house we now live in downtown Santa
Cruz is a joy. Decidedly a plus.
I have contacted colleagues around the world whom I worked with over my
44 years as a filmmaker and reestablished friendships and talked about
new projects. Definitely a plus.
I have taken every piece of partially burned anything off the fire site
and re-examined it to see what I could still use. The film is
destroyed. But the books and photographs and LP records and some of the
video survives. Each day is an exciting new “find” for me when I
re-examine this stuff. Definitely a plus.
I have gotten to know on a variety of professional and personal levels
a dozens Tedsters who heard my talk and were affected by it or who knew
me before and became more curious to know more. Definitely a plus.
My old original 16mm film is stored in New York City at a lab that
would charge a mint to try to save it. I don’t have those funds. Each
month they charge me for storage and object to the smell from the fire.
Definitely a negative. I don’t know what to do about that.
All of all. A positive experience. And added to that, the insurance
company, The Hartford, was fair and didn’t torture me. I hear that they
can do that. Also a plus.
David Hoffman
Where can you find the good?
Tags: finding perfect, imperfect
