"Thou Mayest." It's an open ended concept allowing individuals to leap as far forward as they dare...or not. It is also the theme for Westminster College's TEDx event to be held Saturday, Nov. 7.
For those not familiar with TED talks, they are international forums of interested individuals gathering to listen to thinkers, creators, politicians, educators or activists who may have an inspiring or educational message to share. TEDx events are localized versions of a similar kind of event, sanctioned by TED, but organized by individual communities. Students at Westminster have worked to bring the popular concept to Fulton.
"I picked up a post card from Thou Mayest Coffee Roasters in Kansas City," said Shrijan Amatya, who helped coordinate the event. "I gave it to my roommate who started talking about where the title came from." Amatya said that he had taken Philosophy 101 where they had discussed predestination vs. free will and the choices we make.
"We started getting really excited about the deeper meaning in the words," he said.
The phrase was taken from the novel "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck and is used when a character is discussing the biblical story of Cain and Abel, considering the difference between interpretations of the Hebrew word "timshel." One translation being "thou shalt," which is a command. The other being "thou mayest," which offers a choice.
"It might be the most important word in the world," says Steinbeck's character.
Amatya, who is originally from Nepal, was part of a TEDx event in his home country. Then after attending the student led Igniting Innovation Summit at Harvard last year, he was inspired to help create a student organized event at Westminster. He was joined in his efforts by Iain Gould, Jem Guhit, Jinyu Wang, Fathimath Shafa, Meili Tuyisenge, Jessica Zitong Jia, Joseph Opoku, Xolo Msomi, Manoj Ghimire, and Nikita Thompson.
According to a press release about the event, Westminster TEDx speakers will be exploring the theme by "celebrating the power of human choices... believing we can change the world if we choose to." Speakers are those individuals who are leading their lives in an effort to make positive change.
Confirmed speakers include Rachel Hills, an Australian writer living in New York City whose work focusing on feminism, politics and social trends has been published in such heavy hitters as the "New York Times," "The Atlantic" and "The New Republic" among others.
Zhou Li, Chief College Counselor of Beijing No. 4 High School, nuclear physicist, and an avid lover of classical music who inspires an appreciation of the arts and culture in students by purchasing, then donating, concert and drama tickets to his students.
There will be a total of 13 speakers who will present from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday. The event will be held at Champ Auditorium on the Westminster campus, and seating is limited. To purchase tickets in advance visit the website at http://news.westminster-mo.edu.