Empathy Helps Us See the Simple Solutions | Alvin Jia | TEDxArbutus Ridge Youth

A TEDxArbutus Ridge Youth talk by 13-year-old Alvin Jia, who recounts a humorous experience at a movie theatre. He reflects on how shifting the focus from changing others to changing himself can reveal unexpected solutions. His closing point is that empathy helps people see simple solutions. The talk also includes a short introduction in which Alvin describes his school, his interests in reading, video games and friends, and his two years of badminton after an injury ended his basketball play. He shares a light fact about his four cats, each with a different attitude toward people. The talk was given at an independently organized TEDx event using the TED conference format.

• A humorous movie theatre experience sparks a shift in perspective
• Focus moves from how others should change to how the speaker can change
• Empathy is presented as a route to simple solutions
• Introduction covers the speaker's background, badminton and his four cats

“All this time, I was thinking of ways that HE could change, but what if I could change?” Through a humorous experience at a movie theatre, Alvin Jia discovers how understanding others can lead to unexpected solutions. As he concludes, “Empathy helps us see the simple solutions.” Hello! My name is Alvin jia. I am 13 years old and I go to Collingwood school. I like reading books, playing video games and having fun with my friends. I was born in Canada, but my parents immigrated here from China. I play badminton and I’ve been playing for 2 years now! I used to play basketball but I broke my finger. Upon hearing this news, my piano teacher was very upset because I couldn’t play the piano for a few weeks. After this, I decided to play a sport that I probably wouldn’t have to worry about having a dislocated wrist the very next day. A fun fact about me is that I have 4 cats with very different attitudes towards people. One lets you cuddle, kiss and hug her however you want, the other acts like people are peasants and he’s the almighty king, one only lets one lucky person to touch her, and the last one is the wise and old one and nobody is allowed to come within arm’s length of her. 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