Just yesterday I heard about the TED Prize. It is a prize given each year and the three winners tell their "One Wish to Change the World." The winners get $100,000 and a community of people who help to see this through. Throughout the year their wish is monitored as people track how close the wish is to reality. (tedprize.org)
The TED Prize is a great idea, but I was struck by a wish that won in 2009. Jill Tarter won and this was her wish. “I wish that you would empower Earthlings everywhere to become active participants in the ultimate search for cosmic company." You can watch her speech on the site, but I got a little nervous by the first minute alone. She's a wonderful astronomer, but I can't help but hope there isn't life outside this planet. I'm not afraid of aliens, but I feel like we have trouble caring for each other already, then there are all the animals with rights and if aliens join that too what would happen? SETI is located in California, which makes me think Arizona would have serious law problems if people from other planets started visiting.
All of this personal opinion aside, the TED Prize got me thinking. Jill is probably a wonderful person and has been very successful in her fields, but this got me thinking that I could probably have a wish that would change the world too. I decided each month in honor of the TED prize I'm going to post a wish someone shares. What would be your one wish to change the world?
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