Ben Saunders poses an interesting question in his recent TEDSalon London talk: “Why bother leaving the house?” He spends an engaging ten minutes answering that question in a sometimes-unexpected way. His talk is powerful, inspiring and truly motivational for the amateur adventurer.
Much of the power in Saunders talk results from his poignant storytelling. His own story is an amazing one, as we glean immediately from his profession as explorer. At 26, he was the youngest person ever to ski solo to the North Pole, from Northern Russia to Northern Canada. He didn’t see anyone for 10 weeks during the journey, and faced brutal weather conditions. He admits candidly that it wasn’t much fun, that there wasn’t much joy involved in the journey. Rather, it was extremely difficult and lonely. He points out that what made the journey worth the struggle was that everything he experienced was unique to him; no one will ever see it again.
Saunders’ experience is an extraordinary, utterly unique one, but he avoids alienating his audience because he speaks in terms most people can relate to. Any seasoned explorer, hiker, or traveler is very much familiar with the feeling of being the only one to experience something, albeit perhaps on a smaller scale than Saunders’ experience. Surely, there’s many in the audience, and many watching at home, nodding their heads in agreement when he muses, “I can try to explain it to you, but you’ll never really know.” That experiential discontent is a universal feeling, and Saunders does well to speak to it in a poignant, simple way.
Saunders also does a wonderful job using quotes and secondary stories throughout his talk. The quotes he chooses nuance and define his topic of exploration, and allow for more voices than just his own to express an opinion about why we should leave the house and get out into the world. And recounting heady stories from the past serves as the perfect support for his main idea.
Above all, we love the motivational and inspiring tone of Saunders’ talk. “To experience, to engage, to endeavor, rather than to watch and to wonder– that’s where the real meat of life is to be found.” If that quote doesn’t inspire you to get off the couch and into the world, we don’t know what will.
