TED Talk Tuesday: Before I Die I Want To…

Candy Chang turned an abandoned house into a giant chalkboard asking a fill-in-the-blank question. The answers became an unexpected mirror for the community.

By Nick Powills1851 Franchise Publisher

SPONSOREDUpdated 3:15PM • 03/29/16

Candy Chang says that thanks to her TED Talk, more than two million people have watched her cry. It was the first time she spoke about Joan in public, and saying her name triggered a rush of memories—the day she had a conversation about love in a Detroit café or the satisfaction in her voice when she talked about her garden.

You see, Joan’s death was sudden. The Before I Die project was a way for Chang to make sense of the aftermath. She avoided thinking about death most of her life—in part because we’re often taught to avoid it. But when Joan died, she couldn’t escape it any longer. Chang was forced to feel a deep gratitude for the time she’s had. It also brought clarity to the things that are meaningful in the present.

But maintaining that perspective every single day can be hard—it’s all too easy to get caught up in the day-to-day, and forget what matters. So, with the help from old and new friends, Chang turned the side of an old abandoned house in New Orleans into a giant chalkboard, and she stenciled it with a fill-in-the-blank sentence: “Before I die, I want to…” Anyone who walked by could pick up a piece of chalk, reflect on their life and share their personal aspirations with the rest of the world.

She wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from the experiment. But the next day, the wall was entirely filled—and it kept growing.

“Before I die, I want to plant a tree.”

“Before I die, I want to live off the grid.”

“Before I die, I want to hold her one last time.”

“Before I die, I want to be completely myself.”

This once neglected place had suddenly become a constructive one, and people’s hopes and dreams made Chang laugh out loud and tear up. Total strangers were also there to console each other during tough times.

“It’s about knowing you’re not alone; it’s about understanding our neighbors in new and enlightening ways; it’s about making a space for reflection and contemplation, and remembering what really matters most to us as we grow and change,” Chang said.

Click here to watch the full TED Talk.