Service Unites | Koby Langley | TEDxRiverOaks 

Hearing about the American Red Cross's role globally and at home reminds us of the scale of humanitarian efforts needed. There's so many even at our doorstep that need help,

I like the viewpoint that service isn't just about helping others, it's about bringing us closer together as a society. That's a nice message.

This talk leaves me feeling hopeful and inspired to make a difference in my community.

What a great presentation! Service does unite.

It's incredible how much can be accomplished when we work together, thank you for this reminder ❤

It's so true that civil discourse seems lost today. We need more reminders like this talk.

If the world is going to get better, we need more people willing to care for others.

Thank you for helping me find some of the tools I need to move forward with hope.

Love it, the messages of finding unity through service is more important now than ever.

Inspiring to see someone with such a high position in the American Red Cross advocating for unity and compassion.

The personal stories from the Red Cross were moving. It shows the impact of every volunteer.

Thank you Koby for this inspiring message of hope!

Thought-provoking words. Governor Wes Moore has a similar mantra; Koby just brought it home for me. The words were good, now it’s time to work. Let’s do it! ❤

The concept that "service unites" is such a powerful reminder that working alongside those we disagree with can change our perceptions of them. It's about seeing humanity in everyone and I agree that working alongside people achieves this.

Thank you for these wonderful words!

This talk ticked so many boxes I needed to change my mindset, thank you.

Very moving talk and deep thinking about where we've been, where we are and where we are going. The social divide is reunited through service. I go back in time thinking when propaganda was in back rooms, alley ways and underground. Today it sits in the palm of our hands with flashing and pinging screens. Listening is truly an art, service is an action that brings things to light. I often wonder about cause and separation, and why I would even expect or think that my way is the only way.

Such an inspirational speech!!! The world needs to put aside differences and help/love one another.

"American's prescribe the course of action and the tools they need at the moment they need them most" Very inspiring talk! I love Koby Langley's perspective and insights!

Well said, Koby! Those of us that have lived it know that service is the great unifier. I don't remember anyone caring about my background, religion, or receding hairline when we were solving the problems of our great country. Outstanding message!

Koby is a phenomenal leader. I love his comment that "when people are stripped away from the noise and haste of the world... they realize that we have more in common than not." Important sentiments in these times.

Words -- leading to actions -- to live by! Super message and compelling presentation, Koby. This message needs to be widely shared.

Compassion in challenging times, I hear you in a world that is going through rapid change. We have not been confronted by "hard times" for many decades and its wonder where the great leaders of yesteryear have gone.

An amazing speech from an amazing leader. Beautifully said! This is such an important message for everyone to hear.

Service empowers us as a society and no matter how bad things are, it's important to reach out and help one another. This was truly uplifting and inspirational!

Mr Langley gave another inspiring speech raving salient points of encouragement, reminding us to serve through herioc volunteered goals, in spite of our differences. ALL THE WAY- Airborne!

I think the call to serve our communities is something we an all get behind, but sometimes it's hard to find a sense of community in the first place

What an amazing speech with a powerful message!

Gotta admit, I teared up a bit when he talked about veterans and wounded warriors. My cousin served, and it's nice to know orgs like the Red Cross have their backs.

Loving the encouragement to break out of our bubbles and connect with others through service.

Thank you so much for your service!

No matter my personal circumstances I know there are others worse off and deciding to serve has benefitted me by shifting my focus.

Amen, Amen, and AMEN!

Loved how he uses historical speeches to show that we've faced division before and have always found ways to unite for a greater good. It made me think about the power of perspective.

Appreciate the historical context provided-it really puts things into perspective.

I had the opportunity to work with Koby on a post-typhoon disaster recovery project in the Philippines. He's the real deal. This is good stuff.

Thank you for doing this, this is exactly what I needed today!

I love this talk and the perspective he's giving!! Can you imagine the impact if we all sought to serve?

sometimes it's acts of service that are the most meaningful!

This message needs to be bottled and sold in every country on the planet NGL.

We love our veterans!

I am going to sign up to volunteer TODAY!!

I wish soooooo much that others will hear this message and take it to heart.

A wonderful and timely message, let's take heed y'all. We're more alike than we are different.

Fantastic speech, Koby. I couldn't agree more: YES, Service def. Unites!!! Let's do it! It's possible!

This was an amazing speech. Thank you!

Serving alongside those we disagree with is a challenging call to action but he makes a lot of good points about why we should do it.

What he said about how we've been through tough times before and can get through them again was a really great point and good reminder that resilience is key

I appreciated the call to look outside our echo chambers and work together, even with those we disagree with. It's something we all need to do more often.

I found the comparison to past hardships like the Great Depression quite powerful. It helps put our current struggles in perspective which isn't always easy to do.

That FDR quote about plenty still being at our doorstep really resonated with me. Easy to forget how good we have it sometimes, even with all the craziness going on.

Excellent message!! Well done! ~Li

This is a great message, definitely sharing.

You're an inspiration.

he is right about how disasters don't care about politics. been through a tornado, and lemme tell ya, you're just grateful for any help you can get.

This was an amazing speech. Thank you!

the way he broke down how service can be a unifying force was really cool I never considered how helping others could be an antidote to polarization.

What he says around the 5:00 mark is so important. We often seek to villainize those we disagree with because it makes it so much easier to feel justified in thinking we're right and they're wrong about _everything_ but at the end of the day we're all just people!!

I love the reference to the 'Network' monologue. It really sets the tone for how crazy things feel right now.

History repeats itself, the names and circumstances may change and as long as 'us and them' remains, the outcome is fighting the same war in different times. They say democracy is under attack, perhaps we should recognize humanity is under attack and greed wins every time. We've already forgotten the last, or most recent, disaster. And what do we remember most, and report on, the cost in dollars. This talk gives me hope, and with voice, comes change.

this talk made me realize I've been part of the problem, cutting off friends who think differently. might be time to reach out and mend some fences.

I appreciate that he didn't sugarcoat things. yeah, stuff's bad, but we've been here before and we can get through it. that's weirdly comforting.

This is a great message, thank you for sharing it 💜

I guess helping people in immediate need puts all our smaller disagreements into perspective

I must say this is a fantastic approach to bridging the gap between people

I agree with this, nothing unites people quite like a common cause and when that includes helping others out of a bad situation it really makes us see each others humanity 💜

Thanks for sharing something I didn't know till today "Grace" is written into American law. I'm keen to research what that actually means. Thanks for opening my eyes.

his insight on how service realigns priorities without changing beliefs is profound. could be a way to find common ground without compromising our values.

The Red Cross has always been a great place to volunteer, but sometimes hard to get into.

It was confronting at [5:47 mark] to hear him say "the buzz of assuming the other side isn't just wrong they're actually eviI". We have to change that perception.

I love the idea of bringing someone you disagree with to volunteer. Can you imagine if everyone did that instead of resorting to passive aggressive or just outright aggressive behaviors? The world would be such a nicer place to live in.

the part about the people who are suffering not caring about politics really put things in perspective. makes our daily arguments seem pretty trivial, huh?

You had me at The Network quote! Classic movie!

The analogy of no atheists in foxholes really hits different in this context. It's not about reliqion; it's about facing extreme situations together and how that removes our pre-conceived negative perceptions of one another

gotta say, the foxhole analogy was pretty powerful. makes you think about how we're all in this together, even if we don't always act like it.

ngl, I was skeptical at first, but by the end I was sold. gonna try to convince my friend from the "other side" to volunteer with me next month.

The part about grace in the justice system got me thinking. Maybe we should apply that same principle to how we treat people we disagree with politically. food for thought.

This is a really lovely message, I think if more people came together for the sake of something bigger than themselves a lot of the silly ego related stuff would drop off

Wow. THIS!!!

fantastic, loved this

Awesome!

Okayyy it's not that we don't know the answers within our own social networks it's that there are so many different people who have different ideas of what the problems are in the first place. So of course no one's going to have a good solution.

Thanks god MCR staff church priest Richard and police NHS saved me from untimely early feast

i'm still stuck on that 1976 movie speech he opened with. crazy how relevant it still feels today. maybe things aren't as unprecedented as we think?

Wow. THIS!!!

never thought about how volunteering could be a form of conflict resolution. wonder if this approach could work on a larger scale, like between countries?

The reference to FDR's speech during the Great Depression was so poignant. History can teach us so much if we pay attention

It's interesting to hear him say service can be a pathway out of civic unrest.... I get how being more active in a community can lead to overcoming certain issues but there are a lot of systemic problems in most communities and maybe I'm just cynical but I can't help but doubt the power that the individual has over those things.

This is all good and well but where exactly do you go and find these people that are so different to you where you can just "serve" alongside them?

He really drives home the point that coming together in times of need transcends our political and social differences. I agree that it should as well but I don't know... seems pretty idealistic.

the idea of service as a "more immediately humane hierarchy of priorities" is sticking with me. maybe we're too focused on abstract disagreements when there's real, tangible work to be done.

Yeah I don't know that I can agree with him on all of this, we have moved past those times that he talks about (the great depression etc,) but did we ever actually overcome all the hardships and trauma that came with it?

Where do I sign up?

Where did this come from?

his military experience adds a lot of weight to his words. If people who literally put their lives on the line can work together, why can't the rest of us?

The message of service and oneness is a powerful one, but the execution in this vision is so fuzzy. Just how exactly do we have people at opposite ends of the spectrum come together in service without that seeming forced or superficial?

interesting how he connected natural and "unnatural" disasters. makes you think about how our social divisions can be just as devastating as environmental catastrophes.

this talk left me with a lot to chew on. maybe the solution to our problems isn't as complicated as we think. just gotta roll up our sleeves and help each other out.

I think the use of movie speeches was a clever way to start the conversation on drama versus reality but sometimes you need to be a bit dramatic to get people to take things seriously.

I don't think people are ready to let go of their biases to help others. Maybe I'm wrong ...