Full Frame: Solving global challenges through connectivity

Full Frame

Full Frame: Solving global challenges through connectivitySpiritual guru Dr. Deepak Chopra

This week on Full Frame: How do we unplug and connect with each other to solve global challenges?

Newsmaker: Dr. Deepak Chopra uses Mind-Body Medicine to inspire “the change” he wishes “to see in the world”

“Stress is the number one epidemic of our civilization and it’s linked to every other epidemic,” says Dr. Deepak Chopra, the author of 19 New York Times best-sellers and a global leader and spiritual guru in the field of mind-body medicine. Thirty years after beginning his medical practice, Dr. Chopra’s global fan base ranges from young students in India to celebrities, including Lady Gaga and Oprah Winfrey.

He equates stress with the ocean’s waves and if we have the momentum to surf those waves, we never have to be stressed. Chopra links the future state of society to the wellbeing of every individual and every individual’s community. And the first step begins with each person taking responsibility for his or her own well being.

Dr. Deepak Chopra talks with Mike Walter

Dr. Deepak Chopra talks with Mike Walter

Chopra’s medical training in neuro-endocrinology has informed his views on global issues and shaped the solutions he proposes to combat them.

“Stress wreaks physiological havoc” on the individual, but also leads to global conflict, economic disparity, and environmental degradation, according to Dr. Chopra. In his work with The Chopra Foundation, Dr. Chopra has committed to improving health and education standards worldwide and promoting world peace by working with the next generation of world leaders.

Dr. Deepak Chopra joins Full Frame’s Mike Walter to share his holistic approach for solving the biggest problems facing communities around the world.

Panel: Unintentional internet celebrities, Charlene deGuzman and Tara Tiger Brown, differ in their views on life in a cyber-world

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Charlene deGuzman and Tara Tiger Brown

They disagree about whether smart phones and social media divide or connect us, yet Charlene deGuzman and Tara Tiger Brown are both creators of YouTube videos that went viral. Both women agree that technology is undeniably powerful.  But while it can help us maintain old friendship and make new connections with people we may never meet “in the real world”, is it also hindering us from living in the present?

After feeling overwhelmingly frustrated at a concert during which most audience members were filming on their smart phones, Charlene deGuzman was inspired to make the short film “I forgot my phone.” Relatable social commentary, the film has garnered over 42 million YouTube views and triggered a worldwide discussion about living in the “now” rather than living for “likes.”  DeGuzman argues that we need to focus more on validating ourselves rather than looking to our social media circles for validation.

Tara Tiger Brown lives a very cyber-connected life. She appreciates the ease with which she can connect with old friends and communicate long distance through social media. Her husband proposed to her via a tweet, to which she responded with “w00t.” Photos and videos of her son, Rips, continue to go viral. For Brown, social media and the devices we use to access online platforms are a modern necessity that is bringing her closer to the people she cares about most in the world.

Charlene and Tara join Full Frame this week to discuss their thoughts on our transition into an increasingly cyber-world.

Newsmaker:  Ian Somerhalder is using a holistic framework to promote the importance of creating a more sustainable future

You may recognize him as Damon Salvatore on the hit television drama, The Vampire Diaries, but what you might not know about Ian Somerhalder is that he’s a pioneer in environmental protectionism. Launched in 2010, the Ian Somerhalder Foundation is on a mission to “empower, educate and collaborate with people and projects to positively impact the planet and its creatures.”

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Ian Somerhalder

He’s the recipient of numerous awards for his environmental activism and strongly believes that we all have an inter-connected role in saving and transforming the environment.

“We vote everyday with our dollar,” says Somerhalder, a strong advocate for consumer education. From big-ticket purchases, like the cars we drive, to the snacks we purchase after work, we must consider where the products are coming from and how they are produced.

Somerhalder is one of the most powerful voices exposing the state of the planet and promoting positive change and he joins Full Frame’s Mike Walter to discuss the progress that’s being made in empowering the next generation to live more sustainable lives.

Essay: Andres Amador’s earth-scape artistry is destroyed and then shared

His art washes away within minutes of creating it, but there’s an enduring quality to Andres Amador’s works on sand. The joy and energy that Amador encourages is ever-present in his form of creative expression. He works in accordance with the cycles of the natural world and derives inspiration from the world around him.

After studying environmental conservation in Ecuador with the Peace Corps, Andres switched gears to connect with the earth on much more personal level. Andres has found a following in San Francisco and around the world via social media. For Andres, the most important aspect of his art is the being in the moment as he creates it even though the work is memorialized through photographs and videos.

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Andres Amador’s artwork

Full Frame visits Andres to learn about his inspiration and see his art before the tide washes it away.

Tune in to Full Frame on CCTV America at 8:00 pm EDT on June 28, 2014. Or watch the live stream of the program here.