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When I graduated UCLA, I moved to northern California,

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and I lived in a little town called Elk

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on the Mendocino coast,

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and I didn't have a phone or TV, but I had U.S. mail,

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and life was good back then, if you could remember it.

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I'd go to the general store for a cup of coffee

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and a brownie, and I'd ship my film

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to San Francisco, and lo and behold, two days later,

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it would end up on my front door,

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which was way better than having to fight the traffic

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of Hollywood. (Music)

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I didn't have much money,

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but I had time and a sense of wonder. (Music)

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So I started shooting time-lapse photography.

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It would take me a month to shoot a four-minute

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roll of film, because that's all I could afford.

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I've been shooting time-lapse flowers continuously,

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non-stop, 24 hours a day, seven days a week,

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for over 30 years, and to see them move

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is a dance I'll never get tired of.

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Their beauty immerses us with color, taste, touch.

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It also provides a third of the food we eat.

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(Music)

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Beauty and seduction is nature's tools for survival,

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because we protect what we fall in love with.

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It opens our hearts, and makes us realize

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we are a part of nature and we're not separate from it.

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When we see ourselves in nature, it also connects us

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to every one of us, because it's clear

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that it's all connected in one.

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When people see my images, a lot of times they'll say,

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"Oh my God." Have you ever wondered what that meant?

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The "oh" means it caught your attention,

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makes you present, makes you mindful.

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The "my" means it connects with something deep

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inside your soul.

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It creates a gateway for your inner voice to rise up

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and be heard. And "God"?

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God is that personal journey we all want to be on,

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to be inspired, to feel like we're connected to a universe

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that celebrates life.

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Did you know that 80 percent

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of the information we receive comes through our eyes?

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And if you compare light energy to musical scales,

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it would only be one octave that the naked eye could see,

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which is right in the middle?

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And aren't we grateful for our brains that can, you know,

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take this electrical impulse that comes from light energy

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to create images in order for us to explore our world?

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And aren't we grateful that we have hearts

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that can feel these vibrations

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in order for us to allow ourselves to feel the pleasure

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and the beauty of nature?

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(Music)

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Nature's beauty is a gift that cultivates

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appreciation and gratitude.

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(Music)

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So I have a gift I want to share with you today,

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a project I'm working on called Happiness Revealed,

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and it'll give us a glimpse into that perspective

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from the point of view of a child and an elderly man

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of that world.

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Child: When I watch TV,

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it's just some shows that you just -- that are pretend,

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and when you explore, you get

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more imagination than you already had,

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and when you get more imagination,

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it makes you want to go deeper in

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so you can get more and see beautifuller things,

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like the path, if it's a path, it could lead you to a beach,

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or something, and it could be beautiful.

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(Music)

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Elderly Man: You think this is just another day in your life?

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It's not just another day. It's the one day that is given to you

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today.

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It's given to you. It's a gift.

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It's the only gift that you have right now,

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and the only appropriate response

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is gratefulness.

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If you do nothing else but to cultivate that response

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to the great gift that this unique day is,

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if you learn to respond

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as if it were the first day in your life

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and the very last day,

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then you will have spent this day very well.

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Begin by opening your eyes and be surprised

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that you have eyes you can open,

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that incredible array of colors that is constantly offered to us

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for pure enjoyment.

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Look at the sky.

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We so rarely look at the sky.

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We so rarely note how different it is

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from moment to moment, with clouds coming and going.

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We just think of the weather,

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and even with the weather, we don't think of

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all the many nuances of weather.

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We just think of good weather and bad weather.

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This day, right now, has unique weather,

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maybe a kind that will never exactly

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in that form come again.

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That formation of clouds in the sky will never be the same

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as it is right now.

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Open your eyes. Look at that.

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Look at the faces of people whom you meet.

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Each one has an incredible story behind their face,

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a story that you could never fully fathom,

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not only their own story, but the story of their ancestors.

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We all go back so far,

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and in this present moment, on this day,

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all the people you meet, all that life from generations

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and from so many places all over the world

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flows together and meets you here

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like a life-giving water, if you only open your heart and drink.

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(Music)

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Open your heart to the incredible gifts that civilization

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gives to us.

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You flip a switch and there is electric light.

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You turn a faucet and there is warm water and cold water,

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and drinkable water.

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It's a gift that millions and millions in the world

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will never experience.

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So these are just a few of an enormous number of gifts

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to which we can open your heart.

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And so I wish you that you will open your heart

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to all these blessings, and let them flow through you,

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that everyone whom you will meet on this day

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will be blessed by you,

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just by your eyes,

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by your smile,

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by your touch,

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just by your presence.

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Let the gratefulness overflow

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into blessing all around you,

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and then it will really be a good day. (Music)

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(Applause)

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Louie Schwartzberg: Thank you.

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Thank you very much. (Applause)