TEDxChuo University

The TEDxChuo University 2026 Main Event has successfully concluded! You can now watch our speakers' talks on YouTube: Keito Inoue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucwv2aGJWl0 John Lacey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vyasqv9dvU8 Ryusuke Chudleigh: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_okccy8WFis Yujiro Shimogori: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8_s3-VH7zs You can also check out photos from the event on our Flickr page: https://www.flickr.com/photos/tedxchuou/with/55459076035 In the forest, moss grows in the shadows. It doesn't depend on bright sunlight or rich soil. It quietly covers stones, tree roots, and walls— holding moisture, stabilizing the ground, and creating space for other plants to grow. But moss itself is fragile. When it loses water, it dries up slowly and silently—often unnoticed. In our society, there are people who live like moss. They don’t speak loudly or seek attention. They carry emotional weight, comfort others, support their teams. They are seen as “stable.” But their own needs and fatigue are often ignored. If each of us is a kind of “moss” for someone else, how can we care for the quiet ones—before they dry out in silence? 森の中で、苔は日陰で静かに育ちます。強い日差しや豊かな土を必要とせず、岩や木の根、壁などをそっと覆い、水分を保ち、大地を安定させ、他の植物が生きる場所を作ります。でも、苔自身はとても繊細な存在です。水分を失えば、ゆっくりと、静かに枯れていきます。 その変化に気づく人はほとんどいません。社会の中にも、苔のように生きる人がいます。声を荒げることもなく、目立つこともなく、他人の感情を受け止め、支え、「安定した人」として見られることが多いです。でも、彼らの疲れや感情は、見過ごされがちです。もし私たち一人ひとりが、誰かにとっての「苔」なのだとしたら、他の静かな存在が、声も出せずに枯れてしまう前に、私たちはどう支えることができるのでしょうか？