What does it really mean to think freely? In this eye-opening TEDx talk Miriam shares her powerful story of growing up in a world shaped by rigid ideology - where even wearing shorts or asking questions came at a cost. But when she finally broke free, she discovered something unexpected: dogmatic thinking exists everywhere, even in places that claim to value freedom and open-mindedness. To help others recognize the hidden forces that shape their thoughts, she introduces The SITT Test - a framework built on Social Pressure, Insularity, and Two-Dimensional Thought. Through personal experience and cultural insight, she challenges us all to ask: Are we truly thinking for ourselves—or simply absorbing what we’re told? Her message is a call to action: embrace the 3 Cs—Courage, Curiosity, and Compromise—and start sitting with ideas instead of silencing them. Miriam Haart stars in the award-nominated top 10 hit series, ‘My Unorthodox Life’ on Netflix. Miriam is a founder, software engineer and social influencer with more than 400K followers across her platforms, recently featured on Time Out Mag for her work. Her podcast, Faking It, has gained significant popularity. Her content involves female-tech leadership, LGBT rights , and Jewish and Middle Eastern Activism. Miriam was a lecturer and graduate in Computer Science from Stanford University. She taught a class on Virtual Reality Development. Miriam has built over 10 iOS apps, some of which she’s won awards for. Miriam is an iCenter Fellow Recipient in Middle Eastern Studies. As well as a recipient of the Z-Fellowship and the Tel Aviv Institute Fellowship. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx