Fear. It is Powerful
There is no longer any place to hide from what has been simmering below the surface of our society today. Some remain silent, some carry tiki torches, some remain in their silos, or bubbles, some band together in communities, yet we all feel something. And perhaps we are all a little bit afraid.
What we fear will vary from person to person. And, almost no one will say they are afraid. Maybe it is just change that is scary. Especially the rapid pace of change today. The fear of being left out, replaced, becoming obsolete, or being on the wrong side.
Why am I writing this? It has become clear to me that some will not talk to me on camera for my An American Mosaic project, out of fear, because it could jeopardize their positions and place within their job circle, or community, maybe even life threatening in one case. This is especially true of professional people, twenty somethings, and millennials who may be riding a wave of success, and have financial and family obligations that could be jeopardized. Today a tweet or a post can move markets and crash careers. Companies and individuals alike can be under attack. Are we creating, or allowing a culture of fear to take over our lives?
We are not talking to each other today, we do not take time to understand each other and spend too much time with our devices that serve up all our information in shorthand and provide a curated feed for our unique preferences and likes.
We need to put down our devices, step outside, and look at each other and the world around us.
The times we are in today need to be talked about, and we need to talk about ourselves, what we are doing, what we care about, what we hope for ourselves and our families, and our country. Talking face to face, without filters, and listening and maybe learning something.
An American Mosaic is a project I started in early 2017. I am traveling around the country having video conversations with people about what is important to them today. It is a huge project and so far I have 80 conversations in 16 states, close to my goal. The project will conclude as a kind of documentary in 2020.
