Here's the challenge, in simple terms. There are 365 days in a year. Every day you must find a random person, someone you do NOT know and ask them about themselves, their culture, their views. Get to know them and then document in a vlog or journal your experience.
Rules:
1) You cannot correct their thoughts. This is about them, not you. You are getting to know them.
2) No judgments. If you don't know what judgment means, perhaps you should contact me. That reservation you feel right now as you think about it, that's called judgment.
3) They must be unknown to you
4) One person a day only. This is so you spend a full day thinking about them and what you have gained from them as a person. How have they enriched your life in that moment.
5) In your journal, blog, or vlog, you must name one thing specifically that you appreciate about that person.
That's the challenge.
This started with me a few days ago, right here in prison. I spoke to an Ethiopian man who is almost entirely isolated. Its assumed he doesn't speak English because he's black, race plays a part as well. So in all my studious self righteousness and my fight for unity, I seen this man, sitting by himself. I learned the following:
1) Ethiopia has never been colonized
2) Class ism is severe in Ethiopia, either your rich or poor, no middle class
3) You must be Ethiopian to operate a business in Ethiopia, unless you become business partners
4) He believes that Americas best attribute is its a wonderful place to raise a child because of quality education, freedom of speech and thought, and relatively low violence in comparison to other countries.
5) He believes Americas worst attribute is the unnamed, invisible separation of people. He said because we cannot and will not name what divides we will never get rid of it
6) Race is not cultural identity. Yeah...think about that. American is not a culture. Its a physical location. There once was a culture here, Indians, Natives. Our culture is derived from ancestry. Ancestry we should be proud of, not denouncing.
All of this wisdom from a man nobody speaks to, now I know why they aren't prepared for it.
I'll do my what I can to view your entries, but I am in prison so the updates will be by word of mouth unless you update me directly. When you post your findings, add the tag line "One person a day challenge" to the title so it can be searched.
With Love
Jeff
Rules:
1) You cannot correct their thoughts. This is about them, not you. You are getting to know them.
2) No judgments. If you don't know what judgment means, perhaps you should contact me. That reservation you feel right now as you think about it, that's called judgment.
3) They must be unknown to you
4) One person a day only. This is so you spend a full day thinking about them and what you have gained from them as a person. How have they enriched your life in that moment.
5) In your journal, blog, or vlog, you must name one thing specifically that you appreciate about that person.
That's the challenge.
This started with me a few days ago, right here in prison. I spoke to an Ethiopian man who is almost entirely isolated. Its assumed he doesn't speak English because he's black, race plays a part as well. So in all my studious self righteousness and my fight for unity, I seen this man, sitting by himself. I learned the following:
1) Ethiopia has never been colonized
2) Class ism is severe in Ethiopia, either your rich or poor, no middle class
3) You must be Ethiopian to operate a business in Ethiopia, unless you become business partners
4) He believes that Americas best attribute is its a wonderful place to raise a child because of quality education, freedom of speech and thought, and relatively low violence in comparison to other countries.
5) He believes Americas worst attribute is the unnamed, invisible separation of people. He said because we cannot and will not name what divides we will never get rid of it
6) Race is not cultural identity. Yeah...think about that. American is not a culture. Its a physical location. There once was a culture here, Indians, Natives. Our culture is derived from ancestry. Ancestry we should be proud of, not denouncing.
All of this wisdom from a man nobody speaks to, now I know why they aren't prepared for it.
I'll do my what I can to view your entries, but I am in prison so the updates will be by word of mouth unless you update me directly. When you post your findings, add the tag line "One person a day challenge" to the title so it can be searched.
With Love
Jeff
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