Jordan had started a project about a year ago in a neighborhood in Atascadero. We ended up needing to move to San Luis Obispo and things kind of got turned this way and that causing him to not finish the project. Here's what it was going to be, however. He was able to have some great conversations with a few people so regardless of whether or not the project was finished, it was still edifying.
From Jordan:
There are many ways to formulate “The Big Questions.” Perhaps all the different formulations can be grouped under these three:
1. Where did we come from (past)?
2. Who are we (now)?
3. Where are we going (future)?
These questions will be highly influenced by one’s answer to this question:
Is there a God?
The “Big Questions”--some people don’t care, rarely think about them, rarely talk about them. Other people educate themselves so that they know their opinions, but have decided not to talk about it with other people, and if they do, they only talk to people who agree with them. There is a third group of people (who may have something to do with why the first two groups don’t want to talk about it). These people, whether they know anything or not, are very vocal about it and absolutely certain that anyone who disagrees with them is unintelligent and immoral (to put it nicely).
Underlying my project is the idea that these are not the only options, and that there is a better option out there. There has to be a way that we can have intelligent and respectful conversations across ideological lines.
I’m picking neighborhoods and going around interviewing people--hopefully, a good sampling of all different types of people. I am asking a simple set of questions. I want to find out, generally, where you stand in relation to the big questions. And then I want to know if you consider it important to understand why other people may believe differently.
As I interact with people in the neighborhood I will post some of the results on this blog. Depending on how it goes with my first neighborhood I might study other neighborhoods. When I am content that I have a good sampling of data I will begin work on a write-up chronicling my experience and the things I discovered. The editor of the periodical New Horizons and I talked about my concept for this, and he’s interested in publishing it. I haven’t had anything published before so it would be a first. He’s willing to give me a shot, though!
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