Summer Inquiry Project

From Birmingham, AL August 19, 2006

I’m on my own now, for the rest of the trip. Sometimes there have been thoughts about being alone, thoughts such as “it’ll be lonely” and “it’s scary” and “I won’t have other people to keep me sane”… and even the thought “I’m on my own” is questionable. Upon questioning these I, of course, have discovered that I don’t know them to be true. And in fact, my experience has been that I love traveling both alone and with people, and also that I stay with so many people, and talk with so many people, that I’m rarely alone even when I’m traveling by myself. So, experience is disproving these thoughts!

I lived in Birmingham for six years as a kid, and have fond memories of the city. We lived in a beautiful section of town, near parks with lots of trees, and also near active parts of town. So, I went to some of the parks that I remembered growing up in. Memories of learning to ride a bike, and all of the places I’d run around in, and all of the “secret pathways” I knew of as a kid – through apartment buildings and alleys and between houses – began flooding back to mind. I was grateful and in awe of the green around me, of the place I spent 6 formative years of my life exploring. I was grateful for my parents, who allowed me to wander all around the neighborhood, and I was grateful to have had this spot of earth to support me and let me play. Then I went to Little Five Points and found a Starbucks.

I’ve decided to stop sitting outside with signs for the time being. Instead, I’m approaching people and asking if I can interview them, and with their permission I’m recording the conversations on audio and video (new skills to learn!!) We haven’t been meeting many conservatives lately, which is why I’ve decided to try out this new approach to the project.

So, Starbucks is a great place to meet people. Actually, almost any place where there are people is a great place to meet people. I had four conversations (with seven people – only one interview was with someone who was alone), and I learned so much! I began talking with a woman and her friend about politics. She thinks that politics and race/racial issues are deeply connected. I asked her lots of questions about that, and she told me ways she thinks racism is different in the south and in the north in this country. She said that in the south it’s more about roles – people of color (maybe even specifically black people) often have the “role” of caretaker or servant, and in the north racism is more an assumption that people of color are less intelligent than white people. She also told me about how she sees and experiences racism in her daily life. One thing that she said that I found particularly striking was when she said that peoples’ experiences shape their minds. I’d not thought of it like this… so specifically… before. What you’re exposed to can influence what you think about. I’ll try and post this part of our conversation to YouTube soon.

Next I talked with a mother and daughter who were visiting Birmingham from Tennessee. From them I learned that there’s a large part of the population who doesn’t identify as Republican or Democrat, but who cares more about certain qualities, ideals, and morals… and votes based on these characteristics rather than along party lines. They both told me that they would vote for a candidate – liberal or conservative, Democrat or Republican – based on what they stood for rather than their political party affiliation.

Next I spoke with two first year nursing students. We talked for 40 minutes, and like most other people I’ve spoken with I experienced a real connection with them. Then I spoke with a man and he also began talking about race and racism. I asked him lots of questions, and at the end of our conversation he thanked me profusely. He said our time together had made his day, and that this was the first time he’d ever spoken to a white person about racism in the ways we had. I left feeling honored, and excited. The power of a conversation can be amazing!

In Birmingham I stayed with the Cappers – my parents friends. I hadn’t seen them except for once, since we moved from Alabama. It was wonderful to stay with them. They were so generous with me – feeding me, housing me, and with their interest and ideas about this project.

From Anderson, SC August 17, 2006

Drew and I drove to Anderson on the 18th and stayed with his friend Elizabeth. We got there around 7 and she took us to Hooters. It was bike night there, and there were TONS of motorcycles and people hanging around outside. We painted our faces half red and half blue. Since it was bike night, there was a D.J. outside blasting music. He started talking to us as soon as we showed up – wondering if we were protesting, what we were protesting, if it was positive or negative, and he made some fart jokes.

A few people came up and talked with us. I spoke for a long time with a man who used to help build nuclear warheads, and now he does everyday construction work. He thinks that world peace will never happen. Since I’ve had that thought too, I asked him to facilitate me in questioning it. He obliged, and I discovered (again) that with the thought I become pessimistic and apathetic, and without the thought I do what I can to find and build world peace within myself and in all my relationships (including my relationship with the world). This is my business… discovering my part in building peace is my business.

A couple also came up to us. One was a liberal, and one was a conservative. I asked them what common ground they have found, and they said “bikes” and (if I remember correctly) “football”.

I’m learning that common ground can exist in the midst of sports and motorcycles! It had never occurred to me that either sports or motorcycles could be a vehicle for peace-making.

If you ever get a chance to go to Hooters on bike night… it is quite an experience!

Love,
Rachel

From Charleston, South Carolina August 16, 2006

Drew and I got into to Charleston, SC on the night of the 16th, and stayed for about two days. We stayed with Susan Livingston… a peace activist and yet another person who freely offered to put us up in her home, once she found out about the project, without knowing us at all. She lives in the heart of downtown Charleston… so we could just walk to busy places and sit with the signs.

People continue to amaze me with their generosity. As we were walking downtown, we stopped in an art store to get tape and big pieces of paper. I did not mention to the man that helped me that we were doing a project, or what it was for, or anything of that nature. He must have figured out we were up to something though, and offered us the paper and the tape for free – what would have normally cost around $10!

Charleston is a beautiful, old (Civil War era) city. We first set up in an open air market, but the manager asked us to leave because it was private property. Next we went to the waterfront park. It’s a great park, with a pier going out to the ocean and porch swings you can rest and swing on while you look out over the water, and a big fountain kids can play in. Not many people came up to us while we were there, and most of the people who did stop by were liberal-leaning. I had some thoughts arise like “no one will talk to us” and “they’re all Republicans and we’re invading their territory” and “they should talk with us”.

Over lunch Drew facilitated me on “they should talk with us” and I realized that they shouldn’t since they weren’t. When I believed that thought I began judging the people around me and wanting something from them. I ceased doing the project for myself and began doing it to get something from other people. I saw “I should talk with them” – I should pay attention and explore how I might become a more attractive person to talk to, what I could do or say differently that would be interesting to conservatives, and that I could “talk” to conservatives by studying them and learning more about what they are interested in. In the afternoon we found a busy, lively spot on the corner of Meeting and Market streets, and we stayed there for about six hours! People came up and talked with us, some even gave us money – asked us if we wanted it.

I got to record many of the conversations. Again, it was mainly liberal-leaning people who stopped to talk. Conservatives would sometimes say “I’m conservative” or “we wouldn’t agree” as they passed us by. This made us begin to think that our appearance screamed liberal, and when we checked this perception out with people around us, they agreed. We made a sign saying “Conservatives welcome”, and this brought smiles from passersby.

A couple of boys stopped by – 14 and 15 years old. I spoke with one of them for a long time, and he was amazing to talk with. He lived in the projects, and said that the previous week two people had gotten killed in his neighborhood. He was quite wise. I asked him to facilitate me in The Work on the thought “life is too hard” and he got very into it. When he asked me who I would be without the thought, he said that life gives you tests so you can “testify” – I took it as meaning testify to your own experience, and make you stronger.

Two other memorable exchanges were with a Republican who loved what we’re doing and loved the opportunity for political dialogue, and from a Buddhist who used to be a soldier. She stopped and talked with us for a long time, and even offered us a place to stay and gave us $20 – it was if she was looking to give us something.

Love,
Rachel

From Floyd, VA August 15, 2006

So, my friend Drew has joined me from here to South Carolina. We’re staying with Jamie Reynolds. Jamie is my friend from The Work. He lives out in the Virginia countryside, and he and his wife are building a house made out of cobb and strawbail. It’s beautiful. They’re making the cobb from the ground’s soil and clay. Drew and I got to tour the under-construction house, hang out with Elisha, Jamie, and everyone who lives with them, sleep in a tent, and in the morning we went out to meet people in Floyd.

Floyd is a great town, and the people there range from being extremely left-leaning, to extremely conservative. Two people came up and spoke with us. Both were clean-cut looking, and Drew and I pegged them for conservatives. When we talked to them they weren’t… at least not about government. One thought Bush is a war criminal, and the other thinks that lobbyists control the government and the U.S. He quoted George Washington as saying that there needs to be an uprising every hundred years in the U.S. in order to keep it a free country.

Colleen, who writes a blog covering local happenings in the Floyd area, stopped by and interviewed us. She wrote an article about us at www.looseleafnotes.com (titled “Can We Talk?”)

Love,
Rachel

From Charleston, WV August 13, 2006

Today was yet another amazing day. I am in Charleston, West Virginia right now. My parents live here, and today my mom and I went out for six hours meeting people and talking about politics. I just bought a digital tape recorder. The ones I was carrying around weren’t working all that well, and were quite bulky. Alas, RadioShack sells a small, light weight digital recorder that picks up sound fairly clearly. Now, I can just plug it into my computer after recording a conversation, and it saves so that I have the conversation on my computer. Amazing!

We talked to over 15 people today. One man bought me tea, and offered to set me up in a house in Charleston, rent free, for a whole year, if I used the space to find ways to educate kids and adults about peace and conflict resolution!!! A whole year! He owns a lot of property around Charleston, which is how he could set me up.

We met teenagers, (possibly) homeless people, a man running to be a senator, a conspiracy theorist, and families. Two teenagers were quite interested and left their friends at a nearby restaurant to come and talk with us. They did not know much about politics, but wanted to learn more (and they had opinions).

Plus, I was facilitated in The Work quite a few times by the people who I spoke with. I love this. I heard one woman say “people are stubborn”, a man say “the world is messed up”, a man say “it’s never going to get better”, and another man say “corporations are too powerful”. I could find where I thought each of these, and asked my companions to facilitate me. I discovered the generosity of people, that the world is not messed up, that things get better, and that corporations might just be my teachers and aren’t too powerful.

I learned much more too.

Love,
Rachel

Drive Through Conversations in Amarillo August 11, 2006

When John and I got to Texas and set up camp in Amarillo, I had an unconscious belief blown. Nowhere in the whole town of Amarillo was a place where there was a lot of outdoor foot-traffic. There’s not really a section of town where people sit outside, go to coffee shops and restaurants, etc. So, the best place we found was in a strip mall type of plaza area. I thought “there’s no way this is going to be effective. There’s no way many people will talk with us”. But, we went ahead and tried, and found a bench on a little island of grass in the middle of the parking lot. And, boy was I wrong! What wound up happening was – people would come up to us in person, and people would also stop their cars and sit in their cars while we had conversations (sometimes for a long time)! They’d drive up to us to talk. Never in a million years would I have guessed that would happen, but reality was creative where my mind was stumped.

Love,
Rachel

From Columbus, OH

I drove 10 hours from Kansas to Ohio and stayed with Gwenn Bair on the 11th. Gwenn invited me to stay with her when she perused the project’s website and saw that I was coming to Columbus, OH. Without meeting me Gwenn was generous enough to offer her house as a place to stay! For dinner she made fabulous lasagna, and I got to meet her husband, daughter, and friend. She and her friend took me to the Ohio State Fair after dinner. We sat outside with a sign, and many people came up to talk with us. There was a minister who is a Republican and believes very strongly in sin, hell, heaven, Jesus, and God’s love. He stopped with his family and friends and talked with us for a long time. Although a Republican, he felt mixed about the Republican party. I have met many different Republicans, and they see things so differently. The man seemed to really enjoy the conversation we had, and I learned some about his opinion – that religion and state are not separated in the Constitution, and that our government should be governed by God/Jesus/Christianity. He also talked some about Islam, and thought of the Koran as a scary book. I experienced him as fairly well-read and educated, and willing to talk and explore. One friend he was with listened to us all, and he came back to us later. This man was a sculptor, and was quite friendly and interested in the project.

The other people we spoke with was a couple, and the man is the one who wanted to stop and speak with us. We talked about Iraq. I learned all about his belief that we need to get out of Iraq as soon as possible. As he was talking, I heard the thought “we shouldn’t be at war” and found where I too think that. I asked him to facilitate me in The Work on that thought, and it continued our connection, and our (he seemed to follow me as I answered the questions, curiously and with his own answers). I discovered that since we’re in Iraq, it might make sense to stay there until we can leave in integrity and peace. This man was amazing, and our conversation turned to ways we can help support leaving Iraq in integrity and making peace with the Iraqi people.

Then, we watched fireworks! It was an amazing end to the day. Gwenn took me out for breakfast and I headed back on the road ☺

Love,
Rachel

On the road, meeting some people who vote Republican August 6, 2006

Hi everyone,

So, I am currently in Kansas. What a trip so far! John and I left the Bay Area on the 1st, and stayed with Mona and Giovanni that night in Orange County (near L.A.) They have been incredibly supportive of this project… housing us, promoting the trip in their newsletter and their Ultimate Turnaround Series, hosting the website on their server, and in many other ways. They’ve spent hours supporting the website. I can’t believe the outpouring of support! Plus, some other people have sent money and gift cards, not to mention the hundreds of people who have supported us with their thoughts and prayers and feedback!

Mona came out with us in L.A. We went to Newport Beach, and sat out for about 2 hours with the signs. Many people came up to us to talk, especially as the day wore on. One thing I learned, as I spoke with two Republicans, was that Republicans do not all think alike. I was expecting all Republicans to have the same views on issues, and to have the same reasoning for their views, and they do not. Two Republicans came up and spoke with me about immigration. One man was for a major increase in border patrol, and no more illegal immigration. The other man said he thought we should totally shut our borders down, grant citizenship to everyone in the country, have everyone paying taxes, solve the social ‘isssues’ in our country, and once this is done open up a guest worker program. He also said that he’d want an equal guest worker program — where people from Africa, or other countries, have equal opportunity to become workers as people in Mexico and Guatemala. As I spoke with him, I looked inside myself and found where I also support equality for all people. When I mentioned that it sounded like he supported equality, he agreed… we found meeting ground. And, the two men both identified as Republican, yet had different understandings and opinions.

As we travel, I am discovering that there is a great amount of open-mindedness in people when we talk with them and listen. It’s amazing. People also keep giving us things we need. Many people have opened their homes to us to stay. Plus, one woman in Texas — a stranger — asked if we were hungry and then returned an hour later with a cooler filled with fruit, veggies, water, and candy. Another man, after we spoke for awhile, gave us $5 to go get something to drink. I would say that I ran into openness both in California and Texas.

There are so many more experiences to write about… stay posted!

love,
Rachel

The website is almost complete… July 13, 2006

The website is almost ready to at least begin sharing with people. It’s become a lot more extensive than I originally thought! My thought is to contact local media in the towns we’ll be traveling to, to see if they want to interview us/do a story. I’d send them the website, as well as sharing it with all of you friends and family John and I had great conversations where he brought up a lot of questions about point of it all, and about proselytizing. It’s helped build the website in that I included a lot of what I heard him ask in Activism and The Work, The Trip, Living Turnarounds, and Pitfalls. I love how different people see different things, and what I miss another sees and it can just go to making the project stronger.

Welcome to the Summer Inquiry Blog! July 5, 2006

John and I (and possibly another John) leave August 1st for Barstow, CA and then to Phoenix, AZ. Wow! There’s tons to get ready. I’m working on this website, on an inquiry trip journal, renting a car, planning out the route. Plus, John and I have begun experimenting around the Bay Area for practice. We were on an experiment in the picture on the home page.