CONNECTIONS TO HUMANITY:WE ARE NOT ISLANDS!

I looked into the distance.
I saw something move.

I went closer.
I saw an animal.
I went closer still.
I saw a man.
I went closer again.
And I saw that it was my brother.
Tibetan fable

The photographer Yann Arthus Bertrand has created an amazing project: 6 Billion Others. This project reflects many of the essential questions we have thought about in our year long humanities class. As you view the project make connections to the texts and units we have studied.

In interviewing people Bertrand has created a global portrait of mankind. Bertrand thought:'It all looks simple from the sky, but down below we are often confronted by borders, antagonism, separations, misunderstanding, ignorance between one and another. So it was important to let the men and women of our planet express themselves, collect their experiences and life philosophies, their visions of the world and to share with them. In this case, 5000 men and women describe their lives and hopes, their joys and woes, laughter and tears and relationships to God, the devil, love, life,death, and so on…

He and his team asked the same questions of The Malian fisherman, the Brazilian labourer, the Armenian mother, the Afghan fighter, the Germanpriest, the American farmer, the Russian merchant, the Japanese rebel, the Australian road sweeper, the Rwandan refugee'... which culminated in a major exhibition in Paris in January February 2008.

As we listen, we find ourselves so different and yet so similar, so far and so near from all the inhabitants of our planet.In the exhibition Bertrand encourages us to listen so as to better understand. We listen to 5,000 people representative of the 6 billion that share our planet testify, talk about feelings and think about life.

Bertrand and his team aimed to 'allow each one to share his/her personal experiences, hopes, dreams, fears, life philosophy with everyone;and to offer these accounts to as many people as possible'. Between 50-300 interviews were carried out per country with a variety of people and ethnicities.

The project took:
'4 years of filming were required to gather all these precious accounts.
6 reporters, passionate about the project, embarked on this formidable human adventure.
Each with his or her approach and sensitivities made a mark on the project.
20 hours of personal narratives to discover at the exhibition in the Grand Palais
40 questions, always the same, posed to each of the interviewees.
75 countries crossed: covering the entire planet was not possible unfortunately. But our journey
was guided by a spirit of fairness, which was not an easy thing to achieve. All the continents are
represented, town and country as well as the most emblematic areas of conflict.'

The exhibition makes us consider:
• How can we make our social, professional, platonic and romantic relationships more authentic?
• How can we encourage communication between generations, communities and cultures?
• How is reconstruction possible in the wake of suffering or conflicts?
• Are we in control of our destinies, and how can we influence our world?

• Below are the questions interviewers put to 5,ooo people.
• Read the questions then visit the site here: 6 milliards autres and listen to the responses.
• Spend time exploring the site. Think about how you would respond.
• We will then take some of these questions and you will answer the questions and upload to your blog.

01 | Start the interview by asking the person to introduce him or herself, giving name, age,
profession, family situation and nationality.
02 | What is your profession? Do you enjoy it ?
03 | What does family represent to you ?
04 | What do you want to hand down to your children ?
05 | What did you learn from your parents ?
06 | What do you find difficult to say to your children ? Your family ?
07 | What is your greatest joy ?
08 | What is your greatest fear ?
09 | What angers you the most ?
01 | What did you dream of as a child ?
11 | What is your greatest dream today ?
12 | What have you renounced ?
13 | Are you happy ?
How do you define happiness ?
14 | What would you like to change about your life ?
15 | How do you define love ?
Do you think you give and receive enough love ?
16 | What was the last thing that made you burst out laughing ?
17 | When was the last time you cried ? Why ?
18 | What has been the most difficult test you have had to face in your lifetime ?
What did you learn from it?
19 | Do you have enemies ? Why ?
20 | What angers you the most ? And why ?
6 billion Others | 17
21 | What would drive you to kill someone ?
For what would you be willing to lay down your life ?
22 | Do you find it easy to forgive yourself ?
What would you not be able to forgive ?
23 | Do you feel free ?
Out of all the days in your life, which could you not do without ?
24 | Do you like your country ?
Have you ever wanted to leave your country ? Why ?
25 | What does nature mean to you ?
26 | Have you seen nature change since your childhood ? And what would you do to save it ?
27 | Do you live better than your parents ? Why ?
28 | What does money represent to you ? Why ?
29 | How do you define progress and what are your expectations ?
30 | What is man's greatest enemy ?
31 | What is man's greatest friend ?
32 | Why do men wage war ? What can we do to reduce the number of wars ?
33 | Do you confess to a God every day of your life ?
34 | What do you think there may be after death ?
35 | Do you know a prayer ? Can you say it to me ?
36 | What for you is the meaning of life ?
37 | What would you like to say or what questions would you like to ask the people who will see you ?
38 | What is your favourite song ? Sing it…
39 | What do you think of this interview, this exchange ? What do you think is its aim ?
40 | Do you want to add anything else in conclusion ?