# data[].attributes.body
“A few years ago I had to have open-heart surgery. When I got the news from my cardiologist, I went into full panic mode. Suddenly there was nothing going on in the world except for my fear. I thought that I was going to fall apart in front of my kids. I ended up walking to the bookstore alone. I was looking for anything that might help calm me down. And I ended up grabbing The Power of Now. It’s not an easy thing to describe in words, but that book taught me how to stay in the moment. It taught me to step back and observe my thoughts, to label them as ‘thoughts,’ and to create a gap between myself and the ‘voice in my head.’ Once I realized that I am separate from my thoughts, it took away their power. This photo was taken an hour before the surgery. I’m with my grandson. And there isn’t a fear in my mind. I’m locked in that moment with him.”

Discussion:

·         Why did the photographer choose to capture the image on the phone rather than the speaker himself?

·         Describe a similar moment in your life which might give you strength and courage to face your fears.

# data[].attributes.body
“I’m on a tour to study music with African roots. It’s not for school or anything. It’s just a personal project. I want to travel alone for an entire year with just clothes and my drumsticks. I’ve saved $6000 and I plan to work along the way. My first stop was New York. I’ve been here two weeks and I went to ten concerts. I’ve already spent $300 so I need to be more careful. I’m about to catch a bus for Detroit. I found a place where I can live in exchange for a few hours of daily work. Then I’m going to Chicago, St. Louis, Memphis, and New Orleans. Then Cuba. Then Brazil. Then Peru. And after that I’ll go home to France. I want to learn as much about music as possible. But that’s only half the reason for the trip. I also want to learn if I can do it. I am a little afraid that I’ll get lonely, but that’s something I want to figure out. I want to know if I can be alone.”

Discussion

·         Would you go on such a tour? Why or why not?

·         Do you think this person’s plans will be successful? Why or why not?

# data[].attributes.body
“I first ran for Congress in 1999, and I got beat. I just got whooped. I had been in the state legislature for a long time, I was in the minority party, I wasn’t getting a lot done, and I was away from my family and putting a lot of strain on Michelle. Then for me to run and lose that bad, I was thinking maybe this isn’t what I was cut out to do. I was forty years old, and I’d invested a lot of time and effort into something that didn’t seem to be working. But the thing that got me through that moment, and any other time that I’ve felt stuck, is to remind myself that it’s about the work. Because if you’re worrying about yourself—if you’re thinking: ‘Am I succeeding? Am I in the right position? Am I being appreciated?’ – then you’re going to end up feeling frustrated and stuck. But if you can keep it about the work, you’ll always have a path. There’s always something to be done.”

Discussion

·         Before reading this story, what was your impression of President Barack Obama?

·         What kind of impression does the picture portray of President Obama? Is it a typical photo of him? Why or why not?

·         What kind of impression does the picture, together with the story, portray of President Obama? How does it make you feel towards him?

# data[].attributes.body
“The world doesn’t respond to me like it used to. Throughout my life I had learned to anticipate a certain pattern of focus and friendliness. And I never realized how much of that was based on my youth and physical appearance. I thought it was because of my energy and personality. But I’ve had to accept that a woman becomes less and less visible as she ages. It begins to fade in your 40’s, and drops off in your 50’s. You have a harder time holding people’s attention. The conversations become less about you, and more about the transaction. It used to really bother me. I would feel abandoned or ignored. But I’ve grown out of it. There’s a certain grace to letting go of the need for attention. I was an actor for most of my life. I was all about getting attention. But now I’m working as a sign language interpreter, which I love. Because it isn’t about me at all.”

Discussion

·         How has this lady changed or matured?

·         What can we learn from her story?

# data[].attributes.body
“I covered a lot of Trump rallies as a journalist. I didn’t feel any hatred. People were more curious than anything. I was never assaulted. I felt like most people were just supporting him because he wasn’t part of the establishment. Or because they were tired of politics. But it was confusing. Because even though I didn’t feel like they hated me, these people were supporting someone who said I should be banned from the country. Even the father of one of my best friends supports Trump. This man had me over to his house. I went to Thanksgiving with him. My friend asked him: ‘Dad, how can you support that man? Our friend Zahra is a Muslim.’ He told her: ‘Don’t worry. He won’t do everything that he says.’ Today has been difficult. These last few weeks, it was mostly speculation. There was suspicion that most Americans supported him but I could hope that it was wrong. But now that hope is gone. And I have to feel differently. I have to feel like maybe most Americans don’t want me here. And I feel like no matter how hard I try, I’ll never be part of the community. And even if they’re friendly to me, or if they invite me to Thanksgiving, deep down they believe that America is a country that belongs to white people.”

Discussion

·         Why might Donald Trump want to “ban all Muslims from the country”? What kind of image of Muslims would he portray in order to support such a “ban”?

·         What is your impression of the lady in this story? Is this impression similar or different from how Trump might portray Muslims?

# data[].attributes.body
“I covered a lot of Trump rallies as a journalist. I didn’t feel any hatred. People were more curious than anything. I was never assaulted. I felt like most people were just supporting him because he wasn’t part of the establishment. Or because they were tired of politics. But it was confusing. Because even though I didn’t feel like they hated me, these people were supporting someone who said I should be banned from the country. Even the father of one of my best friends supports Trump. This man had me over to his house. I went to Thanksgiving with him. My friend asked him: ‘Dad, how can you support that man? Our friend Zahra is a Muslim.’ He told her: ‘Don’t worry. He won’t do everything that he says.’ Today has been difficult. These last few weeks, it was mostly speculation. There was suspicion that most Americans supported him but I could hope that it was wrong. But now that hope is gone. And I have to feel differently. I have to feel like maybe most Americans don’t want me here. And I feel like no matter how hard I try, I’ll never be part of the community. And even if they’re friendly to me, or if they invite me to Thanksgiving, deep down they believe that America is a country that belongs to white people.”

Discussion

·         What impression of Venezuela do you get from what the boy says?

·         Does your impression of the boy himself reinforce or contradict this impression you have of Venezuela?