Recently someone sent me a link to 6billionothers created by Yann Arthus-Bertrand. I know his earlier book The Earth from the Air well. It struck an immediate chord with me. Here was someone who could look down on the planet and see the same emotional patchwork that I saw as I looked out of countless airplane windows. Arthus-Bertrand’s latest project explores another important emotional idea – storytelling. 6billionothers is an amazing archive of stories told by people all over the world. Best of all, these stories come to us in full sight, sound and motion. We can watch as these people share their thoughts, experiences, dreams and stories.
Arthus-Bertrand and his team visited 65 countries, interviewed 6,000 people, and produced 450 hours of video portraits. The results are inspirational, often heart wrenching, and always compelling. I will keep returning to this site to follow this growing mosaic of human experience. Here are some revealing statements from the people interviewed on the subjects of dreams, family and happiness.
“For everyone to have enough food, receive medical care and have a decent home. That’s the good life. When you have everything and your neighbor has nothing, you aren’t happy in life.”
-Indonesia
“Man is made to develop love towards others and family is where he can have his first try. There’s no interest in just living for oneself. It’s like being a black bulb. You bring light to no one.”
-Moscow, Russia
“There is a secret in music. If you have a problem, once you start listening to music, you’ll feel the happiness deep down in your heart.”
-South Africa
