Sonder

For further detail on this idea, view the video:

Watch the short clip below and consider:

• Rose and Jack at the centre of this film, they are the main characters
• This mirrors how I am the main character or star in my own personal story
  • We view the world and our lives through the prism of our own experiences, judgments, assumptions, prejudices, etc.
• But passersby—people we will never meet—also have hopes, dreams, fears, joys, relationships, tragedies…

 Watch the same short Titanic clip again and focus on either:

The waiter that talks to Rose and Jack        OR        The camera man that films Rose at the end

• Choose one of these two “extras” and come up with characteristics for him in the wheel of diversity (make them all up, let your imagination go…)

• Make one of them the main character, imagine a short story for this person, consider these questions:
  • Has he ever been in love? What happened in his love story?
  • Who will miss him the most at home when the ship goes down?
  • What has he always wanted to do but never had the chance to try?
• In terms of their social status consider, for example:
  • How hard did he work to make it to the ship vs Rose whose family purchased her ticket?
  • Does he have any invisible characteristics? A mental health issue? An alternative sexuality?  What does he believe in?

Consider how all the people that surround you—whether you know them or not—have their own story and we share in this common humanity.

What does the story of this “extra” look like? Is he a fully rounded person? Consider the immensity of details we do not know about people who are mere passersby in our own life story…

To complete the workshop, click here or proceed to exercise 6 Compassionate Letter to Oneself from Workshop Exercises drop-down menu..