50 People, 1 Question

http://fiftypeopleonequestion.com/


"Where would you wish to wake up tomorrow?"

"In Florence, Italy finally getting a chance to lay beside the love of my life again."
"on a cloud, looking over the world."
"In a place where all of dreams can come true. In a place where i am so in love with another human being it hurts. I just want to wake up in love..thats all i want."


"Before the end of today, what would you wish to happen?"

"I wish he would tell me he's still in love with me."
"by the end of the day I want to have a positive relationship with my mother, for once, for always"
"by the end of the day.. i want justice for Palestinians"

Last night, at New Orleans' Contemporary Arts Center, a group of up-and-coming filmmakers showed their series of short films, entitled "Fifty People, One Question." The objective of the films (five total, so far) was to ask one question based in life, dreams, and secrets, and to find out the answers of fifty random people per city. The project began in New Orleans, and, so far, has reached New York, (both New York and Brooklyn) London, and San Francisco--the last, in conjunction with PostSecret, an organization with similar goals as those of 50p1q: to "Explor[e] human connections through people and place."
This project doesn't, at first glance, seem inherently apocalyptic.
Upon further thought, however, suggestions of the apocalypse seep in. The filmmakers travel from city to city, asking people questions that are meant to delve into the soul. Regardless of the humor of some of the answers, or the simplicity, the videos that result make people think about loneliness, about connection, about similar hopes and dreams shared with people across the country, or across the world.
In this age of texting, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc, the world becomes more interconnected by the day. People feel less shame (shown through websites like Texts From Last Night or FML--because now they can see that they/their friends really aren't the only people who do horrifically embarrassing things.) The suggestion of 'losing touch' with a friend is almost an obsolete term--everybody has Facebook-- and thus, the ability to check up on friends no matter where they are or how long it's been.
One of my professors and I were talking a few days ago about depictions of loneliness in modern literature, and how the idea of complete isolation is almost impossible to portray these days, unless it's entirely self-inflicted.
Even in cases of chosen isolation, organizations like PostSecret, or like Fifty People, One Question, are trying as hard as they can to dig deeper into the hearts of the everyman. It seems that if the world continues to be so connected, loneliness could eventually become a conscious effort.
The world is changing. What does this mean for a modern apocalypse? Even if technology was completely eradicated, would the human ties established therein still remain? Would we build communities of out Facebook friends, our Twitter followers? Would people with hope wander around filming reactions to said apocalypse?
Even though Fifty People, One Question accepted online answers from all over the world, so many of those answers were from, or related to, New Orleans, and to frustration about not being able to come back home.
Even though the probability that New Orleans was highlighted for the New Orleans performance, I believe that apocalyptic events create common dreams, and bring people together. So many people's deepest wishes, as shown in these films, are based in community, and in relationships.
In this day and age, would any of us be on the road alone?