Aimless: The Inspiration for Aimless

Wanderlust
Wanderlust is a documentary about road movies. I actually have only seen about half of it because it was the spark--the lightbulb--that got me thinking about everything. When I start thinking about things like this, I become intensely focused, which is why I only saw about half of Wanderlust.

Morgan Spurlock and the first episode of 30 Days
spend 30 days living in someone else's shoes. In the pilot episode of 30 Days is a series on FX. In each episode, one individual fitting a specific profile must30 Days, Spurlock and his finance (now his wife) set an example by living as low-wage workers on the west side of Columbus, Ohio. (Coincidentally, that's where I'm from, although farther west than where they temporarily resided.) They began from scratch, as if they actually were dirt poor, with only several hundred dollars in a bank account to simulate the reality of living in poverty. They had to stretch every dollar by living in a dump of an apartment and going without many of life's necessities, like health care, and they had to work low-wage, labor intensive jobs in which there is essentially no upward mobility.

This particular episode inspired me because it involves leading by example, which I believe is one quality of a true leader and the most effective way to educate people. Instead of preaching about inequality from the luxurious surroundings of their own lives, like so many other activists, they went out and forced themselves to live in poverty for a month, making an extremely important statement about social stratification and inequality that largely seems to have been ignored by the people it desperately intended to reach: middle class Americans who fool themselves into believing that every American has an equal chance to lead the good life.

Barbara Ehrenreich and Nickel & Dimed
Barbara Ehrenreich is the author of Nickel & Dimed, a book very similar to the pilot episode of 30 Days. In case you're wondering, Nickel & Dimed came before 30 Days, and it was probably more of an inspiration than was 30 Days because it was not edited and manipulated to attract a primetime audience.

Random 1
Random 1 is a documentary series that aired on A&E. If you have not seen it, you've really missed out. The following passage is the mission statement copied from Random 1's FAQ page: The mission of Random 1 in real life, on television, and on the web is to make a positive difference in the lives of strangers picked "at random". Random 1 LLC is a media production company that documents the stories of helping people.

In Random 1, two friends drive a beat-up truck from city to city looking for one person they can help in each city they visit. Once they randomly pick out a person to be their temporary subject for the episode, they ask him or her: What can we do to help you help yourself? And once the subject answers the question, the Random 1 guys and their team of behind-the-scenes helpers get to work, trying to make it happen. The catch is that the Random 1 team cannot give the subject anything. No money, no stuff, nothing. They have to call local businesses and ask these businesses to donate whatever the Random 1 subject requires. It may be a prosthetic leg, a washing machine, or sometimes just a little understanding from estranged family members.

Months ago I found myself really wishing I could be either a member of the Random 1 team or one of the people they randomly help because I needed help and I love helping people. As neither or those things was an option, I kind of decided to become my own Random 1 team, meaning I get to help me. And I'll tell you what: It's a lot more difficult to successfully solicit assistance to help yourself than it is to successfully solicit assistance to help strangers. When you try to help yourself, people are less inclined to trust you, and reasonably so, because you might be trying to scam them. But you know what? I'm going to succeed, and I'm not going to scam anyone.

I think Random 1 is an incredible show and an incredible organization. They selflessly do the small things that make this world a better place. It's heartwarming. It makes me feel good and usually brings a tear or two to my eye.

Penn & Teller's Bullshit!