The Slow Hunch

I have had a vision for a screenplay since 2006 regarding the complexities of the sex trade. Over the past couple of years this vision has shifted to be more about human trafficking and sex slavery. I still plan to show how all aspects of the sex trade and attitudes about sex contribute to the big problem of injustice.

One night in August, a friend came over for dinner. We had a nice long talk about the screenplay vision and how my personal history inspired me to have a passion for increasing awareness of this injustice. In a passing comment she said, “Maybe you could tell your personal story and THAT could be how you tie it all together.” I immediately sensed there was something to this notion. I wasn’t sure what it would look like, but I knew it was more than a notion!

Then, in October, there was a link to a TED Talk on The Accidental Creative blog.

The talk was by Steven Johnson about where good ideas come from. To watch it click here.

Briefly, it demonstrates how community and the sharing of ideas can inspire genius creations. Steven uses the example of coffee shops and GPS to make his point. His point is that the greatest ideas don’t arrive in a “Eureka” moment, but is a slow building and cobbling of ideas together- what he calls a “slow hunch.” So while I watched it, I recognized I had a slow hunch in action! The vision for spreading the word about how ordinary people can and do make a difference in ending human trafficking, could start with the research for the screenplay. I could document how I, an ordinary citizen, can and do make a difference in bringing justice to the victims of slavery, particularly sex slavery. And I can inspire others to do the same by filming interviews with other ordinary people who are doing what they can to serve the victims, rescue the slaves, and facilitate justice where there are vile injustices all around us.

The people who are making a difference are ordinary people who have a heart for ending slavery. Some of them did big things like pack up their family and move to Cambodia. Some of them help plan fund raisers. Some of them speak to schools and organizations to increase awareness. Some of them increase awareness about how fair trade makes a difference. For all of them it started with heart- a passion for ending the injustice of sex trafficking.

I still plan to write the screenplay. I think the art of telling a story via fictional characters in a film will be a very effective way to inspire the ending of slavery. In the meantime, the filming of this documentary is a cog in the wheel of a great slow hunch. I’m excited to see what solutions to trafficking come from this slow hunch approach.