Julia Sweeney blew me away

Posted on | May 8, 2006 |

You mean to tell me you went to a presentation by Pat? Yeah, “Pat”.

I am a huge fan of “This American Life”. Earlier this year, there was a 22–minute segment called, “Letting Go of God”. That segment generated more feedback than any other in the 10–year history of the show. Ira and Julia decided to take that segment onto the road. What was billed as an evening w/ Ira Glass & Julia Sweeney was really more of an evening spent being blown away by the mind of Julia Sweeney, with a short segment getting to hear Ira Glass’s wonderful voice.

Julia has been on a fascinating journey of discovery, analysis, and introspection, learning the core of her personal belief system. She’s now sharing that discovery process in a one-person show that generated the 22–minute segment on This American Life. Saturday evening, Julia presented one section of her show, and then spent 45 minutes with Ira in a free-flowing interview. The theme of the show – how do you *really* know what you believe? How do you get comfortable with the choices you make around unanswerable questions? The coversation centers on Julia’s relationship with her spiritual beliefs, and the questions she’s been attacking as part of that conversation.

I kept thinking, “wow. How cool is it for this person to be so comfortable with her own self that she’s willing to stand naked (metaphorically) on a stage, and reveal the most personal details of a journey most folks never share with one another. It was real. It was authentic. I could totally relate to the questions she kept throwing at herself. It made me realize I have an unfinished (and ongoing) quest. It left me thinking and churning. I *love* presentations that get me thinking. What the heck DO I really believe?