A Human Drama

What if you could witness the birth of a new type of book – something that hadn’t existed before? Not a new book. A new type of book. Imagine reading “Don Quixote” by Miguel de Cervantes in an original copy, arguably the first novel. Or other books that gave us the first memoir, the first murder mystery, the first this or first that. Exciting, yes?

You do have that chance, at no cost, if you begin reading our website’s “A Human Drama.,” an original form of story called a “webtale.” To the knowledge of anyone at The Humanity Project, nothing quite like “A Human Drama” exists anywhere on the Internet. So we think it’s something unique and special.

As a lifelong professional writer, I believe that reading communicates information and feelings in a way no other medium can match. I also think the Internet can be an important new means for creating and distributing art, especially quality writing. So when I began figuring out how to create this first webtale, as I eventually dubbed it, I wanted to preserve the idea of a book. That is, text for reading. I think of those who visit “A Human Drama” as our readers, just as if they were reading a book online.

But our webtale experience is much more than just reading. We use sound, music, graphics and other elements, not to merely embroider the story, but to advance and enrich it. These elements become integral parts of the work itself. I want “A Human Drama” to be something that connects directly from our website to one reader at a time, giving our visitors an intimate, exciting new way of reading. And, in this case, a powerful new way to experience a character who is struggling to change his life for the better. Part book, part movie, part broadcast, part music.

We’re proud of Cantos I and II, the first two chapters of “A Human Drama,” which you can read now. (This is a serialized work, like the novels of Dickens and others that were first published chapter by chapter as they were written.) But “A Human Drama” will only become more exciting-looking and exciting-sounding, with the storyline growing even more gripping, as new chapters are posted in the coming months.We’re already finding more effective ways to blend visual and audio elements with the text, improve and vary the sound, tweak the timing and generally upgrade other elements of this new literary form. And I’m pleased with progress on the story itself so far. I’ve nearly completed writing the next six chapters (which I call “cantos” because the story is based on the 100 cantos of Dante’s immortal “The Divine Comedy”). I think you’ll enjoy our intensifying storyline when those new chapters appear. Cantos III and IV are in production for posting online around mid-September.

If you’re interested to see what I mean, just close this blog to return to the main website, then click the tab at the left that says, “A Human Drama.” (Unlike “Don Quixote,” our story can only be read with a broadband connection to your computer, with your speakers on, please. Times were simpler back then … ) Cantos I and II await you. I like to think that Cervantes would approve. – RSK

Our Mission, Our Message

Finally! The Humanity Project has begun fulltime daily Internet operations after more than nine months of preparation, working with three talented web designers. Whew . . . One of our first goals is to better explain exactly what we’re trying to do. We live in an era when many everyday folks are searching for answers to improve their daily life. Which means lots of other well-intentioned folks are offering answers, usually for a hefty price that comes with their new book or DVD or tickets to speeches or whatever. We’re trying to do things differently here at www.thehumanityproject.com.

We’ve just changed much of our website’s welcoming pages, which we call “Briefly, About Us,” to clarify what we’re about. If you’ve read those pages before today, I hope you’ll go back and give them another look. Because when people first hear about The Humanity Project, I’ve noticed, they want to lump us in with pop psychology or the New Age movement. But we’re really something unique, as I think you’ll begin to appreciate if you read our two main sections: “A Human Drama” and “In Detail: The Ideas.” We’re not into speculation based on vague concepts that supposedly will change our life. We are looking for no-nonsense methods, based on tough-minded direct experience, to tackle specific problems many of us face.

For example, think about romantic relationships. Falling in love often includes greatly distorting the truth about our beloved. We grossly exaggerate their wonderful qualities, then suffer later when reality crashes down. I have looked into my own life to question why I do this. What I’ve found, in part, is that by believing someone I romantically love is a more amazing person than she is, I feel better about me. If I let myself believe she’s incredibly smart, beautiful, kind, affectionate, sexy and more – well, if a person like that loves me, then I also must be something special too. As the song says, “Darling, it’s incredible, that someone so unforgettable, thinks that I am unforgettable too.” The romanticized distortions about her also make me feel all the better about pouring my time and attention into such an extraordinary person.

Obviously, knowing more about some of these emotional reasons behind this common experience can help us break our old habits. We can make a conscious effort to see our beloved more realistically and so we can make wiser decisions about whether she or he is someone we really want to involve ourselves with. That’s not pop psychology or New Age theory. It’s clear-eyed real life experience, carefully observed and meticulously examined for meaningful solutions.

There’s a great deal more to this problem of romantic relationships, in my view. I’ll be writing about it in detail in the coming months. But this example may offer a very brief sample of the kind of thing you’ll find here on our website. We hope you’ll come back often. And please, tell your friends. We need your help to get the word out and find a base of supporters. – RSK

Why “The Humanity Project”? What exactly is in this name?

That recent query from a friend seems a good topic for our first blog, so let me address it directly here.

First, quite honestly, I picked this name simply because I like it. The words somehow catch the feeling I’d always intended for this effort, an attempt to express in writing my intensely personal struggles and my very hard-won gains. This name just “feels” right to me and, as a writer, I’ve learned to trust that sense of the words as an important and usually reliable gauge.

But more deeply, I hope, “The Humanity Project” is a bit more than just a name that reflects my gut preference. I think the “humanity” part comes in because I really do view “A Human Drama” as an allegory of sorts. Penetrate deeply enough into any mind, I believe, and you’ll find overarching truths about its functions that apply to every mind. So “A Human Drama” tries to convey this very human story on the Internet using a new literary form while “In Detail: The Ideas” attempts to explain some of the key concepts in the most accurate, clinical detail possible.

It is a “project” because I view this as an ongoing effort, both in terms of getting this tale to the public and trying to make clear my story’s implications for others. I guess really, from my viewpoint, it all boils down to this: I see The Humanity Project as a serious new enterprise aimed at helping us each more fully explore and fulfill our personal potential, our “humanity” if you will.

We don’t feed the poor or assist hurricane victims. We do offer a fresh, honest view of what it means to be human. It just happens that one main vehicle for doing this is my own personal introspective journey, mostly because I can document it so thoroughly and because, as I’ve said, I think my experiences have a real bearing on the journey of other people too. As a professional writer, I feel certain that this is a story well worth telling.

In the end, I am undeniably the world’s foremost expert on only one thing. Myself. My explorations of me over such a long time, my lifelong “project,” has changed my daily existence and enriched my humanity. So we offer it here, in all humility, with the hope that you might discover something on these web pages that may enrich your life as well.
– RSK

Click to hear this week’s podcast by Knotts: “Why I’ve been terrified for 30 years to tell this story!”