Fran Peavey sat nervously on a bench in Osaka, Japan, next to a cloth sign that read, "American Willing to Listen." She tried to smile as people approached, checked her out, and then walked away. Thirty minutes passed before the first person, a man who worked in a shoe factory, spoke to her. What, exactly, was she trying to do? he asked politely. She was seeking "a global heart." Fran had sold her house in San Francisco, bought an "open" airline ticket good for a year, and struck off to learn about others' concerns and desires. Her strategy was simple: sit on park benches, smile and listen. Soon enouh, her 'American Willing to Listen' project would probe hearts and minds on five continents!
