When we learn to see someone inside of us comes alive. Perhaps it is a heightened sense of awareness or consciousness.
It is 4 a.m. and the streets are wet slick with drizzle.
A neon sign blinks red -- on -- off. Its light reflecting off the roadway. Stop light. We must stop, raise the camera to our eye, wait, and press the shutter. There it is, one of thousands of pictures we might make in just a short time.
How is it that photography can accompany us in a spiritual way? The whole process seems so self-centered and far removed from the introspection and tranquility required of a faith-based practice.
I don't mean to offend those that have an absolute view of God in their mind's eye, but I offer this short anecdote to open up a dialog about the Creator's presence in all things.
Sometimes I think our understanding of the nature of the devine is either too narrow or too far removed from our present reality. In order to believe, we are asked to suspend judgment of the intangibles in life and follow the precepts of a particular path. Therefore, it seems problematic or even perilious to discuss God in the same conversation at something so materialistic as photography. However, if we see God in all things -- really see the presence and mystery of the devine -- then we can understand that the things we create are part of something marvelous and inexplicable. We see the material things, but within these things resides a something that defies common logic.
Every day I feel humbled by the greatness and goodness of the earth. For those of us who struggle with the idea of the Divine, we need not look too far from those hours in the day that bring us comfort and moments of deep meaningful reflection. Kathleen McDonald observes, " The present life and all its experiences are fleeting: Clining to anything in this world is like chasing a rainbow. If we keep this in mind we will not waste time on mundane pursuits but spend it wisely, avoiding what is negative and thus the cause of unhappiness."
