Written with light – Evocative landscape and artistic photography
Archive for October, 2007
The Necessity of Life
5The photo I am using for this post is one I took several months ago. I could never think of a good purpose for it until now, but I think it does a fair job conveying the meaning in what I’ve written. The focus of this post is the writing which was inspired by Matt and Roni whose comments to a post I made earlier got me thinking. This is the result of that thought.
The Necessity of Life
The path is not always clear, and the destination rarely known.
And while purpose evades us, evasion concerns us yet all the while we seek but hope.
But what reason have we to find our place or fall with grace if death is what awaits?
And what purpose will our achievements serve when we are gone if their sole end was to lead us to ours?
Do not think that existence of self is defined upon the precondition of necessity, for we are all singularly unnecessary.
We will die and fade as our self-serving accomplishments and possessions outlast us far beyond the care of those who succeed us.
And while the pleasures of living are certainly grand, the inevitability of dying will never be escaped… despite our greatest efforts.
Why then search for purpose, what can be found that has even a semblance of permanence?
A great man once said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Perhaps this is true, but either way,
The examined and unexamined life both end with death – that is the single greatest truth of life.
The source of life’s significance lies in its end. For if we all lived forever, nothing would truly matter anymore.
Gone would be the need for hope, love, generosity, compassion, mercy…
Immortality would destroy the very things that make us live, the very things that make us human.
And in being human we must accept the conditions of our life and death or suffer the consequences.
We were not born to live a life of isolation or self-importance. We were not born to find immortality.
And though we are all singularly unnecessary, together we form the fabric that transcends all meaning and purpose.
Together we experience hope, love, generosity, compassion, mercy…
Together we experience the necessity of being alive.
Fall Curves
1Here are a few shots I took this weekend from South Boston’s Harbor walk… nothing too spectacular, just some curvaceous perspectives that caught my eye.
Bare Leaves
I originally took this shot for the tree lined path and the bench in the foreground, but in post-processing I noticed that the trees on the right side of the path are bare, while the ones on the left still have leaves on them. It is kind of a strange configuration, but it adds some unintended character to the photo.
Just Around the Corner
I really like this one for some reason. It’s simple without an immediately visible point, but the puddle of leaves on the ground positioned right at the corner of the railing seemed an interesting focal point for the photo, perhaps symbolizing the shifting seasons.
Streaming Customs
4Here are two shots I took of a new fountain in Boston that seems to have appeared out of nowhere. I stumbled upon it the other day while walking to the Boston Harbor Hotel. I don’t know the name of it, but it has a great view of the city. The clock tower in the background is the customs house clock tower which stands out nicely compared to the other buildings. Since the fountain streams seem to be competing with said tower it shall so be named.
Streaming Customs 1
Streaming Customs 2
Holding On… Letting Go
4Fall betrayed me this past weekend by raising temperatures into the 80s with around 100% humidity. My friends called me crazy for wishing for cooler weather, but I’m a firm believer that fall should be fall. Interestingly enough, they’re not the only ones still wishing for warmer weather. Some of the flower patches around Boston, once white, pink and red, have been replaced with new flowers of the fall variety. I have nothing against flowers and I definitely think they look nice, but flowers should not look this spectacular this time of year. So for today’s post I’ve written a little something about letting go… I extrapolated the subject matter quite a bit, so don’t think that it’s all about flowers 
Patchwork
Why do people hold on so dearly to things meant to pass? Is it fear? Is it love? Or is it some jigsaw puzzle of both that we arrange piece by piece so that we may bring order into our lives? Does this order even buy us happiness, or does it preoccupy us with its quest as we incessantly mash our puzzle pieces together until they are dull and frayed? We hold on to so many things in life – habits, people, objects, seasons, emotions, thoughts, behaviors, pleasures, desires… and the list goes on. Some of these things are indeed conducive to happiness, but holding on to any one of them leads to pain and suffering. Is it any surprise, then, that when we try to put them all together the resultant product is a hodgepodge of ill-formed logic and emotional distress? Most of us today would agree that knowledge is power, yet with the advent of knowledge and technology, depression and unhappiness have run rife.
Where, then, should we look for the answers? Should we turn to God? No, for by now we are all well aware of the dangers of preaching the validity of one man’s God over another. Should we abandon knowledge and technology altogether in a grand revival of the dark ages? Should we let go of everything to the detriment of ourselves and our neighbors? Surely we have evolved out of such practices for a reason, but we have also evolved into other practices which were never meant to be. When we are not holding on, trying desperately to construct our life, we worry that we may lose it completely. We compare and cross-reference everything to ensure we have the best car, house, spouse, etc. But in doing so many of us have lost track of who we are.
I propose a different solution. Letting go – not of responsibility and accountability, but of self. Our egos have grown with our knowledge and pushed us further away from each other. While we were once dependent on our neighbors for survival, today we put up fences to keep them out. Why? Do we love our privacy, or fear our neighbors? Too much energy is focused on the “right” thing to do and the attainment of the “perfect” life. But perfection is an illusion that has grown with the ego of man. Let it go, let it all go. Be spontaneous, be unpredictable, be the moment, and for God’s sake, throw your puzzle pieces on the floor so you can play twister… it’s way more fun.
Fall Roots
Sheraton vs. Prudential
0Sheraton vs. Prudential
In the left corner we have the Sheraton hotel, in the right, the Prudential Center. If ever there was a more uncommon match up I have certainly never seen it. Though the battle raged for hours in the end there was only one victor…. not exactly, they were both still standing, but the Prudential Center is way cooler so I declare it the winner. Yeah I know, cop out story but it’s my off Friday and I have laundry to do so that’s all you get : P
Uplifted
Urban Foliage
2
City dwellers meander through the streets smelling the cold air as their chaffed hands dig into their pockets for warmth. Finding some comfort there they stop for a moment to absorb the changing weather, speculating that fall may have arrived. The clouds overhead clear to reveal dark blue skies scattered with dim stars and bright city lights that have have begun to take on a harsh and brittle appearance. By this time the cold air has seeped into their pockets causing shivers to run through their entire bodies. They march on, left with their speculations and chaffed hands hoping that there is at least a slight possibility that they are wrong. But nature knows far better than to leave its power in the hands of man. And though she is somewhat hidden in this urban landscape, she calls out to those most discerning, confirming their speculations with gifts of color. Pockets are no warmer for receiving these gifts, but hearts light up as the city’s cold harshness is transformed into a more subtle expression of nature’s call.
Intercontinental
0
Welcome to the Intercontinental Boston – Hotel and Luxury Residences. This is one of the newest and most beautiful buildings in the city as well as the most reflective building I have ever seen. It provides blinding reflections of the surrounding buildings during the day, and fills the sky with it’s blue lighting at night. I’m not sure what those blue pillars are, but they look damn cool.