above photo by jan grarup
"a fine line"
how can life be so good and so bad
so beautiful and so ugly
full of love and peace and joy
and cruel and cold
how can ones life be cared for, so sheltered,
so loved, with a future of hope.
and anothers even before birth be robbed
of the precious gifts we immediately inherit,
instead born into disease with a belly full of nothing.
there's a fine line.
that lives in the world today.
a line inside me and you.
what are we doing.
who am i.
and what can we,
what can i,
do, to make a difference.
....yeah. one of those mornings. it sneaks right up on you without warning.
this is about as much opening my heart in public as i have ever done, please don't cast judgements on my words.
i came across the above photo by Jan Grarup while flipping through the new "communication arts: photo annual". immediatley i was struck. humbled and greatful for where i am and what i have. it is these photos that make you feel so ignorant and small. why am i so previledged? what is going on out there?!! how could this be? (the accompanied text to the photo reads as; "the darfur/chad crisis: a few hundred people have sought refuge under a tree after thier village was burned to the ground. khadija is blind and cares for her grandson, abdullahi, while his mother, maryam, is out collecting firewood and water for the small family. it is during these dangerous trips that women are often attacked by militias and are either raped or beaten. men would be killed instantly."
...the devil, roameth about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" 1 peter 5:8.
it is sickening. we are the blind.
and i ask myself, what can i do? (and the even darker question do i want to? - to look the lion right in the face.)
wow. my work is on the complete other side of the spectrum. weddings. my job is to visually put a story together of a couples love for one another. a celebration. families coming together. tears of happiness and joy and love. and i love my job. seeing the above photo reminds me of how powerful and important the camera is. could i ever put myself there? i want to... and then i don't.
2 comments:
http://jeremycowart.com/
The first time I visited his site, and saw his stuff from Africa, I spent the week wondering, wishing, pondering on if I could do the work with my camera the way others have done. I am at a point now where I know I could make a difference, but like you, I think we all ask ourselves "How far do we go?" I have two children and a wonderful husband, and as much as I want to change the world, part of me wants to stick my head in the sand and wrap my arms around them and never leave this "safe place". Then there are nights I cannot sleep, knowing that somewhere half-way around the world there are children dying of hunger, disease, no safety, no love, NOTHING...and my heart wants more. So, what do we do? I don't have any better answer...
kim,
thanks for sharing.
i checked out jeremy cowart, he's got a lot of great work, his coverage of africa is much warmer and hopeful than others, and i love the accompaning quotes.
man, we are so ignorant to what is going on...it's time i try and get over there....one day.
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