People VS Themselves
It appears to be an important historical theme in the great swath of human experience to maintain a certain level of discontent. Discontent, like any emotion, must be fed to be experienced. Not only is it socially encouraged to maintain discontent, but to breed it in others. The ultimate goal of advertising is not just to sell a product or service, but to play up the amount of ill-ease within a person and emphasize their deficiency. It is the same everywhere in the world, translated in different ways. When left to fester, it can bring war and religious superiority. It issues ultimatums.
So, what would it take to examine ourselves a little bit closer and decide instead to fill that void with self love? For some people, it takes a mountain to move. It seems to me that it is a byproduct of living in a puritanical culture (here in the US) for so many years to have taken the notion that humility and piety lead to the destruction of self worth. It is definitely more prevalent in my experience that those with a Christian upbringing ( especially Catholicism ) tend to hate how they look and actively deny themselves happiness and comfort for the sake of x. It appears to be the result of an entire culture having been brow beaten for years to believe that they are nothing, and attention to cultivating their shame pleases their professed God-Of-Love. I am thinking of some very specific people off hand, but this religious indoctrination, plus the media's portrayal of 'acceptable' norms leads to a lot of damaging thought processes. Seriously; forget those distorted principles. Or in less elegant speak, they can fuck right off.
Every single human being has flaws. We should acknowledge them, actively work on them, and honor them as part of our human incarnation. It happens. It's normal. You're ok. Some flaws are worse than others, and you must really work to un-seed them from yourself. I am not advocating for the removal of humility; it is a well established virtue that when applied correctly is an important tool for keeping the ego moderate. However, the goal here should be moderation, not obliteration of one's self worth. We have a plethora of ancient stories that warn us about hubris and the cost of ego.(I am thinking of Icarus, Oedipus, and Cuchulainn respectively) We are all made up of flaws, weaknesses, virtues, victories, loves, hurts, and all of us are delightfully human in this regard. We are the product of our choices, so why not choose to be content?
This whole concept occurred to me while I was photographing members of my Grove for a fundraiser. (read Grove as "Druid Church/Temple/etc" ) I'm not sure that many of the folks realize the kind of experience I was having as their photographer. I know these people; it isn't solely about aesthetics. Their faces are only the outward expression of who they are, but they all have such strong spirits and vibrant minds that it saddens me that I cannot always show them what they want to see in themselves. I understand seeing a photograph that is taken from a strange angle can make a person look distorted and strange, but that's not what I mean. I mean abjectly hating the wrinkles on their face, or the double chin that sometimes arrives with age.
We have been bred to believe that age is wicked, and that the ideal human is young and spry and handsome. It is natural for older folks to look back on the time when they were younger and reminisce about their lives. That's nostalgia and it's healthy. It isn't healthy to look at the condition your body is in now and decide that you are now deeply uncomfortable with your body's expression of age. When I photograph, I try to let the subject see passed the initial view of their physical self and look at the greater picture. Each one of them is dear to me and is someone to be celebrated, but they cannot get past a glimpse of their physical appearance. They want their young face back.
I wish I held the magical key to contentment. I don't. But I think we should closely examine the idea that the honor accorded to youth must also transfer to older age. You haven't lost your worth because you've aged. Seek contentment in new beauty and experience. Honor the Crone and the Sage.
I think my favorite pictures to take of people are when they are laughing. :)
So, what would it take to examine ourselves a little bit closer and decide instead to fill that void with self love? For some people, it takes a mountain to move. It seems to me that it is a byproduct of living in a puritanical culture (here in the US) for so many years to have taken the notion that humility and piety lead to the destruction of self worth. It is definitely more prevalent in my experience that those with a Christian upbringing ( especially Catholicism ) tend to hate how they look and actively deny themselves happiness and comfort for the sake of x. It appears to be the result of an entire culture having been brow beaten for years to believe that they are nothing, and attention to cultivating their shame pleases their professed God-Of-Love. I am thinking of some very specific people off hand, but this religious indoctrination, plus the media's portrayal of 'acceptable' norms leads to a lot of damaging thought processes. Seriously; forget those distorted principles. Or in less elegant speak, they can fuck right off.
Every single human being has flaws. We should acknowledge them, actively work on them, and honor them as part of our human incarnation. It happens. It's normal. You're ok. Some flaws are worse than others, and you must really work to un-seed them from yourself. I am not advocating for the removal of humility; it is a well established virtue that when applied correctly is an important tool for keeping the ego moderate. However, the goal here should be moderation, not obliteration of one's self worth. We have a plethora of ancient stories that warn us about hubris and the cost of ego.(I am thinking of Icarus, Oedipus, and Cuchulainn respectively) We are all made up of flaws, weaknesses, virtues, victories, loves, hurts, and all of us are delightfully human in this regard. We are the product of our choices, so why not choose to be content?
This whole concept occurred to me while I was photographing members of my Grove for a fundraiser. (read Grove as "Druid Church/Temple/etc" ) I'm not sure that many of the folks realize the kind of experience I was having as their photographer. I know these people; it isn't solely about aesthetics. Their faces are only the outward expression of who they are, but they all have such strong spirits and vibrant minds that it saddens me that I cannot always show them what they want to see in themselves. I understand seeing a photograph that is taken from a strange angle can make a person look distorted and strange, but that's not what I mean. I mean abjectly hating the wrinkles on their face, or the double chin that sometimes arrives with age.
We have been bred to believe that age is wicked, and that the ideal human is young and spry and handsome. It is natural for older folks to look back on the time when they were younger and reminisce about their lives. That's nostalgia and it's healthy. It isn't healthy to look at the condition your body is in now and decide that you are now deeply uncomfortable with your body's expression of age. When I photograph, I try to let the subject see passed the initial view of their physical self and look at the greater picture. Each one of them is dear to me and is someone to be celebrated, but they cannot get past a glimpse of their physical appearance. They want their young face back.
I wish I held the magical key to contentment. I don't. But I think we should closely examine the idea that the honor accorded to youth must also transfer to older age. You haven't lost your worth because you've aged. Seek contentment in new beauty and experience. Honor the Crone and the Sage.
I think my favorite pictures to take of people are when they are laughing. :)
There are a lot of good threads here to peer into and discuss. One thought I can add is that while those of us that came from a more puritanical religion have a LOT of baggage, there's also that ads and the media are removing non-cookie cutter people from being on film, whether it's tv, films, or the news. Watching BBC shows or shows from the 70s or older is fascinating because they cast people who look like people you could see on the street or in your family. The balding man reading a newspaper. An old granny fussing with tea. Plump bystanders walking the streets. Not everyone is this glamorized, perfected person. And I miss that in today's media. I have such a hard time telling actors apart because a lot of them are too similar, too "perfect" in body shape, face shape, etc, there's no character, nothing to distinguish them except maybe their voice. And I think there's a lesson in that. And if that lesson is don't be a sheep, be content in your differences, it's not a bad lesson to learn. I just missed seeing real "people" on tv.
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