Visually Representing

I know not who the photographer is that snapped this profound photo. I know not what spirits he/she was in when he/she took it.

They could have been looking at this scene and found it touching. They may have felt pride swelling in them as their fearless fuhrer grins approvingly at a young soldier boy. They may have been in awe at this precious moment. The young boy beaming, excited for a promising life of service and honour... what a touching moment.

They may have took the photo to make a statement. They may have had to fight the urge to gag at the sight of this young, innocent, impressionable boy eager to devote his life to Hitler's service. They may have plastered on a smile as they snapped this photo. They may have shuddered in fear as they watched the youth of Germany so deceived by the inspiring words of the Fuhrer.

They may have felt a mission. They may have felt that it was their duty to capture this horrifying moment and share it with the world. They may have felt it was their responsibility to show how Germany was deceived, and to set it as a warning for future generations all over the world. They may have wanted the world to remember the Fuhrer's belief that, "He alone, who owns the youth, gains the future." What a prospect.

And Hitler was right. Start 'em young and future plans become much more attainable. Convince the young, convince them to join your side, and the nation will follow you. Hitler was a genius. Hitler was a cold-blooded Tyrant. Hitler knew what he was doing. Hitler wiped out millions of lives.

I've always admired war photographers. Whether they believed in what they were shooting or whether they acted as spies and messengers, I admire them. The courage it must have taken to snap photos of dictators, battle scenes, and intense moments of history must have been huge. These little glimpses into the past can reveal so much, as this single photo shows. It holds whole sermons and messages and speeches in just one small black and white photograph.

This photographer, clearly, chose carefully what he wanted to frame and what he wanted to visually represent. And, one way or another, he represented it.

D-Day Landing Sites Then and Now ~ Huffington Post

I see know that the common theme of war that presents itself in my portfolios may seem slightly unnerving. However, this Huffington Post article was too good to pass up. What an incredible project. There are many more photos where these came from at: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/06/06/d-day-landing-sites-pictures_n_5458026.html

It really puts things into perspective. At first, when I viewed these incredible double-exposure photographs, I viewed the modern day people with disdain. I thought, "Don't they realize the significance of these places they are walking?" "How can they be so indifferent?" "How can they have fun at the beach after what has transpired in this exact place, years ago?" And then, it hit me. These carefree people are the reason D-Day happened.

Without the sacrifice and bloodshed and death that had to occur on that fateful day, those beaches would most likely be bare and lonely, without free people to enjoy them. In fact, many of the places that were once used in WWII are now being used for convenience, occupation, or recreation. It is not a bad thing. It is not disrespectful. It is the fulfilment of the soldiers' goals! They fought for freedom. They fought against tyranny and fascism. They fought against the dictators that created precedents of fear and strict obedience, and won the war.

Not only did they buy our freedom with their very lives, but they bought equality, fairness, democracy, and all the essentials of our privileged countries that we now take for granted. So really, to avoid these places would be the disrespect. To stay away from these historical sites would be to disregard the very reason that these men gave up their lives!

The best way to honour the dead is to grasp our freedom and live it out with our entire being. We've been given life. We've been given countries safe from segregation, genocide, dictatorship, and internment camps. We've been given prosperity and luxury, instead! Yes, we must remember the war. Yes, the gruesome, woeful details are what help us commemorate the weight of this marring in history. However, this gift of freedom is ours to use. For the soldiers who died fighting for a free country, our prosperous lives are what they were hoping for. We are the descendents. We are the 'future generations' many of them surely thought of as they marched off to their doom.

I'm not a sick sadist. I'm not a crazy morbid personality. I don't crave war stories and photographs and movies because I love the blood and gore. No, I love the war because of the bravery. I love it because of the young men who had to lie to their families as they left to join the ranks. I love it because of the soldiers who signed up and had to swallow their fear and follow orders. I love it because of the blind obedience, the purposeful rebellion, and the perseverance in the face of staggering odds.

Men, women, and youth gave their everything, knowing full well that they may not make it out alive- but they did it for a greater and higher purpose than themselves. They grasped the reality. They understood the truth of the greater good- a truth that hardly any first-world citizen these days understands. They understood that it was not about their individual well-being, but the well-being of the millions to come later.

And that is why I love learning about the war.

Sinking?

This shot is crazy. I don't think it is real- I believe it has been edited. However, I find it extremely profound and jarring.

I love it because I feel as though it accurately describes the human condition. The photo has been rotated and cropped unrealistically. In reality, the ship is half-sunk. In reality, it is close to being gone forever. In reality, it's a lost cause.

However, the way the creator has chosen to represent the scenario, the ship is right side up. The water and the issue is born out of proportion- it is incorrect. While the ship is positioned upright, the way it would be if it were still afloat, the creator has to warp the truth of the dire situation.

And does that not describe out biggest issue as human beings? We're sinking. We're terminally ill. We're sick, in need of a doctor. And while the water rushes in to our empty caverns inside, the sickest of us choose to view our serious situations unrealistically. We see ourselves as healthy, whole, and complete, when we are actually the exact opposite. We are in need of a saviour, but we simply cock our heads and look at ourselves from an angle that emphasizes our capability and self-sufficient nature.

We're the cruise ship heading for destruction who refuses to call for help because as long as we look like we're floating; as long as we act like we're safe, we will be.

Then sometimes we don't realize we're drowning until it's absolutely too late, which is the unfortunate case of many people in this world. They don't recognize that they're half dead. They don't recognize it until they're breathing their last.

Luke 5:32 ~ "I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent."

Let that be our goal. Let that be our prayer. If Paul was the worst of all sinners and He wrote most of the New Testament- what does that make us? What does that make me? In the words of Joe Gil in his song, Woodblock,

Cause I'm broken

and I'm sinking

I'm a shipwreck off to sea

I know that's me, and I believe that knowing is the key to healing. If we understand our situation, if we choose to see the water rushing in and the destruction that fast approaches, that is the first step to recovering. Knowing that we can't right ourselves is the first step to being righted by the One who can: Christ. He can save the sinking ship and saving the drowning souls and patch us up from the inside out. 

Whether intentionally or not, the creator of this photograph is a perfect visual representation of the human condition, and the lie that we believe about ourselves. No, we're not alright. And that's something that we need to acknowledge if we ever want to have a hope of being renewed.

House for Sale

Love. This. When I look at this photo, so many things flood into my mind. The brevity of life. The pointlessness of materialism. Our fading possessions. Our fading bodies. The inevitable release of our souls from body to eternity. 

In fact, when I first saw this photo, the single line from Switchfoot's song, Free, came to mind:

Inside this shell there's a prison cell.

It's the unavoidable truth for every soul living in a body composed of matter. Not only are our houses empty shells to shelter temporary lives, but our very bodies are houses designed to survive only for a short while. That's why this photo is so perfect. I know not whether the photographer intended for so much double entendre, but he achieved it. 

With hardly any prep, this photographer set up such a beautifully and pitifully ironic picture. The idea that a snail would bother selling their shell is preposterous. Why? Snails are small. Dumb. Insignificant. Short-lived. Their shells are pretty, but common and fragile. They are next to worthless. 

Let's get introspective. The symbolism really isn't hard to catch, is it? That snail is us. We look for money everywhere. We trade in years and years of our lives for money. We trade valuables for money. We trade our time and our energy. Some even trade their bodies for money. 

And yet, in the end, we are all as fragile as the snail. We're just as short-lived, when compared with eternity. Our endeavors will turn to the very same dust that the snail's do. Solomon wasn't lying. 

I wonder if the angels ever look down on all our toils and struggles and attempts at fame the same way we look at this photo. I wonder if they talk amongst themselves about how bizarre our thoughts are. As we discuss plans for riches and methods for gaining wealth, do they laugh? How does God feel about it? He sees the day of our death coming ever closer, and He sees the pointlessness of our money-grabs. What must He be thinking?

I believe that He aches for us. I believe He aches to see us wasting our time and energy and talents on such a futile object. I believe He mourns as we worship money more than Him. I believe He feels jealousy when we trust Him with everything but our bank accounts. It's like we don't think God can handle money. It's like He's from a separate universe and has no concept of money, and therefore, we keep it 'safe' from Him.

Psalm 39:6 ~ "Surely everyone goes around like a mere phantom; in vain they rush about, heaping up wealth without knowing whose it will finally be."

Imagine what it would look like to live a life with no reservations. Imagine what it would look like to lead a life where every aspect had been surrendered to God? It would be like the good servants in Jesus' parable. They took their talents and gifts and funds, and multiplied them in the name of their Master. And what did they hear? "Well done, good and faithful servant."

If that's not the goal, then I don't know what is.