Look at Life and Photos

Lately João and I haven’t done much on our day off. We just haven’t been up to it between nosebleeds, doctor’s appointments, sore throats and the latest my inflamed nerve in my back. Hopefully that is all past and we are on the upward swing, getting in gear for our vacation at the end of June. In fact I spent most of yesterday and part of today working on those travel plans. That takes a while.

João and I had read of a photo exhibition here in Rio and mentioned we’d like to see it, but we tend to say things like that and just not get it done. This time we did. We just decided to leave the house as it was and take off for downtown, grabbing a bite to eat there. Since parking is impossible and expensive, we just drove the car to church and parked it there and took a cab downtown. That turned out cheaper than taking a bus or subway.

We went to see the World Press Photo Contest display. I know you’ve seen most of these photos, but wanted to share my favorites. The winning photo was the cover of Time (by Jodi Bieber) and no matter how many times I see it I am shocked at how cruel someone can be – cutting off someone’s ears and nose because they ran away from being beaten? Wow. Reminds me, once again, that the heart of man is very evil and cruel and that sin takes us to the darkest of dark places.

You would certainly be aware of that if you had seen these winning photos. They showed so much mayhem and violence. As I looked them so close to lunch time, I felt kind of nauseous and I had to look away from some of them. There wasn’t much beauty to be seen. João reminded me that it was journalistic photography, but I rebutted that there is still beauty in our world, it’s just not much in style right now. We value the stark, the shocking, the brutality and bestiality at the moment. I think I saved the best for last, for the last few images I saw were definitely redeeming. Look at these beautiful Whooper Swans (by Stefano Unterthiner). These birds migrate from Iceland to Ireland and also Japan. They are incredible in their single-mindedness, determination and durability. I wish I were more like they are!

A photo I found arresting, beautiful and disturbing was this one of the Lava Lake (by Oliver Grunewald), the largest in the world, located in the Congo. As I looked at that lake of fire, I was again reminded that “mother nature” is not always benevolent! We live in a turbulent world where even nature is groaning, and yes even burning. Nature is not just beautiful, she can also be deadly and malevolent. It is after all, a fallen world we live in. There is nothing entirely pure or uncorrupted. Our existence here is certainly quite fragile.

The Cape Gannet bird, knows about being fragile. This bird with a 2 meter wingspan doesn’t even look real to me. What a fantastic photo. No wonder it took 1st place in the nature division. (by Thomas Peschak). This poor bird is facing starvation as a result of overfishing off the west coast of southern Africa. It would be a shame for it to become extinct, but it might, as that is the way of the world.

Despite the seeming “downess” of all that I saw, I did not come away totally overwhelmed. It was a reminder to me to walk lightly through this world and to touch lightly all things, for I cannot make this fragile earth my heart’s love or desire, for it is not my home. I do not want my mind to be set on earthly things. My heart’s desire is elsewhere, as is my citizenship.