My dad always said that we are not islands, we cannot go on alone in life. Someone special crossed my road and I decided to jump into the relationship life after a lot of years without it. Now she is my model. In this post, I share various experimental portrait-style photographs in a series I call "The Girl I Could Not Write". It is a phrase in one of my poems that I translated but I also think fits into the narrative of the anonymous photographs. I use this to muse my general philosophical musings below the photographs. Scroll down if you want to read my musings. For now, please enjoy the photographs.
The Girl I Could Not Write
The Girl I Could Not Write
Aristotle wrote that humans are social creatures. That is, to be fully human we need to live with other humans to actualize our potential to live a good life. Even though what it is to be human is problematic and our current era's society is problematic, there still rests some truth in this statement. We depend on others so that our society functions, we depend on some people to keep the infrastructure in order, we depend on some people to make decisions that impact our everyday lives.
Shakespeare said that no man is an island. Again, disregarding the political and social problems linked to the quote, there rings some truth to it. We cannot be alone. Our minds are actively trying to get the better of us. People cannot be alone for too long. But we can translate this to love relationships as well. Our current era is characterized by a lack of lasting love relationships. Real love is very scarce. The moral implications of this aside, one cannot be alone for too long without love. Love has many different forms, and one does not need all of them. If one has real family love one does not necessarily need friendship, but everything needs balance.
Yet, one cannot rely too much on society as a whole to provide these good conditions to grow. One cannot rely too much on others to provide the love one needs to function properly. However, there is an important reciprocal relationship found here. One cannot give and not receive, one cannot receive without giving. And here is the crux of the loving society: one needs to love oneself (not in a narcissistic way) in order to receive love from others.
This is not a profound statement, but it is an interesting thought to have: society as a whole depends on the individual to have in mind the whole of society. Yet, the individual does not depend on society as a whole as such, rather the individual depends on other individuals who also do not rely on society as a whole.
Postscriptum, or She Finally Walked Away
The girl in my poem walked away. But someone else walked into my life. I could not write her, yet here she is. My poetry could not describe what I lacked, I only found out what I lacked when I found it. Rather contradictory.
This is the first time I took portrait-style photographs in years. I hope you enjoyed them, and if you read my musings, those as well. All of the photographs were taken with my Nikon D300 and Nikkor 50mm lens. All of the musings are my own. Happy photographing and stay safe.
Fantastic shots and some interesting musings. I do think that in order to properly love others, one must first love themself. The grass-roots value of individuals making up the fabric of the larger body is pretty fascinating in the social scale of things.
I do think there is a proper balance to be found in the grand scheme of things. There feels like a season for everything at some point and to experience (or not experience) brings a level of appreciation for the lack or surplus. Love in all it's forms is a tricky thing. Sometimes it comes and goes... but True Love never really dies.
I really enjoyed this post. Thanks my friend!
Thanks so much, my friend!
I think there is something deeply contradictory happening in our society, especially with the focus on social media, or the role that social media play in our society. We tend to love ourselves through the eyes of others, that is through the screen and likes. Self-worth has been linked to things external to us.
So people are deeply hurt and unloved today and they seek love from others in that unloved state. Or, they cannot love themselves as they should but they desperately seek love from others and so on.
I concur with your musings! Let us hope that social media and our modern society relooks at the way love is needed and self-love in a more productive sense devoid of social identity presence.
Yes, i agree. I have said for a long time self-esteem is how one esteems themself. A person can not look to esteem themself based on the esteem (or lack of esteem) of others. This modern search for dopamine dumps based on feeling good from the social media responses or thoughts and delusions of grandeur is pretty disturbing. The engine of our social machine is now running on exploiting the egos of the masses to lift them up and put those that conform on pedestals.
The old adage of everyone getting their fifteen minutes of fame has now morphed into fishing for that fame and spreading the fifteen minutes across a lifetime. For every minute of that spotlight people get now... they may have squandered years of actual value, gratitude, and appreciation for real life. It's mostly all optics leaving people empty with the discrepancy between the life they present and knowing the reality of their existence. Technology has been one of the greatest equalizing tools in modern society... and it has been one of the most comfortable chains in our enslavement.
Sorry for the rant. hahaha
Perfect song to accompany the rant! I forgot about it.
But everything you say is so true. A couple of fringe psychologists/philosophers (names that escape my mind this early morning) make the bold claim that our era is "sick" or "mentally ill". Narcissism is rampant and eating away at our sense of society or what it could be. Everyone is looking for that fifteen minutes of fame. But as you mentioned social media gives the illusion that it can be fifteen minutes of every week or every day. Even at the cost of their own sanity/health. But what is worrying for me is that some people will look for that fifteen minutes at the cost of society.
Thanks for the insightful rant!
Indeed. I think it's interesting to look at it from a bigger picture perspective. If we consider the psychology that goes into marketing and think about how long people have been being buttered up to live from a self-centric and ego-based point of view... it's no wonder people today think they are entitled or that narcissistic tendencies are driving the cultural masses.
Today, on social media, there isn't much of a difference between fame and infamy. I think much of the negatives derive from the disconnect provided by the very thing that connects the world together. It's such an ironic situation. The lack of human social interaction in real life has emboldened many people online to depend on that digital realm and audience to augment an actual life.
I have a feeling things will get worse before they get better... but at least people are talking about it and discussing this series of topics. Now, my brain has been emptied for my morning until i get some more coffee. hahaha
This song might fit too... ahhaha a little. I like blues in the morning while i wake up. hahaha
Exactly this! There was no other outcome really, I would argue. It is what these big corporates wanted and now that they have it they are slowly realizing we have only finite resources. Not that they care, but we as "ego-centric" consumers are paying the price.
It really is, and a sad one! Disconnected from others and the world, but connected into the ego-centric and online created world. What a time to be alive! Brave new world by Aldous Huxley might become in some sense a reality!
Most things in life are like this! It is a sad reality, but one needs to suffer before it gets better.
Coffee and blues sound like the perfect combination in the morning! I need to try it sometimes. Normally, it is blues and beer over a fire in my family! Keep well my friend, thanks for the awesome insight!
Blues, beer, and a fire sound like a fun combo too!
Thanks for your awesome response. I'm sure there will be more discussions in the future! You stay well also and have a great week. Cheers
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El amor es una de las cosas mas importantes que tenemos, el amor propio es lo primero, amarnos para poder amar y ser amados, amor por lo que hacemos y amor por el mundo. No hay nada más claro que todo lo que escribiste. Tus fotografías están muy profesionales, se nota que te apasiona. Eres un artista, se que te irá muy bien 🙌
Thank you so much for your kind words! I really appreciate it. And what you say is so true. Self-love is so important, it opens you up to accept and appreciate love. Thank you so much for your lovely comment.
¡Muchas gracias por tus amables palabras! Realmente lo aprecio. Y lo que dices es muy cierto. El amor propio es tan importante que te abre para aceptar y apreciar el amor. Muchas gracias por su hermoso comentario.
Gracias a usted por su aporte 🙌
What a talent and incredible way to show us your creativity...This is beyond inspiring, what a beautiful mind and photography concept.
Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much, my friend! I really appreciate the comment. What an honor. This really helps me carry on and give it my all to provide the best quality posts I can make.