Minor White, "It is hardly surprising that I have concluded, after 5 years research, that camera is both a way of life and not enough to live by... Glass between me and the world is both a channel and a barrier."
Minor White continues, "To live through a lens, to live out my inner conflicts and brambles through a camera, to turn to the camera to help me return to the world was an experiment I set out to explore five years ago. I knew it was headed for failure in some way, but I persevered because little else was left open. Camera as a way of life, and this included teaching, especially teaching, is still the least impossible way for me to develop and to maintain a state that I call mine."
The growing separation between self and nature breaks the tether that anchors us in a willing connection with something other than our own self interest. And on our own inability to reflect on who we are and what is becoming of our inner purpose.
We are in a world where greed and power exist for only one purpose, to take all there is from the few lower income Americans and shift the the tax payers hard paid taxes to the wealthy who are recklessly destroying the earth for their own personal pleasures. While the rest of us live in fear and desperation succumbing to the numbing discovery that our lives are wasted on energy directed in the wrong direction.
We seem to think that if we accumulate things this will give us the foundation of self pride and a means to be seen in the commercial world of ads.
How often do we exploit camera phones not to document an inner relationship with something external to your mind but to expose ourselves with the latest and greatest.
Like herded cattle we follow the tidbits of coins (information) to make ourselves believe we are something better than who we have become. Originality is a process whereby through your experiences you begin to see relationships with external subjects that you missed when your ego dominated your vision.
Consciousness is naturally selfish and suspicious of outside forces. It cannot understand the forces of nature are very dangerous and we assume an ethical quality of the mind so we can deliberate on these unknown sources without feeling guilty of their destruction.
We are alienating ourselves from the very purpose we are here for. Loss of self destroys your ability to have for forethought in exploring nature and your realizing a subject staring you in the face. Intuition is necessary to create images that have a deeper meaning than surface gloss. Your purpose is not to photograph something in a fast paste hurry to move on but with empathy and depth that allows you a connection with something bigger than yourself. We are becoming a selfish, 'look at me' ego controlled by a consumerism that only asks for more, more and more. Unwilling to release our prideful ego we destroy the very thing that could teach us humility and gods will.
Losing sight of self, we lessen our resolve to stop drinking or using drugs. This separates us further from exploring the magical impressions of nature. The external is our playground to find our reflections in still water. We create our own world.
If your intention is to deny your self expression then you have already taken a path of a stranger even to you.
