Repost from Jan. 7th, 2017

I had an Instagram account a couple years ago, but like Facebook, it can become addictive. One minute can turn to 40 faster than a stolen Hellcat on I-80. So I deactivated it. But then I realized most of the stuff I seek on Facebook are pictures of my friends and what is turning them on at that moment. So I reactivated it. Though, the time space distortion is still an issue. The part I find most fascinating is visualizing the glimpses into a small part of my friends and followers psyche. Photography is a pretty powerful medium. Think about the pictures that are ingrained into the timeline of our lives. Reagan being shot, the Challenger explosion, the Berlin wall falling…the students killed in Tiananmen Square.
We can place ourselves into the images that draw us in and use that to relate to the people around us. Our ability to identify with someone’s point of view triggers the neuro networks responsible for empathy and therefore bring us closer the people creating the art of their mind. The survival of our humanity relies on understanding how others feel, attending to the needs of those around us and working with one another to construct a better society. Art and photography are more important than ever to reflect our humanity, especially in a world that can be as inhumane as ours.