Photograph 1
Credit to gettyimages and Daniel Berahulak http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/indian-soldiers-practice-their-stunts-on-royal-enfield-news-photo/136929433
This is a pretty crazy photograph. Even after a fair amount of online research, I still do not know much about it. All that I have been able to find out is that they are soldiers of the Indian Army during a military parade. Who are these people? What are they doing? What purpose does it serve? I certainly have no idea. But to be honest, I do not think that is very important. For once, it is better to put aside the superficial questions one normally asks about a picture and get straight to the deep processing: how does this represent the world?
If nothing else, this is an amazing act of balance. Every soldier in the picture has a role to fill, and everyone else relies on them to get the job done. The man on top needs to remain calm despite laying on top of a pole barreling down the freeway, the ones surrounding the poles trust one another to lean back to keep the pole straight, accepting the risk of falling back, and the driver keeps the motorcycle moving despite the tumult surrounding him. All of the men are under pressure; their commander stands to the side, waiting for even the smallest breach of protocol. Despite its comical quality, this is not a job for the light hearted. In this photo, I see many aspects of the human condition: trust, teamwork, and a search for something greater than oneself. What makes this any different from the Moon landing or Saint Peter’s Basilica or democracy (except on a smaller scale)? They are mighty, beautiful feats that many would call impossible. If someone were to describe this scene to me, I would not believe them for a second. But these people are still able to pull it off. In the end, we are all just people working together to do crazy things.
This is a pretty crazy photograph. Even after a fair amount of online research, I still do not know much about it. All that I have been able to find out is that they are soldiers of the Indian Army during a military parade. Who are these people? What are they doing? What purpose does it serve? I certainly have no idea. But to be honest, I do not think that is very important. For once, it is better to put aside the superficial questions one normally asks about a picture and get straight to the deep processing: how does this represent the world?
If nothing else, this is an amazing act of balance. Every soldier in the picture has a role to fill, and everyone else relies on them to get the job done. The man on top needs to remain calm despite laying on top of a pole barreling down the freeway, the ones surrounding the poles trust one another to lean back to keep the pole straight, accepting the risk of falling back, and the driver keeps the motorcycle moving despite the tumult surrounding him. All of the men are under pressure; their commander stands to the side, waiting for even the smallest breach of protocol. Despite its comical quality, this is not a job for the light hearted. In this photo, I see many aspects of the human condition: trust, teamwork, and a search for something greater than oneself. What makes this any different from the Moon landing or Saint Peter’s Basilica or democracy (except on a smaller scale)? They are mighty, beautiful feats that many would call impossible. If someone were to describe this scene to me, I would not believe them for a second. But these people are still able to pull it off. In the end, we are all just people working together to do crazy things.