Photograph 2
Photo Credit to Nasir Khan http://photo.net/photos/nasirkhan
When choosing a photo for how I see the world, this one almost seems like a cop-out. Anyone could point out that the tracks ahead represent the track that I am taking in life, with the same level of subtlety as the cover of Ford's book. And the track's sudden disappearance? It could be a deadly cliff, or it might be a hill that I can use to pick up speed. The mountains in the back could be the distant future, unclear but full of possibilities. Finding existential interpretations of photographs ain't hard. But when I saw this photo, I immediately thought of something very different. Yes, that track represents the path of my life. However, I am not looking forwards into the future but backwards into my past (with the present being the location of the photographer). I do not know what lies in the future, and I will never be able to. I only know what has been. I cannot turn around and see what will be. In a sense, it is like driving by looking through the rear view mirror. The track starts suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere. This is just like how my life was jerked into existence.
Looking into the photograph further, the details provide supportive symbolism to this metaphor. One aspect that I noticed was the poor quality of the tracks themselves. I am clearly not the first one to go down this path. In my journey through life, I am by no means trailblazing. I'm the 5th generation of Seger to live in my town, I'm not the first in my family to attend college (or even the first to be a teacher), and I consider my life goals to be traditional and pragmatic. I do not consider myself a "special snowflake". While this may seem unadventurous, I find solace in the beaten path. Many others have been where I am now; they can warn me of the bumps and trails that await me. This is the safe and reliable route. Another detail that I found great meaning in was seemingly insignificant: The mountains far off in the background. i see these as the world before I was born. I realize that existence did not begin with me, but my direct conception of the world is still limited to my time on Earth. I can know of the past, but I can never truly understand it; it looms in the distance, hazy and out of focus. In the same vein, I can only clearly see the world around me through the lens of my perception. It is as if I am wearing a pair of glasses. Whenever I try to look at the world without the values and biases that I have acquired throughout my life--i.e., when I take the glasses off--the view is mentally unclear. In other worlds, it doesn't make sense. I see this as the reason why it is difficult to look outside of own's own worldview. I love how the elements of this photograph come together to symbolize the way that I see the world.
When choosing a photo for how I see the world, this one almost seems like a cop-out. Anyone could point out that the tracks ahead represent the track that I am taking in life, with the same level of subtlety as the cover of Ford's book. And the track's sudden disappearance? It could be a deadly cliff, or it might be a hill that I can use to pick up speed. The mountains in the back could be the distant future, unclear but full of possibilities. Finding existential interpretations of photographs ain't hard. But when I saw this photo, I immediately thought of something very different. Yes, that track represents the path of my life. However, I am not looking forwards into the future but backwards into my past (with the present being the location of the photographer). I do not know what lies in the future, and I will never be able to. I only know what has been. I cannot turn around and see what will be. In a sense, it is like driving by looking through the rear view mirror. The track starts suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere. This is just like how my life was jerked into existence.
Looking into the photograph further, the details provide supportive symbolism to this metaphor. One aspect that I noticed was the poor quality of the tracks themselves. I am clearly not the first one to go down this path. In my journey through life, I am by no means trailblazing. I'm the 5th generation of Seger to live in my town, I'm not the first in my family to attend college (or even the first to be a teacher), and I consider my life goals to be traditional and pragmatic. I do not consider myself a "special snowflake". While this may seem unadventurous, I find solace in the beaten path. Many others have been where I am now; they can warn me of the bumps and trails that await me. This is the safe and reliable route. Another detail that I found great meaning in was seemingly insignificant: The mountains far off in the background. i see these as the world before I was born. I realize that existence did not begin with me, but my direct conception of the world is still limited to my time on Earth. I can know of the past, but I can never truly understand it; it looms in the distance, hazy and out of focus. In the same vein, I can only clearly see the world around me through the lens of my perception. It is as if I am wearing a pair of glasses. Whenever I try to look at the world without the values and biases that I have acquired throughout my life--i.e., when I take the glasses off--the view is mentally unclear. In other worlds, it doesn't make sense. I see this as the reason why it is difficult to look outside of own's own worldview. I love how the elements of this photograph come together to symbolize the way that I see the world.