A Lens Through the World
By: Berline Civil
When presented the opportunity to do a PhotoVoice, I thought who best to ask then my close friend Leila. She is college student who happens to travel a lot. Therefore, I thought the theme of this project would be to showcase pictures from different parts of the world. I asked my participant to share with me three images that stood out to her during her travels and she consented. The three images shown below reflected several things to her and they have a deeper meaning. Take a look.
Picture 1
“This picture shows industrialization and how far we have come as a society. Before, we never could imagine buildings like these and now, these are our normal. And they can also represent how our challenges as a society have changed from lack of housing to buildings now becoming taller than ever. I think these buildings can also represent how fast our lives are ever changing, not just the buildings but the world around us. Sometimes we need to take a minute and take it all in, realizing it’ll change with us without us so take a moment to let that sink in.”
When I first saw the image of the skyscrapers, I initially thought of all the time and effort it took to complete them. I thought about the countless workers whose continuous labor contributed to the finished product. I also thought about the revenue such buildings bring along with the attraction it brought to the city. My mind went back to the three pyramids in Egypt and how the pharaoh wanted impressive structures that would stand high. It made me realize that sometimes, people in power think that more is better. The city would have been fine with one skyscraper but one is simply not enough. With the rapid expansion of cities, more space is needed to house the residents, host businesses, and provide resources. When there is no longer any space, the only way to build is up. I wonder if this process of constructing a skyscraper is damaging the environment. With a limited amount of resources, when will we run out and no longer be able to build up?
Humankind have come a long way from the first pyramids to skyscrapers that dominate the skyline and so much more. We are continuously in a race to improve our society, even if it means harming our environment. Yes, the skyscrapers create a magnificent view of the city and solves the problem with rapid population growth in urban places, but it also creates new ones. Will our greed continue to feed our need to create more glamorous skyscrapers? I think only the future will tell.
Picture 2
“This is a mosque, a religious place practiced by over a billion Muslims. Many people think of this as just a building, but for many it’s so much more. It’s a place they find peace in. The architect dates hundreds of years but it’s still beautiful to this day. Even though we have come a long way we all can still appreciate the beauty. Regardless of how you feel about the religion of Islam you can see the beauty in this picture. Why can’t we let the beauty of each other be the thing that brings us together not divides us? We all as a society play a role in social norms. Why can’t love be the norm, why is it hate? We choose to see things the way we want to regardless of how others feel because we think of only ourselves. Maybe start thinking of everyone else around you. We are a society. A group of people not just one individual.”
When I first saw this image, I immediately recognized the dome shape and knew it was a mosque. I saw several images of this particular one located in Abu Dhabi. A mosque is a place of worship for Muslims. But in the mosque pictured above, I’ve had friends of different religions go and visit it. Despite the difference of beliefs, they all had one thing to say: it was a spectacular sight! It made me realize how we can still be united and appreciate things, even if we ourselves don’t agree with everything the other person believes. At the end of the day, we are all human coming from different backgrounds, traditions, and cultures. It’s our differences that makes us unique. It brings about a unique perspective that we can offer the world, similar to the mosque. The mosque in the picture does not follow the traditional architect of skyscrapers, yet it’s uniqueness is what makes it beautiful.
Picture 3
“Butterfly garden: represents the beauty of nature and how there’s a world in nature that we forget to pay attention to. We become so consumed in our own day to day lives that forget how we are able to breathe and live through the amazing creation of nature. It’s all around us. It’s up to us to take time to acknowledge it and truly understand the beauty. How many times do we think about the animals or nature having their own entire life that we know little to nothing about? After this picture was taken, a lady came up to me. She knew everything about the different types of butterflies because she had a wealth of knowledge. She had ingrained this into her children as well. It made me gain so much appreciation for nature and made me realize how much I don’t really know. She opened my eyes and made me realize how many blessings I’m surrounded by. Her excitement about this shocked me because there are people in the world who still care but they are the minority. More of us need to care enough to listen to others. She talked about every plant every butterfly ever creature there. I’ll never forget that encounter. If my mentor hadn’t shown me this garden, I would’ve never met that lady who gave me this new sense of appreciation.”
Sometimes the best way to destress is by taking a walk through nature. It gives us the opportunity to stop what we’re going and enjoy the beauty of nature. In the picture, we see a butterfly garden that the students walking by can enjoy. One of the main concerns Leila brings up is the fact that there’s only a small minority of people who actually enough about nature to educate themselves. The lady she encountered provided her an eye-opening experience to see a perspective beyond her own. It made me realize that sometimes, listening is the key to understanding. Not only was she able to get a look at nature, but she also learned something new in the process. A heart of willingness and an open-mind can allow us to develop a profound appreciation for nature.
Media Attributions
- Skyscrapers
- Mosque
- Butterfly Garden
