Stagnant Motion

I want to take this opportunity of curating a blog where I can approach photos that didn’t make it to my regular portfolio, or to my grid on my Instagram. The photo in question I believe is perfect to open this area for self-reflection, and is also representative of the theme above. Moments go by, and especially for the gentleman at the forefront of the photo, perhaps too regularly.

And what else is to be expected of him? The lot of us hop into our cars, regularly scheduled trains, buses, or anything in between to continue our routines as expected. Even though we’re told to enjoy every moment as if it were our last, humans are ritualistic by nature. We know that the new things in life excite us, yet we are reluctant to step into unknown terrain.

I’d like to make a disclaimer in that I also do not know this particular gentleman, so for all that I know I couldn’t be further from the truth. Perhaps he was boarding a train to the next art exhibit, or to embrace with a loved one he had been apart from for a significant period of time. As I make my assumptions, I’m evermore conscious of my ignorance in the life of a stranger.

I can only speak of my own impressions and understand that they are subject to a lack of understanding. Yet when I look into this photo, I think of all the places we could be in the world, and perhaps all the places we’d rather be as well. Missed opportunities, unknown passions. This contemplation brings me once again to the redundant idiom of seizing the day, enjoying each day as if it were your last. Carpe Diem.

I believe the balancing act between the desire to return to what we know and the craving for something new is what can play a vital role in the concept known as the human dilemma. Though our dilemma can stem from this very familiar sentiment, this dilemma is all our own. Individual, catered to ourselves, as a result of our own thoughts and actions. These thoughts and actions are what perpetuate this conundrum, and they are they only thing that will take us out of it as well. For these reasons, we feel forever stagnant, but are always inching in motion.