January 08, 2005
I've been strangly fascinated with diaramas for a long time. I remember doing them as a kid, spending a ridiculous amount of hours creating entire worlds inside of shoeboxes.
Perhaps that's why I found Lori Nix so fascinating. A photographer by trade, she creates obscenely intricate sets to serve as her subjects of study. While most of them are laced with certain amount of dark humor / impending doom, her attention to detail is absolutely astounding.
It's hard for me to imagine Lori not loving what she does. I'm sure there's some message behind her scenes, and although I'm not bright enough to discern what exactly the message is, it brings me a certain amount of joy simply looking at them.
January 01, 2005
Perhaps it's time to begin making resolutions that matter.
I invested a sizable chunk of my brainpower yesterday contemplating what I'd like to accomplish in the coming year. As usual, these goals were entirely centered on myself. Learn a foreign language. Play an instrument. Publish an article. The obligatory getting in shape.
All nice things to do. But what impact would they provide anyone? What is noble about any of these pursuits?
I've been in countless discussions over the past few years about the purpose of our actions. There are those who would suggest that the pursuit of one's own happiness is the highest and noblest goal one could ever pursue.
Which, of course, explains why we find ourselves touched, impacted beyond measure when we hear on the news about the 55 year-old woman who, after reading about the tsunami in Southeast Asia, decided to go buy a new frock because, hey, it made her happy.
Apologies, but the argument that happiness is the best we can hope to attain is pure, unadulterated BS.
When I'm done living my life, would I like to have known that I made the world, or at least my insignificant sphere of it, a better place? Or would I simply be content knowing that I had a blast, saw the world, and at every crucial turn chose my personal happiness above all else?
When I come face-to-face with my Creator, would I rather look back with pride at how I was able to use my talents and energy and soul to live for Him or for myself? Would I rather show him the people's lives I changed, the way I helped the poor guy on the side of the road have a hot meal, the way I spent countless hours locked in my room praying for those around me?
Or would I rather show Him a slideshow full of pictures of me standing in front of stuff?
Do I somehow think that happiness is evil? Of course not. But I do think that there is something inside of all of us that yearns to be something more - to reach higher, to do more, to impact more people. This yearning is laced with pride, and can always be embraced for the wrong reasons. But even prideful benevolence is better than humble self-centeredness.
Maybe I should think about giving my resolution list a rewrite. At the very least, approach it in a way that acknowledges what it is that I believe in.
Happy new year.
