Views from Paris

Chicago from Above

We take so much of what we see on a daily basis for granted, but there are marvels around us everywhere. Marvels of engineering. Marvels of imagination. Marvels of art. Marvels of nature. I'm taking this year to open my eyes again.

Who is that man?

How many stranger's pictures have we been in? I mean, how many people around the world took a snapshot and we happened to be lurking in the background, unknown to both the photographer and ourselves? There could be hundreds of photos of us out there that we will never see, yet others will enjoy. Some friends and family gathering around a pleasant picture and never knowing the strangers in the background. Maybe they even bump into us later on the street, thinking to themselves, "I know that guy from somewhere."

Well this picture was intentional. I meant to catch this lonely man, on a lonely street, in a lonely town in the mountains of Ecuador. He doesn't know it, but we're all looking at him and pondering and speculating, and never really knowing. . . Who is that man?


And who is this young man? I could muse for days or weeks if I studied this photograph carefully. I know he is from an indian tribe in the Amazon. I know he does not have much, evidenced by his torn clothing. But beyond the surface what else could I gather about this man? If I studied long enough could I see into his soul? Could I really know what the expression on his face means, what he is thinking and feeling, his hopes and dreams? He has a heart-shaped pendant across his neck, who gave it to him? Was it his first love? Who is he really, I wonder. . .