To Transform Awareness…

“I recently asked some friends what they would grab from their house if it was on fire and they had only three minutes to escape. This question has intrigued me for some time. I can’t remember when I first thought of it—or maybe it was put to me at a dinner party by a host desperate to get things rolling. Regardless, I am curious about what people find important, and this question speaks directly to the issue. It is, too, I confess, a self-serving question, as I am trying to figure out what is important to me and am hoping someone will help me down that path. Anyway, my friends on this afternoon answered typically. Of the four, three said they would grab the family photographs. The holdout said he’d reach for his guitar. Guitars aside, in my unscientific poll, most people say they would most miss their photographs if all their belongings were irretrievably lost.”

To read the rest of my meditation on photography (among–too?–many other things) and why we take pictures please go to Obscura Press.



3 responses to “To Transform Awareness…”

  1. Well, my computer and external harddrive would probably be high on the list, especially since it contains photos, music, personal writings and the addresses of all friends and family. It would be nice to know I could contact everyone quickly to obtain their support in dealing with the post-fire issues.

    1. S – I was the same way, until I changed to cloud computing. Now everything is in the ether somewhere. It makes for one less thing to worry about.–and less things is a personal goal. (Chatwin, looking at a pile of his stuff remarked, If we’re reflected in our things, then I hate myself.)

  2. Cloud computing….of course. Perhaps a goal for 2011. And to think, I was so pleased with myself, technologically, to have accomplished (in 2010) my 2009 goal to obtain an external harddrive.

    So once again, I am behind the times AND I now have even more stuff on my desk…and wires at my feet! Well, it is a journey isn’t it.

I welcome your comments. Thanks for reading.