Tuesday 27 September 2011

Week 117: Expectations.

I've always believed you should seek goodness in others and not pass judgement on them until they have done something to wrong you, regardless of their race, skin colour, social status, financial status, religion, beliefs, physical appearance, music taste or clothes. Opinions come into it as well, just because someone does not share the same opinion as you, does not make them a bad person at heart. Always focus on the positive, only hate when it is absolutely necessary to hate and use it as a last resort. Follow this and you'll do a lot better in life.

Dan.



This was taken near Soho, New York. From what I was saying before, it relates to prejudice. I never know what to think when the homeless ask me for my money. They could be genuinely desperate for money that will provide them with food, or they could spend it on other substances such as drugs or alcohol. You never know. Which is why, I will never give a homeless person money. Instead, I will give them some food. This way I can get an idea of what the money was intended for by the individual's reaction and it also gives me the satisfaction that I have done a good deed. On the other hand, giving a person money may or may not result in a good deed, this is why you must be cautious. You can never be to certain though. In London 'Pret A Manger' give their left over sandwiches to the homeless at the end of the day. Which, I think beats most other conglomerate businesses that will throw all the left over food in the bin. So after seeing the copious amount of homeless people in NYC I thought about this for a while. You can never judge someone until you have truly got to know them and their intentions. Intentions are the key to a person's nature.

If you ever get a chance, read the novel Stone Cold by author Robert Swindells. It is quite a short book but has a lot of philosophy behind it. It deals with the homeless, and in this case a young man that had serious bad luck and was forced onto the streets. This is the case for thousands of people around the world, sometimes it is not their fault whatsoever and they still get treated badly by the general public. However, there are some out there that are homeless due to their own lifestyle, and have nobody to blame but themselves. It is thoughts like this that have lead me to a way of thinking that you can never say "I know what it's like to be in your shoes" or "I completely understand" because, no matter how similar your situation may have been or how much you think you understand somebody's situation, you just do not understand.

No matter how much you think you've been in the same position as another individual, you still cannot understand what they are going through. This is because EVERYONE is an individual, they have all had different past experiences to everybody else. They have all lived their lives in different ways and therefore will view things differently. It is this mass variety in perception that differentiates the way each individual will view alternative situations. So please, when you are giving support to somebody, be sympathetic but do not try and compare their situation with yours. It may have been harder for you, it may have been easier but at the end of the day it was a completely different situation.

Song listening to right now: King of The Road - Roger Miller

Thursday 15 September 2011

Week 116: Putting things into perspective.

Today has made me think about the way I used to be. I've done things in my past that I'm not proud of. I've lied to people I care about, I've been jealous when I shouldn't have, I've said things that are not polite and I've treated people in a manner that was not any where near how I would have liked to be treated myself. This however, was years ago. Recently, I've been a very genuine and honest guy about things. I've shown genuine understanding towards other people's feelings, I've been completely honest and share optimism with everyone I meet. This is mainly down to one person that managed to change the way I live my life, and I don't think they even realised it. I really like the man I have become now. I do not have any sympathy with the man I used to be. I think it's a good thing to admit and confess to the bad things you have done but it's also a virtue to judge someone on the way they are now and not judge them by their past. Show appreciation to those who deserve the truth and you'll be okay.

I have been thinking about all of this recently and I'd just like to point out that the past couple of weeks have put everything into perspective. Things have happened that have made me think that none of that matters compared to what else is going on in the world. For example, witnessing the memorial of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. When you view the emotions of the people who were effected by something as extreme as 9/11, you realise what really matters in life. In New York people come from all walks of life. They may be viewed as good people or bad people, they may have done things that they regret in the past but when something as catastrophic as 9/11 happens, they all manage to come together and help each other out. What I witnessed, was a loving community all coming together to pay their respects, no matter what kind of person they were.

Daniel.




Just have a look at this photograph I took on the 10th anniversary. New York was on lock-down. The Army, the Navy, top police officers, S.W.A.T, F.B.I and The Secret Service, were all scouting the jungle that is Manhattan. Still, throughout all of the formalities and tension, there were numerous locals showing their pride and their respect to all of the U.S citizens lost on that day. It was a beautiful thing to watch and it thoroughly encouraged my optimism for the human race. It put a lot into perspective, I know I haven't been the nicest guy in the past but there is still hope through compassion and love.

Song listening to right now: One - Metallica

Sunday 11 September 2011

Week 115: 9/11.

What can I say? There's not much to say right? I'm not an American, but I just spent the ten year anniversary of the 9/11 bombings in Lower Manhattan, New York. I'm an alien, I felt bad for feeling any emotions. It almost felt like I didn't deserve to feel sad. That didn't stop the emotions from flooding in though. I got up at 7am and went down to Lower Manhattan this morning to see how close I could get to the memorial and listen to the names being called out. By the time I got down to Battery Park, I was already feeling my vocal chords tighten up and goosebumps were appearing up and down me. I then hung around Battery for a while, looking out at the Statue of Liberty and then looking back on the thousands of flags scattered around the park for each life that was lost. I then thought it was time we started making our way down to the memorial. With my gaze fixed on the Freedom Tower, I started marching. This is what I came across at precisely 9:11am...

Carry on reading.
Daniel.




A leap of Faith. 9:11am September 11th 2011.

The entire day was full of emotional, physical and shocking moments. I managed to capture a lot of these and I promise you that you will witness an influx of photographs from this day in particular.

Song listening to right now: Conclusion of an Age - Sylosis

Monday 5 September 2011

Week 114: Concrete Jungle.

I apologise for the slight lateness of this post, I have touched down. America is here. I've taken a hell of a load of pictures. There is nothing like New York City, I've come just before quite an emotional weekend and I can feel that already. I will keep you all updated with the goings on but for now I'm going to leave you with.

I will own this.
D.



I didn't want to post any of the usual Empire States or Chryslers, I just wanted to show you a photograph of a dense circuit board. A small section of the mass battery that is New York City. This was taken at the top of The Empire State building. Most people were taking photographs of the skyline, the tourist spots and the great architectural landmarks that are flagships of this great city. I did the same. However, I also took a series of pictures that made me think and will also make others think. I have an entire series of these photographs. The sensor of my camera was wallpapered with concrete.

Song listening to right now: Chronicles - Viatrophy