A NEW LAND

This week in the 100th edition of the Lens-artist photo challenge, Tina of the esteemed lens-artist quartet requests us to share our images and thoughts about the long and winding road. She gives us the freedom to be literal or metaphorical.  For context, best will be to read her post.

These photos were taken on the last hike I did before the lockdown in Newlands Forest (hence the title – A New Land) situated on the western side of Table Mountain in Cape Town. 

While roads and paths assists us to reach into the distant yonder, life happens right next to us. I have therefore decided to focus on the right next to us moments in this post. The things which “distract” my attention while I hike these paths. While on a hike I search purposefully for these moments of distraction – moments to entertain my camera lens.  Of course on the greater path called life their are also things which distract our attention, willingly or unwillingly. It may be positive or negative distractions, enhancing or detracting from life. COVID19 is certainly such a distraction which has literally limited or altered actual physical paths taken and impacted the path of life itself. Unfortunately it has also ended the path of hundreds of thousands of people. 

Into the unknown yonder

Tears of joy or sadness?

Forest royalty on their throne

And the artist is: nature

On a bed of needles

Exposing my roots

Roots of a tree and the thoughts of homo sapiens are normally hidden. But your attitudes exposes your thoughts and what you are rooted in. If my attitude towards Covid19 should be: well I am healthy and fit, if I get it, I will probably not even have symptoms – bugger the rest, I would actually contradict my species, as sapiens means wise.

I enjoy to spice life up with humour but have also learnt, that humour is not an excuse for unwise remarks.  I taught my children if you make a funny remark towards a friend about him or her and you are the only one laughing, it is not funny. And if your jokes only make a certain group of people laugh, but is derogatory towards another group,  you are contradicting your species. And the wise ones in the group you are directing it to, will not experience it as humorous  anyway, as the remark is derogatory to the species as a whole – it is not about groups. 

Regardless of who we are, reasonable people must be careful of the path our strengths or weaknesses, our need to belong or our fears lead us. There is of course the bugger the rest attitude, which is rooted in blatant selfishness. Maybe it can work for some, but I do not want to be that person.

 

There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death. Proverbs 14:12