Life and Recreation

Last Updated on August 1, 2016 by Patrick

On my recent trip to the country side, I’ve raised myself a few questions that have long been on my mind, stayed there and waited to be expressed, or I should say asked. The first question is “what is life?” and the second one is “what is the purpose (utility) of the Univers?”. These two are what we call existential questions along with others such as “who am I?” or “where do I come from?”. Many of us ask ourselves these kind of questions in one way or another and with asking starts the challenge to answer them.

When I do photography I try not to do it as a simple act of snapping a few shots here and there but I’m trying to grasp, to understand what I see, to become creative (as you’ve probably seen), to build something and to send out a message that eventually will reach the right “audience”, so to speak. This is a way of practising philosophy, I should say and I also try to listen especially to the normal functions of my body and to understand my mind’s functions as well. The whole notion of the Soul or the Consciousness are at the center of my attention too. I try also to tune in to it, to my consciousness, to become aware of what the world has to offer, to teach me and others. Sometimes I succeed in doing it, other times I don’t. But hey.. that’s just the way it is. Maybe next time I’ll do better. :D

So, like I said, during my last trip outdoors I couldn’t accomplish my photographic goals I set up this morning. I tried to reach certain ruins of a pallace in the village I visited and I couldn’t get there. Many little fears held me back, such as the fear of sinking in the mud or the fear of a brick falling on my head and all of these made me turn back. I went to another village nearby and on my way back I noticed this beautiful little butterfly on a daisy, sipping some nectar and the thing is that I saw it just like that, I just simply turned my head and the butterfly was there perching on the flower and feeding. I have this thing when I simply see things that I need or feel the need to photograph and I just turn there where I need to look. I feel it from within me, I don’t know how else to explain it. But important is that I feel it and it rewards me every time.

After I took a few hand-held shots and returned to the train station where my initial destination was, I tried to figure out a name for my photo and I couldn’t find one, at first. It is true that I should have had a concept in mind but this was unexpected, unplanned, so I couldn’t. Nevertheless, I gave up the idea of naming my piece and returned to listening an interview/conference between Wayne Dyer and Deepak Chopra, back in the ’90’s which really inspired me and what impacted me the most was that Deepak said that it is a difference between being child-like and childish and that this whole Univers is a recreational Univers and that the Vedas (Ancient Knowledge in India) state that we all came here to play not to work. Also, he said that God likes to play hide and seek with his Creation. Indeed, I felt deep within me that all of this true and more and more I encounter people saying the same thing. I even started living it and to tell you the truth it helps me overcome many adversities in my life. So, it is a path I encourage anyone to pursuit. The Path to living joyful, carefree and continuously self-discovering.

Coming back to my image it just hit me again. The name was very simple to give: “Recreation”. Isn’t a butterfly and the flowers children within their own consciousness? I think they are. And the ideea of number three takes me to the creation and to childhood where everything is worry-free and where we create and create again without fatigue. But anyway, I guess children fall tired also after a day of playing. :D They’re human too, after all, even if they show a great resilience and huge level of energy.

But when it comes to life, I think we should find out for ourselves. I don’t want to label it, I don’t want to define what life is but I am trying to live it. Life, Creation, the Universe, all of these will be clear one day what mean or what should mean to me and to other people as well. Don’t try to think of it. The mind knows not what never experienced.

So, I’ll let you discover them in every word this image has to say. ;)