statement

While at University one of my philosophy professors wrote a book entitled 'God or Ichabod'. What he wrote about nihilism particularly impressed me for the rest of my life.

He divided nihilists into two groups – poetic and destructive. The example he used to distinguish the two was as follows … Two men are in the middle of the ocean in a small row boat. Land is nowhere to be seen. Unexpectedly, in various parts of the boat leaks begin to appear. On board there is nothing they can use to physically repair the leaks. The poetic nihilist uses what time is left to him to reflect on the beauty of the vastness of the ocean and the blue of the sky. In the face of his tragedy he searches for a sense of personal peace. The destructive nihilist in the meantime has found a hammer and has now started punching vast holes in the bottom of the boat.

The analogy could be viewed as a reference to the boat as planet Earth and the two extremes of human behavior we human beings exhibit when faced with life.

My attempts in photography are to reflect on the beauty of being a human being notwithstanding the tragedies which assail us daily. I wish to emphasize the simplistic beauty of a human being's daily life. Within this contemplation on the awe of being a human, I hope we can all find solace in those qualities of human behavior which exalt the essence of humanity's love for life rather than its destruction of life.