Welcome to the rt tulley photography blogIt features photos, text, and poetry.December 30A Voice in the Crowd
I am thankful for being a voice in the crowd. To be heard above all that is going on these days is often very difficult. Today's world has many tools such as the world wide web and instant communication from anywhere, that allow people to have a voice. The ease of these tools, however, is a double edged sword. As easy as it is to create your own web site, make a You Tube video, send a Tweet, do a blog, etc., it becomes more and more difficult to be noticed among the millions and millions of people out there "in the cloud", simply because everybody is doing it. Many people do not have a burning need to stand out. But many other people would like a soapbox to stand upon in order to say something meaningful, or have influence, or be listened to. I think many of the senseless acts of violence we see in today's world, are the result of people trying to be heard or noticed. I know there are much better productive ways to influence people and I wish that more people would turn to them rather than to the over-the-top ones.
This is a photo I took at the LSU versus Auburn football game at Tiger Stadium. I thought it was appropriate for this man having a voice among the thousands of people in the background.
a voice in the crowd
sometimes let me be a voice in the crowd give me a voice that screams forcefully and loud but at other times let me remember it well that it is good to stay humble and to listen and not yell. © rt tulley
December 29Reflections
I am thankful for reflections. Figuratively, reflection means to introspectively study yourself. We all need a little self evaluation once in a while, espectially if it results in improvement. Literally, reflections are the bouncing of light off a smooth surface such as a mirror, water, or shiny metalic surface. These will often give an alternate view of what you are looking at and can create an abstract version of the object or scene.
The photo above was taken from the Louisiana State Museum of the Louisiana State Capitol building, with its reflection in the reflecting pool in the breezeway. I just received a photo book my brother wrote and to my pleasure there was a photo he had taken from nearly this same spot, unbeknownst to me. His was a little different in that his was shot at a wider angle and showed people dressed up as they were attending a function. I told him great minds think alike, haha (us probably along with about 500 others who have been to the museum).
The next photo was taken in a Denham Springs antique store on a visit with my daughter Beth, wife Bebe, and friend Sylvia. I caught our friend Sylvia at just the right angle to get her reflection in the small mirror on the right. It reminded me of a cameo.
Finally, the next photo is of University Lake one foggy morning showing relections of the lights off the water.
reflections
reflection can represent a perfect depiction of an object or it can distort that same and make it something else and imperfect which is the result of a lack of proportion and the object becomes its own thing in distortion as we reflect upon our own selves do we see the true or do we see the eyes of distortion through. © rt tulley December 28Learning
I am thankful for learning. Learning, I believe, is a lifelong process. It not only makes us more qualified for jobs or to speak your mind, but also makes us more interesting. I am not always successful but I try to learn at least one new thing daily. That doesn't mean I will retain it tomorrow (or even five minutes later), but at least I try.
I saw this display of fish magnets or pins at a shop in Breaux Bridge. I imediately thought of "school" of fish and it seemed to fit today's topic.
The follwoing is a poem (song) that I wrote today to the beat of the song The Impossible Dream by Joe Darion. For some reason it got stuck in my head.
the amazing new fact (based on The Impossible Dream by Joe Darion)
to learn the amazing new fact to find the unlearnable thing to read with unreadable searching to uncover truths that only heaven can bring to discover the most hidden of laws to reach down and study the book to surf where there’s no water or snow to try to enrich from that first look
this is my quest to follow that lead no matter how awful, no matter the deed to learn what is right without question or pause to be willing to glimpse into hell for a heavenly cause
and i know if i’ll only seek truth in this glorious quest that my head will cry joyful and calm when it’s laid for a rest that one man, education on the attack still strove with every ounce of courage to learn the amazing new fact. © rt tulley
December 27Home
I am thankful for home. I suppose I am an old homebody. I love being at home with family, relaxing, working on my computer, having the old familiar things around me, and sleeping in my own bed. I certainly agree that "there's no place like home."
This is a bird nest I saw at the Bluebonnet Swamp in Baton Rouge. I thought it signifies home and represents home in its most basic aspect.
home
if home is truly where the heart is why do we wander and pull up roots why do we always look for the greener grass and always put on those walking boots dorothy once said in a magical place that there was no place like home she had seen adventure and mystery but wanted no more to roam. she had finally learned the lesson that took going to oz to find that home was where your loved ones are the everlasting tie that binds. © rt tulley December 26Empathy
I am thankful for empathy. Empathy is the capacity to recognize the emotions of others and feel those emotions so as to identify with others. Robert Heinlein coined a word "grok" in one of my favorite novels Stranger in a Strange Land to be one with another. I think that the word empathy is as close to that as is humanly possible. I think if people would always empathize with others that they would get along so much better.
My sister and I were touring the Bluebonnet Swamp in Baton Rouge last year when we saw this bird on the porch of the main building. It was obviously struggling. It was a rather hot day and we realized that it was overheated. Somebody poured the water on it so it could cool down. It was pretty much revivied. I thought it was a great example of empathy so I used it for today's photo.
empathy
if there was just one thing in this world that i would so much like to see it is that all people everywhere were connected by empathy. © rt tulley
grok
robert a heinlein brought us this new word it was in stranger in a strange land a word that meant to become one with another yours is mine and mine is your hand it had such a great meaning one that was not to be the absurd but grok has not seemed to catch on for it sounds bad as a four letter word. © rt tulley |
