Photograph: Windows To The Past

Tabi basa & greetings everyone. In this post, I’d like to share about photographs as a window to the past.

In this picture is Batch ’87, Primary 2 in year 1995.

Prologue

We all know that time flows in one direction. No matter if one second, one minute have passed, or even one hour, we can’t reverse it. In fact, no movement is possible if time didn’t flow. Each movement requires a moment to be made.

Freezing The Moment

When it comes to photograph, it is made by freezing a moment by using analog method (film photography) or digital method using digital sensor, CCD and the more popularly CMOS sensor.

Then, using these information, one can choose to make RAW files/ DNG in some camera. Some might choose to make JPG directly in-camera.

The resulting images are often shared online. For the more old-fashioned personnel, they would prefer to print it out and put it inside a physical photo album.

There was a time where we don’t have to explain the photo album since almost all the house has it. Now, photo album means photo at your digital repository at your social media profile.

Windows To The Past

The nature of photograph is it is unchanging, even though the person, place or things inside it changes. Hence it is called windows to the past and it is a good reference.

If we want to compare ourselves, we should do it with ourselves instead of anyone else.

Comparing ourselves with someone else is a foolish move because we have no idea what their life is all about, what challenges they have faced, what sacrifices they have made to achieve what they are possessing.

Ours might be Chapter 1, but they could be in Chapter 10. Who knows?

The Inescapable What-Ifs

There is a mental loop where one would dwell in the past, and imagined a different future, if he / she made a different choices.

This is simply a coping mechanism, to deal with the unpleasant present time. That is not good actually. It is easier said than done, but isn’t it better if we live at the present?

Just like the fact that we do not own anything in this world. The only thing that we own is our thought. Everything else can be taken away from us, by force, whether we like it or not.

Sometimes we took a regrettable decision in the past and lives to regret it. The price that we pay.

But to live within comfort zone would bear similar fruit. Living without taking risk is no fun too. No risk taken, no gain achieved.

It has to be balanced.

Friends Come, Friends Gone

For each stages in life, we will have a different circle. Most would have a huge circle of friends when they are in their student days, which eventually dwindles as they work, and eventually settles down.

During that time, family first. The in-laws suddenly became their priority too. Gone are the days where they can become a party animal.

With that, goodbyes to their old life. Unless, they make a living out of it.

If you are in the time period where your friends seems to be shrinking, it is normal. Just do what you need to do.

So, What Should We Do?

The best is to live our life the best we could. Take a bit of risks here and there, enjoy life to the fullest with those who loves us / cares about us.

You have to remember, at the end of the day, when you are having problem, they are the one that first come to your rescue.

Epilogue

Life can be beautiful, but life can be challenging. We should take inspiration from our past, where we often see ourselves there as a new person with clean slate.

We can see it once in a while, but don’t dwell there for too long. We have a life to live.

Tukang Rantek,
Del