Perspective is Everything

It's fascinating to think that just over 1000 years ago human beings had a whole different perspective of the earth we live on. It makes us wonder if there is a right and wrong. Eventually things evolve and redefine what is "normal."

I enjoy imagining the possibilities of a new way of living and what the next 1000 years could look like. We live in a world where there is rigidity, structure, conformity and tradition. We also live in a world of freedom, creativity and compassion. Eventually, conformity loses and freedom prevails. Eventually society grows and evolves into a new way of life. A visionary steps in and changes the landscape of the world we live in. That is the beauty of creativity. Without it we would stay the same, wouldn't we? I think there is power in thinking outside the box and challenging what feels safe and familiar.

I feel the world is going through a big transition right now. Being stuck in an old perspective seems to only cause us harm. Why do we continue to do more of what we know doesn't work? I think it comes down to lack of awareness, lack of empathy, and fear. And ego of course. What do you think?

I dream of how beautiful the world could be if we created more art, sang more songs, danced under the stars, made love in the grass, grew our own food, cuddled more animals, lived a more autonomous and self-sufficient lifestyle. How much at ease I feel inside my body to just to just think about. I believe we are naturally creative and spiritual beings. If we embraced our natural human being-ness more, I wonder what the world could grow into. A world of peace and love, perhaps?

As I reflect on my photographs captured this past month, it seems I've been naturally fascinated about cloud formations. Anything to do with the sky really, the sun and the moon. So what if we could see clouds from a different perspective, beyond what they are from a scientific perspective. My ancestors personified nature and saw it's beauty and danger.

My Norse ancestors believed that clouds were the brain of a giant called Ymir. According to folklore, the world and the heavens were made from the giant Ymir. "When we walk in the forests and mountains, swim in lakes and look up at the stars, Ymir is everywhere around us. The sky is his skull, the mountains and rocks his bones, the earth is his flesh, trees and grass are his hair, his blood is all the water in the seas and lakes – and the clouds in the sky are his brain. So he must have been quite a large giant! Around Yggdrasil lies Midgard, the place or the realm in the “middle”, which is the world of mankind. Alongside their homes in Midgard, people also build places that reflect the world of the gods, with a tree, a temple and a source of water." (Source)

This brings me to the idea of personifying natural elements in order to protect it. To create an emotional connection with nature, to tell stories, and inspire people to protect not only through empathy but also through consequence if nature is not protected. Consequence might by the way to inspire people who are more driven by fear than love?

I believe empathy is a key ingredient in solving some big world problems. But unfortunately those who lack empathy are usually ruled by ego. And isn't it ego that causes so much destruction?