Many of our parents or grandparents had a black and white television when they were growing up. They watched silent films and were glued to their tv sets like everyday kids of today. Then came audio, then came color tv's, and it just continued from there. With each advance in technology we are amazed each and every time. Plasma tv's really got our atttention when we could have bigger screens without the massive sizes involved in having a big screen tv. LCD and LED technology continued to impress us with the clarity and sizes of our tv's. Now we have retinal display screens, super clear HD streaming through our televisions, and it feels like we could just step into our screens and be in another hyper-lush colored world of pure bliss and euphoria. Right now, many of us see the world in black and white. No, not literally, but you aren't really seeing the world in all its greatness simply because you haven't been taught how to. Many people look at pictures from others that have started to view the world in all its glory, and they are truly amazed by those pictures, but that's where it stops. Unfortunately, many people don't take the necessary steps to teach themselves how to view the world in 3D for themselves, and NOT through others.
My question is: Why not just step out into the real world and see all that is has to offer with the same zeal that you have when you see it on tv or in pictures? With the ease of the internet we can look at pictures from the entire world without ever leaving our cushioned desk chair, or couch. We have some of the greatest abilities to get out and grow as individuals, yet we choose to just live through others. Does this sound like you? Do you aimlessly flip through instagram photos and dream about how great it would be to see just maybe 1% of the places you see in those photos? You tell yourself how great your life would be if only you could see it for yourself, live, and in person?
Now is your chance. Not tomorrow, but now! Get off your butt and step outside your door. Greet mother nature with open arms and reintroduce yourself to her. Yeah, she can be hot, sweaty, and dirty, but that is what life is about! Do you think the photographer that took that picture that you were drooling over didn't have to break a sweat to get that perfect angle? Do you think they just took an air conditioned elevator to the top of the mountain peak that looks out over the earth for miles upon miles of serenity? No they didn't, and neither will you. So lace up your overpriced brightly colored running shoes and get out and start pounding the ground as you explore this incredible world that awaits you just outside your very own doorstep.
Once you've managed to act upon that internal self motivation you need to think about how you actually view the world. I don't mean "view" it as in crime, corruption, humanity, or things of that sort, but I mean how you "view" the natural lines, curves, and colors of the earth. Stop looking at the world in 2D. It is not a flat picture on some computer screen in the latest social networking site. It has depth, contour, you can actually feel and hear things combined with the sight of the picture that you are observing. You can, and should, use all of your senses if you want to view the world with an unpresidented clarity of how beautiful it truly can be if you choose to see it that way. You need to SEE what is in the foreground, as well as SEE what hides in the background. Pay attention to the different colors and textures of objects. Pay attention to how the light illuminates certain features of an object and subtly hides other parts of it. When you see all the elements in their separate layers then look at the picture as a whole. Notice how the foreground colors are in stark contrast to the background colors. Maybe the large jagged shapes of buildings in the background are of a stark difference to the small, soft, and subtle shapes of the flower in the foreground. How do they come together as one to tell a story? Does the rail make your eye race to the end of it to find out what awaits you in the background? Do the geometrical shapes cast under the bridge from different angles of light reflections match the angles of the nearby buildings that the bridge curves around? When you start to view the world as shapes and colors and pay careful attention to how they interact with each other it gives you a better understanding of how everything interacts with each other.
In the end, when you start to view the world in 3D you will start to see things more clearly. You will understand more about how things are connected. You will have to evaluate your own thoughts and how you perceive the world. You may not agree with everything that you will learn about yourself, but that is the reality of life. Because you simply make a conscience decision to not see certain things doesn't mean that they don't exist. It's better to see it, accept it, and make the necessary change to make it better. Only through viewing the world in 3D can we begin to really see its true beauty. The first step in accomplishing this feat is to establish the "want" to see the world in all its glory so in return you can make your own opinions based on the knowledge you have learned from seeing it, hearing it, touching it, tasting it, and smelling it. The world has shown me some amazing things that I have been more than lucky enough to capture a photograph of to share with others. I don't want others to simply view my photographs and be amazed. I want them to be inspired to get outside of their homes and to find the hidden spots in their area that not everyone gets to see. Even if you can't capture that place in a photo, capture it in your minds eye and make a lasting memory of how awesome life can be. When you find yourself upset over some small matter that most likely won't matter in the upcoming year, you will need these positive memories of the good times you had with mother nature and the landscapes and cityscapes you encountered by simply stepping outside your front door. Life is what you make it, so why not make it the best that you can each and every day?
