The World Out There

Image Name: Under The Sea

Image Credit: Mai Ka Yang (2014)

“Have you ever wondered how heavenly people see us? What if, to them, we were like a bunch of fishes in the sea?”

Peace, harmony, and happiness to me has always been found in the simple things in life: The beauty of nature. The living things in our life. The moment we shared with our loved ones. The roof over our heads and the food on the table. Nothing more. Nothing less.

I have always been a curious soul. Always wanting to learn things, do things, and see things from all angles of life. That’s what drew me to photography while exploring different art mediums. I was intrigued by how a simple image of the present can be alchemized to something completely different: the past, the future, a fantasy.

I was amazed by the magic photography holds. For it seals the memory of today and the vision of where our mind, emotions, and creativity may lead. The many stories that can come alive from a simple idea or image were endless.

When I first started photography, in 2014, I was in a deep state of dealing with depression. The joy in my life was already completely gone. I was numbed therefore to remember moments of what matters to me I turned to nature.

When I looked at the sky I saw hope and wonder. I wondered what my life would be like if it was something other than my current reality. When I looked at the sky I dreamed. I envisioned the life I wanted and, there, found the strength to keep going. When I looked at the sky I saw someone looking down on me, like the north star that’s always there for me, and I felt less lonely. Where the sun and the moon stand stood the most powerful presence I’ve ever known.

When it’s sunny I was hopeful - that things will get better. When it rained I felt heard. It was as if someone out there in this world was hurting and crying alongside me. It was comforting. When the season changes I see the beauty in life. The cycle of rebirth and growth.

When I looked at the trees and plants I felt privileged - to be able to be alive, breathing and moving. I thought to myself, “If the plants can survive such changes without being sheltered then I can too because for the most part I have access to a shelter, where I’m shed away from the cold and storms.”

When I looked at the ground I found it to be nurturing. Life seems so simple to the insects and tiny living things. I envied them. They are shed away from all the troubles and worries and are able to focus on just being. It’s as if they respect and appreciate one another for simply existing and that’s all that matters.

When I looked at bodies of water I feared. I feared the things hidden under there, both the visible and invisible, maybe because I onced almost drowned as a kid which doesn’t make sense since I didn’t see anything besides the color of the water. Still I feared. But, hidden deep down behind that fear is curiosity. I was curious to know what life is like under there and what they thought of us, humans.

“Do they view us as just another set of beings that happens to live on land?”

“What did they think of our world?”

I wondered what truly happens under there and what it looks like under there.

Then I looked back at the sky, where my sight first landed and hope was first found. There it resembled the water, the view from under the sea, and I thought to myself,

“What if we are one with the universe?”

“What if both the sky and its heavenly people and the sea and its beings are reflections of us, humans. Like a room filled with mirrors from every angle and through whichever lenses we decided to view life from is what alchemizes what we see and experience.”

“What if sea animals are simply just sea animals to us but to them, they are a world of living beings. What if we are humans to us but to the heavenly people we are like a bunch of fishes in the sea.”

“What does this have to say about our existence and value alone?”