I recently attended a lecture by an IAS officer, who narrated a very interested observation.
While posted in a tiger reserve, he said he would see families visit day in and day out. Fathers, mothers, little children, all jumping excitedly as nature surrounded them. All busy clicking pictures.
“That is the problem with humans, you see,” he said, “we are too busy trying to capture happiness. But the freshness of pure air on your face, the awe of looking straight into the eyes of a tiger, the joy on the faces of your children- all these things only occur rarely. Happiness is meant to be felt fully, not captured partially.”
I do feel that there are two sides to this. Some people say that if you want to know what a person fears losing the most, notice what they capture the most in their photographs. In this way, photographs become our way of capturing moments of happiness for eternity. Turning experiences into memories. Something that we can look back towards even when the cause of our current happiness is gone.
However, I do understand what the aforementioned IAS officer was saying. I myself have noticed my own self being so busy in taking photographs when we go out and travel, or even at get-togethers with friends and family, that sometimes by the end of it I realise that I have not enjoyed myself at all.
What is the balance between enjoying happiness and capturing it? I honestly don’t know. But as long as I take out enough time to actually enjoy the moment, and take photographs that satiate my creative hankering as well as bring happiness to others when they see it, I think I should be fine. 🙂