of superheroes and strength
i’ve never thought of God as a fire and brimstone, justice wielding superhero.
after all isn’t that what superheroes are - saving the world and our souls? somehow i’ve never been able to subscribe to the ideal that we are meant to be miserably earning our way to heaven (or reincarnation - take your pick, i like both options).
to me* He’s always been a more grandfatherly figure. thats why i call Him the Big Man. and i figure if He loves me more than my parents do (unbelievable but true), then He’s also going to be someone to whom you can pour out all your troubles and woes, who helps when you really really need it most and well, sometimes, gives you a little kick when you need it too. all the while tending to the millions of other souls who frankly i think have far bigger problems than i do. and i reckon His rules are pretty simple - be a good person, take care of others, be kind and be the best that you can be. so im sure, if i live by that (mostly, with an occasional stumble) somewhere along the way, ill get to meet Him.
these random thoughts were rattling around inside my head as i took pictures off a quiet little street in Goa where an old church resides near the water. i was shooting with my fathers old Canon and some B&W TriX400 - film I have not shot with before.
as always i was a bit surprised when the pictures came back. i think i get constantly surprised (good/bad/blank) because more often than not, i don’t always know what im doing with the camera and its more ‘oh i like that. click’ rather than checking whether i have all the right settings ad infinitum first. now while this doesn’t matter so much for the easily deletable digital, film is a whole other ‘thinking’ matter. on the other hand, i’ve found that too much thinking leads me to blank/overexposed/unusable shots. go figure.
my initial reaction was disturbed and heart-beaty - the starkness was so palpable - I AM GOD they proclaimed. just not my version of God i replied. the pictures are a strong contrast to the actual place which is beautiful and soft, and a total contrast to the warm fuzzy musings i have for religion and the Big Man. in fact, the pictures looked quite fire and brimstone, justice wielding, superhero-like if you ask me.
eventually though, i couldn’t help myself and soon turned back to really look at the beautiful silvery-sepia tint of the photographs which curiously added a different dimension to that starkness i had found quite frightening at first
- strength - the kind that makes a superhero… out of all of us
*this is my view and not meant to offend anyone :)