Tag Archives: philosophy

Untrodden #writephoto

A world of white, featureless under new-fallen snow. Untrodden.

I look back.

My tracks stretch behind me. The nearest are crisp and clear, cut as if with a knife, but they become indistinct as they disappear into the distance. I know the path back. Or at least I think I do.

But it is the way forward, through that untrodden snow, that is full of intrigue.

It looks so simple from here, but I know once I start ahead it will change in ways I can’t currently comprehend.

What views will open up, a reward for my patience? What holes are hidden by the deceptively beautiful snow? Where does the path end?

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Stones (repost) #writephoto

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(This was originally posted on April 6, 2017 as part of Sue Vincent’s writephoto challenge)

“See here,” wise Beandor said to his young pupil, Therry, “This arch, though appearing so weak, is very strong. Although the walls may crumble, unless the keystone is disturbed, the arch will stand and bear weight.”

Beandor used his staff to tap the keystone of the arch.

“This arch has allowed people into this temple for over a thousand years, protecting our town of Kernsh from every attack. Look at this ancient place, overlooking the mighty ocean, it appears weak, and yet it is so strong, like our people. Our fair country, Aladia, seems fragile, and yet it is just these points that keep it whole.”

Therry studied the arch.

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Point of Inflection #tanka

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Where am I going?
There is only fog ahead
I stop and look back
Thankful on were I have been
Plans and dreams create a path

***

This was written for Colleen’s Weekly Poetry Challenge. This week was a synonyms only challenge with the key words being Imagine & Gratitude. I decided to write a tanka.

As usual, I picked a photo and wrote to match. The photo is from my walk on Sunday morning.

Shadows Reinterpreted #tanka

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Image Credit: © Sally Cronin

Stuck in my own trap
Towering walls block the view
I can hear the sea
Doesn’t the flotsam of life
Prove there is more beyond me?

***

OK, if you don’t understand the title, look up Plato’s allegory of the cave. But more than just the cave allegory, I was thinking of this quote by Plato (a conclusion of the same story): “Those who are able to see beyond the shadows and lies of their culture will never be understood, let alone believed, by the masses.”

***

Written for Colleen’s Weekly Poetry Challenge. This week was a photo challenge. The photo at the top of the page is by Sally Cronin. I wrote a tanka this time, and I’m sure I was one of the few this week to base my tanka on a quote by Plato ;)

Vista #writephoto

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Photo by Sue Vincent

Looking down, all I can see are the chalk lines of my life. There is a path of memory behind, and I can make out that there might be a path cut into the Earth ahead, but what does it mean? An ant on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel will have more idea of the design than I.

But then, perhaps, I am more like Michelangelo, flat on his back, quickly applying the pigment to the chalk-white plaster as it dries all too quick. Each stroke of the brush took into account all of the others, even if they were impossible to see.

But then, he knew where he was going, didn’t he? Do I?

Perhaps it isn’t important to see this chalk drawing of life in its entirety. Perhaps it is better to look out and search for the distant sea. Perhaps it is best to understand the setting. Perhaps it is better to drink in the fragrant summer air and enjoy the view.

Perhaps it is about the vista, not the ground below my feet.

Perhaps I need to look up, not down.

Perhaps.

***

Written for Sue Vincent’s writephoto challenge. The photo at the top is her photo-prompt. She also provided the key word “Vista”.

Discomfort

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Mount Monadnock seen from North Pack Monadnock

“I’m burning up. Can you turn on the A/C?”

I actually had the A/C on.

We were in my car and I was driving in all-electric mode. A/C uses a lot of electricity, so when I’m alone I only use it when it is really needed. With another person in the car…

“It’s on, set at 74.”

Just being on the A/C takes most of the humidity out of the air. At 74, it was almost 20 degrees cooler than outside. I was cool and my fingers were frozen.

“74? I usually keep mine on 67 when it’s this hot.”

In the winter this same person had their heat set at 75.

Truthfully, I don’t get it. People seem to have such a limited operating temperature. Yes, I like to be comfortable, but I think people push it too far. Continue reading →

I Want Your Smiles #weeklysmile 58 Reminder

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Weekly Smile #WeeklySmile

(I want to reassure you before you read this that nothing bad has happened in my life, it is just that I have been thinking. As they say, thinking can be a dangerous thing :) )

I’ve often said that smiles come in many sizes and shapes. I often tell you big smiles of the week, but sometimes the small ones are more important. I also tell you to go out and smile. I get it that it is hard for some. I say, smile anyway. Smiling is living.

What is life really about, then? Is it possible to be happy when your stomach is growling from hunger? Can you find love when so many hate you for reasons beyond your control? Are there really silver linings in great disasters? Loss and sorry fill many lives. Who am I to say that you should smile? Continue reading →

Does it Matter? Photo Philosophy

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New Hampshire is gorgeous in the fall people come from all over the country, all over the world, to see the leaves change. This year they came on very slowly, but all at once it seemed like every leaf changed. Usually it’s more drawn out, so the last two days have been spectacular! But…

OK, photography has not been in the cards for the last few days and won’t be again for a few more. And then, I’m like over 1000 photos behind. What I mean is, I have over 1000 photos on my camera that I have not gone through. The are from the last half of the summer and the beginning of autumn. So do I even need to take more pictures? Continue reading →

The Hike

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Mt. Monadnock seen from Pack Monadnock

I used to hike Mount Monadnock all of the time (Google it). After the first couple of times up I changed my route so that I would take long arcing hikes that would totally skip the summit. I would get close and there were always places to take in the view, but I saw no reason to go to the top.

On more than one occasion I had people ask me why I didn’t go all of the way to the top. If you don’t go to the summit, what’s the point? Where is the destination? I had people tell me they hated hiking without an objective.

To me hiking was the point, spending time outside communing with nature was the objective. It was the journey, not the destination that was important. Continue reading →

Instinct

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Osprey

Once or twice
Out of the blue
I’ve had an epiphany
About Life
The Universe
And the Way Things Should Be
It’s weird, though
Nothing was in words
Or images
Or feelings
Yet I understood it
Let it guide me
In my day-to-day dealings
It was always
At the tip of my tongue
Ready to be said
But the ideas
Outstripped language
To higher truths they led
It all crystalized
Everything came together
And made sense
Although it’s all the same
Everything has changed
Forever hence

—– Continue reading →

Trent's World (the Blog)

Random Ramblings and Reviews from Trent P. McDonald