John Howard Griffin wrote that in his photography Thomas Merton "allowed the objects to remain true to themselves and to reveal themselves". And, "he worked for photographic images which, when viewed without haste or pressure, might accomplish the slow work of communicating 'a hidden wholeness', and perhaps reveal some hint of that wordless gentleness that flows out from 'the unseen roots of all beings.'"
I'm especially struck by those words "without haste or pressure"--how difficult it is to view anything in this way in this culture of hurrying and stress. And I like too the emphasis that communication and revelation are "slow work"--again, difficult words to hear in a culture that does not encourage (and sometimes doesn't even allow) us to slow down and see, not just look.
This image is from my trip to Maine earlier this summer.
I'm especially struck by those words "without haste or pressure"--how difficult it is to view anything in this way in this culture of hurrying and stress. And I like too the emphasis that communication and revelation are "slow work"--again, difficult words to hear in a culture that does not encourage (and sometimes doesn't even allow) us to slow down and see, not just look.
This image is from my trip to Maine earlier this summer.
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