Think higher, feel deeper

Okay, okay, okay…I know this doesn’t seem as if it’s even remotely related to photography…but bear with me and see if you draw the same parallels that I did.

First of all, let me just say that I have nothing but the utmost respect for Dr. Wiesel; he has been working as a humanitarian and professor for longer than I’ve been alive. He won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts, and has taught at Boston University for more than three decades. He came to speak on the Distinguished Speaker Series at Penn State, and I applaud the student committee for bringing such an incredible human being here to address the next generation of our country.

Of all that he spoke about, two things really lodged themselves deeply in my mind. The whole evening was spent in the asking of questions (the philosophical act, not actually asking him questions) and how sometimes the question is itself the answer. He said that there is an old Hebrew saying that effectively means “Why do we?” that can be asked about many of the tragedies that have befallen certain peoples over the course of history. While hopefully not trivializing this question, I believe it can be applied in almost any area of our lives. Certainly any of our day-to-day problems do not even begin to equal the suffering of people in other areas of the world, but we can question ourselves about our own actions and those of the people around us in order to think on why we have acted the way we did and how we can improve ourselves. That’s what all this leads to in the end, isn’t it? Self-improvement.

The other point he made that struck me as an artist was advice that he gives all of his students (that I believe he said another teacher gave him): Think higher, feel deeper.

That’s an incredible and deceptively simple phrase. To apply that to what we do, namely, making photographs, encourages us to see things from new points of view, to feel things in ways we never before knew. I encourage all of us to do just that anytime we confront any decision or situation in our lives, be it a trivial or momentous one, artistic or humanistic.

Hearing Dr. Wiesel speak was truly a wonderful experience and I hope that if you ever have the chance that you can also hear the voice of one of the most compassionate and moving people I have ever had the honor to listen to. And next time we’ll get back to some more photography!