Curiosity Is the Cure to Modern-Day Boredom

What’s poppin’, people? It’s Dante.

Currently walking along Race Street Pier here in Philadelphia.

Today’s thought is about curiosity—and why curiosity is the cure to modern-day boredom.

I think curiosity is found when you embrace the seemingly mundane nature of life and discover joy and meaning within it.

Learning to Notice

Look at the way the light peers through the trees.

Seriously.

Look at that.

Wow.

Isn’t that beautiful?

Look closely at the flowers.

Study their patterns.

Notice the little ant crawling across the petals.

Look at the bridge.

I mean…

How the hell did we build this thing?

Listen to the sounds around you.

The subway rushing by.

The train.

The cars.

The water moving beneath the pier.

The reflections dancing across the river.

When you become curious about life, this is where you begin to thrive.

Curiosity Comes From Within

The beautiful thing is that you don’t have to travel far to become curious.

Curiosity comes from within.

The word curiosity comes from the Latin cura, meaning to care.

So ask yourself:

What do you care about?

I care about nature.

I care about people.

I care about sunlight.

So I naturally orient my life toward those things.

I visit places where I can experience them.

I care about beauty.

I care about looking at things that inspire me.

For me, inspiration comes from the combination of nature’s beauty and humanity’s ability to build extraordinary things.

Bridges.

Cities.

Open water.

The horizon.

Whenever I look out toward the horizon, I’m reminded of how open the world really is.

How much there is still left to see.

To photograph.

To explore.

To experience.

My curiosity guides me.

I simply follow it.

Follow What You Care About

I follow what feels good.

I follow what feels right.

I think it’s important to listen to your body.

To trust your intuition.

Of course, it’s important to remain rational and avoid doing things that harm you.

But when you truly know yourself…

When you understand what brings you genuine joy…

You naturally begin moving toward those things.

And that’s where you thrive.

Not because the external world changed.

But because your relationship with the world changed.

Why I Always Carry a Camera

People ask me how to become more curious.

For me, the answer is simple.

Carry a camera.

That’s the first step.

When you have a camera with you, it forces you to pay attention.

It forces you to ask questions.

It forces you to notice.

Photography turns ordinary moments into opportunities for discovery.

Some people think cameras remove you from the present moment.

For me, it’s the opposite.

Photography pulls me deeper into the present.

It slows me down.

It makes me observe.

It teaches me to care.

Inspiration Means to Breathe In

Humanity inspires me.

Nature inspires me.

These bridges inspire me.

The trees.

The water.

The people.

The city.

The word inspire literally means to breathe into.

When I come outside and breathe fresh air…

When I stand beneath the sun…

When I simply allow myself to notice…

That’s inspiration.

You don’t always need external motivation.

Sometimes all you need is fresh air.

Sunlight on your skin.

Open eyes.

And a willingness to pay attention.

Thrive, Don’t Just Survive

I don’t want to simply survive life.

I want to thrive.

And I think thriving requires curiosity.

It requires experimentation.

Trying new things.

Exploring.

Tinkering.

Changing.

Following your intuition.

Curiosity demands growth.

It asks you to evolve.

I honestly believe that change is happiness.

To remain in motion.

To remain in flux.

That’s where joy is found.

You can’t stay curious if you’re repeating the exact same experience every day without opening yourself to possibility.

Even ordinary moments become extraordinary when you approach them with fresh eyes.

The Photographer’s Responsibility

As photographers, this is one of the few things completely within our control.

We’re not in control of whether the world presents us with an incredible photograph.

We’re not in control of whether something dramatic happens.

But we are in control of our curiosity.

We’re in control of how we choose to see.

What’s outside your control is whether life appears interesting.

What’s inside your control is whether you remain interested.

If your perspective stays imaginative…

Creative…

Childlike…

Then you can thrive regardless of your circumstances.

Just Follow the Light

Curiosity comes from inside.

Inside your mind.

Inside your heart.

Protect it.

Nurture it.

Follow what you care about.

Because curiosity isn’t something you find.

It’s something you cultivate.

That’s the thought of the day.

Flux TV signing out, baby.

Just follow the light.

Peace.

Flux Archive 005 — Follow the Light

What’s poppin’, people? It’s Dante.

Welcome to Flux Archive #5, where I look at some of the photographs I’ve made throughout the past few years. Today we’re looking at a body of work from 2023, and I want to share some of the things I’ve learned along my journey of practicing black and white photography.

Light Becomes the Subject

One of the most impactful realizations I’ve had is that light becomes the subject.

I love focusing on light because I’m no longer dependent on the content of the frame to elevate a photograph. The simple way light falls upon a person can transform an ordinary moment into something transcendental.

By shooting in high-contrast black and white, exposing for the highlights and crushing the shadows, abstraction becomes a solution to finding meaning in the mundane.

Since adopting this workflow, I’ve found much more joy and possibility in my photography.

I can stand in the tunnels beneath City Hall and simply watch the way light falls across someone’s face, or notice the glint of a necklace catching the light, and suddenly those small details become worth photographing.

I’m no longer waiting for extraordinary events to happen.

Simple gestures.

Light.

Shadow.

These things create mystery and elevate the ordinary into something extraordinary.

Follow the Light

Light is my subject.

By following the light, I find infinite ways to photograph.

The light is always changing. Whether it’s beautiful golden light illuminating a portrait of my mother or the soft overcast light falling across workers on the street, there’s always something new to observe.

When you strip away the complexity of photography and focus on light, shape, and form, the details become much more prominent.

A person’s back covered in scratches and scars.

A silhouette emerging from darkness.

Simple scenes suddenly become mysterious because black and white abstracts reality.

That’s what keeps photography exciting for me.

Curiosity Changes Everything

When I photograph something, I’m curious about how life will look once it’s interpreted through the camera.

How will the light travel through the lens?

How will the sensor translate the world?

That curiosity keeps me practicing.

A friend smoking a cigarette could seem completely mundane.

But when I’m curious about what light will do to that scene, I make the photograph anyway.

The same goes for a fire hydrant exploding beside a Mr. Softy truck.

These ordinary situations become exciting again because I’m no longer photographing the object itself.

I’m photographing the way light transforms it.

Photography keeps me curious about life.

That’s one of the things I’m most grateful for.

The World Is Your Canvas

I think about the world as my canvas.

The camera is simply my brush.

Everything around me becomes material.

Footprints pressed into concrete.

Repetitive architectural patterns.

Windows.

Textures.

I’m looking beneath my feet.

I’m looking above my head.

Everything around me becomes fascinating.

Learning the Vertical Frame

Lately I’ve been making many more vertical photographs with the Ricoh GR.

One simple technique I’ve found is holding the camera with my middle finger on the shutter and my thumb supporting the camera underneath.

This lets me rotate into a vertical composition naturally without awkwardly twisting my wrist.

Sometimes a horizontal frame is the right decision.

Other times a vertical frame simplifies the photograph.

A single figure.

A gesture.

A tattoo on someone’s arm.

Vertical compositions often remove unnecessary distractions and strengthen the subject.

The Ricoh makes this transition feel effortless, and it’s opened up new compositional possibilities for me.

Experiment More

These photographs from Rome reminded me how important experimentation is.

Sometimes I’m photographing gestures at the Trevi Fountain.

Other times I’m stepping far away from my subjects instead of working close.

I’m photographing architecture.

Landscapes.

Textures.

Posters.

Macro details.

Removing the viewfinder from the equation encourages me to move the camera freely.

I can extend my arm, get close to a surface, photograph textures, and experiment with perspectives that wouldn’t feel natural using a traditional viewfinder camera.

I encourage you to play more.

Don’t lock yourself into one way of seeing.

Layering From Back to Front

The final photograph in this collection was made at the Colosseum.

I wanted to make a photograph that felt layered, but layering doesn’t mean adding more complexity.

It’s often about removing distractions so the important elements become stronger.

For this photograph, I first chose the Colosseum as my anchor.

Then I noticed the striking shadow stretching across the promenade.

I returned to this location multiple times because I knew the light was strongest around midday and there was consistent foot traffic.

I framed the Colosseum first.

Then I waited for the shadow to organize the middle of the frame.

Finally, I waited for a woman to walk into the foreground and complete the composition.

Many of my favorite layered photographs are built from back to front.

The background becomes the first decision.

The midground becomes the second.

The foreground becomes the final piece of the puzzle.

That’s how this photograph came together.

Keep Following the Light

The more I practice, the more I realize photography doesn’t have to be complicated.

Follow the light.

Stay curious.

Experiment.

Everything around you has the potential to become a meaningful photograph.

If you enjoyed this body of work, you can download and print the Flux Archive 005 PDF using the link in the description.

You can also submit 36 photographs through the Flux Generator for the opportunity to have your work reviewed in a future Flux Weekly Witness episode.

If you’d like to join the Flux community, click the Join button on the YouTube channel to gain access to the Discord.

Thank you for reading.

Peace.

Ricoh GR IV Monochrome Street Photography at Philadelphia’s Southeast Asian Market

What’s poppin’, people? It’s Dante.

Currently at the Southeast Asian Market here in FDR Park in Philadelphia, photographing with the Ricoh GR IV Monochrome today.

Gonna be doing some street photography and just take you along on this little journey here through the park.

So yeah, follow along and let’s hit the market.

Meat on a Stick

Check out the meat on a stick. They got meat on a stick. Oh my goodness!

Yeah, could I have two beef sticks?

When I was in Hanoi, Vietnam, every night I would just eat beef sticks. That’s what I would do. They have street food around the lake. I would just get beef sticks all the time and just munch on those.

Have a good one. Cheers.

Yeah, check it out. The beef stick.

Oh, it’s so good.

Look for the Gestures

Little gesture.

Look for the gestures. Every time I see hands, I photograph them.

I don’t know. Every time I see hands, I photograph them.

But gotta eat my meat, you know.

Lots of photography being done today. Everyone’s just waiting.

Macro Mode and 50mm Crop

Yeah, so we’re just sitting here by this beautiful bench with this view of the lake, and a little butterfly landed on our hands.

I’ve been photographing with the crop mode at 50mm using macro mode on the Ricoh, and I get extremely close and make these kind of surreal, abstract pictures of the insect.

I think one of the most powerful things about the Ricoh is the use of the macro mode combined with crop mode.

So I go from 28mm to 50mm to get extremely close details of insects.

There’s just a power in noticing these small details, slowing down, and then focusing on those details with the macro function.

Just click the up button on the D-pad.

Experimenting With the Sony Handycam

I’ve recently been experimenting with video using this old-school Sony Handycam.

What I really like about it is that I can get extremely close with the zoom.

I enjoy photographing people, so when I do video, I like filming people. And it’s interesting to see the moments that I usually capture with a still image, but as a moving image.

It’s something I’ve been experimenting with.

I think it might be the 20x optical zoom, honestly. But whatever it is, you can get extremely close.

It’s got a Carl Zeiss lens, so it’s sharp, but it shoots in 480p.

But yeah, look, I can even get B-roll footage—or just footage in general—of the people watching and film the gestures and the facial expressions.

Handycam in the bag.

Remember to Look Up

Yeah, so another thing is when I’m photographing, I’m not only just looking at the people or the gestures or the textures.

You can look up and photograph the beautiful sky and the clouds.

I also use the red filter so that I can add more drama and contrast to the sky. The Ricoh Monochrome is really good for that.

I’m even cropping into 50mm.

I love looking at the macro details—insects, textures, people, everything on the ground level.

But I always remind myself to look up because there’s so much beauty above.

Flux Weekly Witness #14: Stop Thinking About Composition

What’s poppin’, people? It’s Dante.

Welcome to Flux Weekly Witness #14, where I look at the photographs that you submit to me in the Flux community.

Today we’re looking at Yakuno Kalvinzal, whose photographs were made throughout Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany between March and June 2026.

I love the description they included with the work:

“Stop thinking about composition and press the damn shutter, my brothers and sisters. Much love goes out to all of y’all.”

I love that.

If you’d like to make a body of work like this yourself, click the link in the description to create your own Flux Issue. Build a zine from 36 photographs and submit it directly to me for review.

Letting Go

Right away we have this opening frame where the photographer appears in the background walking perfectly alongside the sidewalk.

It’s a playful introduction.

Considering the description, I’m curious how this idea of letting go and trusting instinct plays out throughout the rest of the work.

You can already see moments where there is some compositional awareness—using poles, gestures, and framing—but there are also photographs where everything becomes much more chaotic.

The blur.

The awkward placement of the subject.

The spontaneous framing.

You can feel someone responding instinctively rather than trying to construct a perfect composition.

Mystery Wins

These next two photographs immediately grabbed my attention.

The frame on the left is incredibly mysterious.

There’s a barefoot leg.

Someone bent over.

A milk carton.

And then, hidden in the background, what appears to be the shadow of a cat cast against the truck.

I absolutely love this photograph.

It’s strange.

It’s ambiguous.

It asks questions instead of answering them.

Beside it we have a beautiful photograph of cherry blossoms.

I always enjoy seeing nature mixed into bodies of street photography.

You don’t have to photograph only people.

When something beautiful pulls your attention, photograph it.

Preserve that beauty.

Looking From the Ground

This centered composition of the broken skateboard immediately caught my eye.

There’s something funny about it.

The worn skateboard.

The Velcro shoes.

Even the tree appearing to grow from the chimney creates this strange visual illusion.

Whether intentional or accidental, those spontaneous alignments are often what make photographs memorable.

Energy Through Movement

The skateboarding photographs have so much energy.

Fisheye perspective.

Fast movement.

Loose framing.

People gesturing.

Tricks happening mid-frame.

Everything feels immediate.

You can tell these weren’t overthought.

They were simply lived.

A Childlike Perspective

One of my favorite photographs in the entire body of work is this low-angle image looking through the fence with the dandelion in the foreground.

The fallen fence.

The clouds.

The sky.

It almost feels like seeing the world from the perspective of a child crawling through the grass.

I honestly don’t even know why this image resonates with me so much.

It just does.

Sometimes that’s enough.

Photography isn’t always logical.

Sometimes instinct is the explanation.

Adventure

Then we have someone climbing this tower.

I love this frame.

You immediately feel the sense of exploration.

Maybe they were simply out skateboarding with friends.

Maybe they wandered into this forgotten place.

Either way, you feel that adventurous spirit throughout these photographs.

There’s something really beautiful about documenting the quieter outskirts of a town instead of only busy city streets.

Quiet Observations

As we continue, we move between roadside moments, weeds growing around infrastructure, food stops, movement from inside the car, and flashes of everyday life.

Then we arrive at another really interesting pairing.

Earlier we saw the mysterious leg.

Now we have another close-up of exposed skin paired with this isolated bubble.

These photographs begin speaking to one another.

There are several images throughout this body of work that really stay with me.

The flower.

The bubble.

The mysterious shadow.

Those photographs linger.

Gestures Matter

This photograph of several hands petting what looks like a sheep is wonderful.

Two children’s hands.

One older hand.

Three completely different gestures coming together in one frame.

It’s quiet.

Simple.

But emotionally rich.

The same thing happens with the photograph of someone gently holding a tiny baby bird.

These aren’t dramatic moments.

They’re subtle.

And that’s exactly why they’re powerful.

The emotional energy comes from paying attention to the smallest gestures.

Everyday Tension

There are flowers.

Farmland.

Quiet rural landscapes.

Then suddenly we arrive at this photograph of a man underneath a train.

Immediately there’s tension.

You instinctively wonder what’s happening.

Nearby we return to another blurred black cat framed against flowers.

Again, that spontaneous energy keeps showing itself throughout the work.

Learning to Let Go

The tilted street scenes.

The umbrellas.

The awkward framing.

The unusual negative space.

Everything supports the photographer’s original statement.

Stop overthinking.

Press the shutter.

Trust your instincts.

That philosophy runs through the entire body of work.

Finding Beauty Everywhere

An empty bench becomes interesting because of graffiti and flowers.

An ordinary piece of street infrastructure suddenly feels like an art installation.

Bubbles drift through the frame while a man searches through his bag.

A parent carries a child home.

These quiet observations build the rhythm of the project.

Final Thoughts

We finish with a wonderful closing frame.

A police car passes by.

An officer stands below.

Above, a crowd of onlookers watches from the windows.

It’s a strong ending.

Overall, I found this body of work genuinely exciting.

There are several photographs here that I’ll remember.

Especially that mysterious frame with the cat’s shadow, the barefoot leg, and the milk carton.

Beautiful.

Weird.

Exactly the kind of photograph that stays with you.

Thank you for submitting your work.

If you’d like to submit your own photographs for review, click Create Flux Issue in the description below.

You can upload your own 36-frame body of work and maybe I’ll review it here on the channel.

Thanks for watching.

I’ll see you in the next video.

Peace.

The Truth About Candid Street Photography (Be a Human First, Photographer Second)

What’s poppin’, people? It’s Dante.

Currently, I’m walking around Philadelphia, and today I wanted to share some thoughts about the candid nature of street photography.

I think street photography has everything to do with how you engage with humanity.

Your personality is on display through the frames that you make.

If you’re shy and reserved, using a zoom lens and photographing people from across the street, those qualities remain in your photography. You’re making candid photographs, but they’re often more about geometry, light, and form than genuine engagement with people.

Maybe that’s simply who you are.

Then there’s the documentary photographer.

They’re seeking to go deeper. They embed themselves within communities. They aren’t afraid of conversation, confrontation, or connection.

I’ve realized over the years that this is the approach I’ve naturally gravitated toward.

It isn’t about abandoning candid photography.

It’s about expanding what candid photography can be.

Learning to Be Human First

The first time I picked up a camera and practiced street photography was here in Philadelphia over a decade ago.

Later, when I moved to Baltimore, I realized I had to learn an entirely different way to play the game.

Walking through neighborhoods like Sandtown-Winchester, I couldn’t simply wander around making candid photographs the same way I would in Center City Philadelphia.

That approach wouldn’t work.

It forced me to learn something much more valuable.

Be a human first. Be a photographer second.

That’s the shift.

Many photographers work in cities like Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, or Los Angeles where crowds allow anonymity. You can simply walk, observe, and quietly make photographs.

But if you’re in a small town…

If you’re somewhere people immediately notice you…

You have to engage first.

Photography comes afterward.

Becoming Part of the Scene

For me, that meant returning to the same places repeatedly.

I’d stand near bus stops.

I’d talk to people.

Eventually I became a familiar face.

Trust slowly developed.

People began recognizing me.

I’d explain that I was learning photography and that I was simply curious about the neighborhood.

Eventually I asked permission to make portraits.

Then something interesting happened.

Once people trusted me…

I could begin making candid photographs naturally.

When you know how to engage with people, eventually you become a fly on the wall.

Street Photography Is More Nuanced Than People Think

Too many people think candid photography has rigid rules.

That you must make photographs without people noticing.

That interaction somehow invalidates the work.

I don’t believe that’s true.

If you travel around the world simply running around making “gotcha” photographs, you’ll only get so far.

More importantly…

I don’t think the work becomes very interesting.

Instead…

Make your presence known.

Smile.

Say hello.

Acknowledge strangers.

Be open.

When you engage with humanity first, something changes.

You gain more time.

More trust.

More freedom to compose.

Better timing.

Most importantly…

You gain emotional proximity.

Not just physical closeness.

That emotional closeness creates more complexity within the frame.

Photography Opened the World to Me

Traveling throughout Israel and Palestine…

Zambia…

The villages and slums of Mumbai…

I’ve realized the camera isn’t just a camera.

It’s a passport.

It’s a key.

Photography has opened doors for me that otherwise would’ve remained closed.

I’ve been invited into churches.

Mosques.

Synagogues.

People’s homes.

I’ve shared coffee.

Tea.

Meals.

I’ve climbed mountains with strangers.

Photography became a byproduct of living openly.

Treat photography as a byproduct of your experience as a human being.

A Lesson From Israel

I’ll never forget arriving in Israel in 2017 while studying abroad in Jerusalem.

One of the first places I visited was the road between Jerusalem and Jericho.

There was almost nobody around.

Just one farmer.

Two boys.

A herd of goats.

I didn’t speak Arabic.

I barely knew how to communicate.

But I approached them with openness.

I smiled.

I said Salaam Alaikum.

Then I pulled out an Instax camera.

I made a portrait of the farmer.

I handed him the print.

The boys immediately ran toward me wanting photographs too.

Those little prints became gifts.

From that moment…

Everything changed.

The camera became more than something that takes.

It became something that gives.

From there I was invited into homes.

People offered to show me their neighborhoods.

And throughout those experiences…

I continued making candid photographs naturally.

Bring an Instax Camera

If you’re traveling…

Bring an Instax camera.

Gift photographs to strangers.

Watch how stories begin unfolding around you.

That one small decision changes the entire dynamic.

It helps overcome fear.

It builds trust.

It allows you to get physically and emotionally closer to people.

And suddenly…

Photographs you never thought were possible become possible.

Beyond Sidewalk Surfing

I joke sometimes that many photographers simply go sidewalk surfing.

Ricoh in the pocket.

See a moment.

Pull it out.

Click.

Keep walking.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with that.

But I believe the strongest street photography often happens when you’re immersed inside an experience.

Not simply passing through it.

That requires time.

Consistency.

Returning again and again.

The technical aspects of photography—composition, light, timing—matter.

Of course they do.

But I honestly think the hardest obstacle photographers face isn’t technical.

It’s overcoming the fear of engaging with another human being.

There Are No Rules

Don’t let the internet convince you there’s only one correct way to make street photography.

There isn’t.

There are no absolute rules.

Play the game your own way.

We’re all different people.

With different personalities.

Different experiences.

Different ways of connecting with the world.

Street photography is simply an open-world exploration.

All you need is a camera.

A good pair of shoes.

And somewhere to wander.

Turn left.

Turn right.

Walk toward the bridge.

Explore Old City.

Follow your curiosity.

You never know what’s waiting around the next corner.

When you’re open to possibility…

You’re open to better photographs.

But even more importantly…

You’re open to a richer life.

Photography becomes filled with purpose and meaning far beyond making a great picture.

That’s what candid street photography has given me.

And hopefully these thoughts encourage you to go explore your own town…

Meet people…

Have experiences…

Bring your camera…

And allow photography to become a natural extension of living fully.

Peace.

If you wake up enthusiastic for the day, curious and eager about life, your routines, and daily work, consider that success and what it’s like to be blessed.

Love Doesn’t Come From Other People.

What’s poppin’, people? It’s Dante.

Currently going for a beautiful walk here, and today’s thought is about love.

What is love?

Baby, don’t hurt me… don’t hurt me… no more.

Yeah, I think love is an interesting topic.

Especially in this modern world where we’re constantly seeking love from external things.

Whether it’s through relationships.

Through our artistic practice.

Through a movie we watch.

Through a game we play.

Through pleasure.

Love is something that we seek from everything.

But I believe that love truly comes from within.

It comes from having a relationship with yourself through knowing yourself.

And as a Christian, I consider love to come from Christ.

From God.

I think about love as a relationship with the divine.

Love Begins Under the Sun

The most concrete way I can describe this feeling is by describing what it feels like to stand beneath the light.

To stand under the sun and let it kiss your skin.

Doesn’t this feel good?

I always find it strange when people don’t enjoy being outside.

If you spend your life hiding indoors, surrounded by air conditioning and artificial light…

Living on standby…

I don’t know.

It feels difficult to find love there.

How can you find love if you never experience the sun?

Maybe the first step toward finding love is simply going outside.

Surround yourself with nature.

You could argue that’s still external.

But it’s also the most natural thing that exists.

The sun above is the reason we’re all here.

Without it, none of this exists.

So maybe the first step toward love is simply finding yourself beneath the light.

Nature Is Always Pointing Back to God

I think about our connection to nature.

Our connection to the sun.

Our connection to the water.

Without light…

Without water…

Nothing lives.

The flowers disappear.

The trees wither.

Everything dies.

But instead we have beautiful plants.

Beautiful flowers.

Endless life.

All because of light.

All because of water.

Nature almost feels magical.

Look closely at a leaf.

Study its veins.

Notice how they carry life throughout the plant.

Then look at the veins in your own body.

Look at the branches of a tree.

They echo the same patterns.

The more you study creation, the more you begin to recognize that everything is connected.

When you begin seeing those connections…

That’s when love begins.

Because you recognize that we are part of something much larger than ourselves.

Learning From the Birds

When I watch birds…

I feel love.

There’s something about the way they move through life.

Flying from canopy to canopy.

Eating when they’re hungry.

Teaching their young to fly.

The bird isn’t constantly asking why.

The bird simply lives.

The bird experiences the present moment.

Humans complicate everything.

We judge.

We compare.

We decide what’s good and bad.

Our ability to reason gives us incredible gifts.

But it also gives us the ability to hurt one another.

Words can heal.

Words can also wound.

Actions can express love.

Actions can also create suffering.

Maybe all of that complexity moves us further away from love.

Love Requires Something Greater Than Yourself

One thing I’ve realized is that authentic love between two people requires both individuals to be connected to something greater than themselves.

For me, that’s God.

I experienced this during my time as a Peace Corps volunteer in Zambia.

The communities there thrive.

Families are large.

Generations stay together.

Everyone has a purpose.

The mothers carry babies on their backs while balancing firewood on their heads.

The men build homes and churches.

The boys make bricks from mud and sand.

The girls prepare food and care for the home.

Everyone contributes.

Everyone sacrifices.

Their lives are centered around serving something larger than themselves.

That’s what allows the community to flourish.

Love Is Sacrifice

To love someone is to sacrifice yourself for their good.

Not because you’re empty.

But because you’re already overflowing.

That’s what I discovered.

You can’t authentically give love if you’re constantly trying to receive it.

Love has to overflow from within.

Only then can it flow outward.

When I lived in Zambia, I saw communities with very little material wealth.

No bureaucracy.

Very little government.

Just God.

Family.

Land.

Tribe.

And somehow…

The people often seemed happier than many people living in modern cities.

At the center of every village was a church.

At the center of the church was the altar.

The reminder of Christ’s sacrifice.

And I think that’s significant.

Because the greatest act of love ever demonstrated was sacrifice.

Christ and the Ultimate Example

The ultimate sacrifice is Jesus on the cross.

Despite hatred.

Despite betrayal.

Despite suffering.

He forgave.

I don’t think we’re called to become martyrs.

But I do think we’re called to imitate that spirit.

To absorb hatred without becoming hateful.

To answer anger with kindness.

To forgive.

To extend your hand anyway.

That’s what love looks like.

Becoming the Well

Every village depends on water.

Without water…

Nothing survives.

The well becomes the center of life.

But wells don’t appear overnight.

Someone has to dig.

Deeper.

And deeper.

Through struggle.

Through effort.

Until eventually they reach the source.

I think God is like that source.

The digging represents suffering.

Discipline.

Sacrifice.

When you finally reach that source…

The water never stops flowing.

And suddenly you become the well.

Other people come to drink.

Not because you’re trying to impress them.

But because you’re connected to something infinite.

Grow Like a Tree

I think about trees the same way.

Their roots push deep into the earth.

Searching for water.

Their branches stretch upward toward the light.

Competing.

Growing.

Reaching.

The tree experiences both struggle and nourishment.

Because of that foundation…

It can stand for hundreds—sometimes thousands—of years.

Birds find shelter in its branches.

Animals build homes around it.

Life grows because the tree remained rooted.

There’s something about nature that constantly reflects God’s signature.

The Mystery of Life

You don’t necessarily have to be Christian to appreciate this.

Or Muslim.

Or Jewish.

Or belong to any particular faith.

If you’re simply open to the mystery of life…

I think you’re already moving in the right direction.

Personally…

Replacing religion entirely with science has never felt satisfying to me.

Science explains many things.

But it doesn’t replace wonder.

I’d rather stand beneath a tree…

Look at another human being…

Look at the birds…

Look at creation…

And see something divine.

Rather than reducing everything to accidental stardust.

Maybe I don’t know.

And I’m okay with that.

I’d rather embrace the mystery.

Love Is Unconditional

What I do know is this.

Through the interconnectedness of all living things…

I find God.

And through God…

I find love.

When you’re connected to that source…

Love stops becoming something you demand from others.

It becomes something you freely give.

Without attachment.

Without conditions.

Without expectation.

To friends.

To strangers.

Even to your enemies.

For me, that comes through Christ.

Through His forgiveness.

Through trying to live in that same spirit every day.

And when you begin living that way…

I believe you discover the purest form of love.

That’s my thought of the day.