Visual Philosophy

Photos from Marseille

I am writing this while taking a break from my research on political philosophy and Iraq’s struggle for true autonomy. Autonomy, in the liberal sense of the term. One where actions are done based on one’s values and beliefs rather than from a biased position. What I know for now is this has never happened during my lifetime… or in this lifetime. But this reflection is not about politics; I will get back to that shortly.

Once, a manager described me as a system thinker with a “talent for making connections.” This can be fun, creative, and useful, but overthinking is a slippery slope. Caution is a must. For a long time, I believed that just as things are connected in my head, they are always connected in real life, which can be true, whether between people or things, on the physical or the energy level.

“The way things are is how they look when you see with no focus—fuzzy; the end of one thing and the beginning of the next are unclear, no edges in sight.” - Alan Watts.

I still believe in this, but in recent months, it has become more balanced. Balanced with the idea of autonomy. To move according to one’s values and intentions, rather than in relation to things. When I reflect on this, I think I was always doing it without knowing—setting intentions, constructing my own plans, my own priorities, and my own definition of success. Boundaries with social media and over-consumption help.

That being said, we live in a connected world on many levels. So the balance between the two becomes a circus tightrope walk, but over time the acrobat gains experience. It becomes a fun game, a spectacular performance. The flow between the walking and the play of the balls that life throws, and a growing audience claps in joy and awe.