Let’s talk about change.
I found myself circling around the theme of change through various pursuits thus far. Journalism, art, science, spirituality and reflecting over where we stand individually to stimulate, channel or drive the same. One of my early passions was biology and I aspired to become a doctor out of my own free will and interest. It is important to mention that looking at the socially formed narrative of cliché around it in India. One of the most traditionally accepted ways driving change and innovation is the pursuit of Science. It has historically changed the structure and affected the very beliefs of the world, sometimes even created.
The idea of change is definitely a boundless subject of discussion and/or discovery but I believe that language is probably our most effective and least possible tools at hand to use and comprehend the vastness of this matter.
During the indefinitive end of my time as a traditional photojournalist in the making and working, I stopped to ask the questions I should have asked at the very beginning. Not that I did not wonder before, but the depths of it wandered in much later on. When art becomes personal and the line between what separates them (art and the artist) starts to fade away, is when the right questions and answers appear in clarity. Theoretic research and intellectual thought are the two major mediums I like to work with in the process of understanding about anything in the world at all. All those media houses, print publications and global organizations working closely with governments, institutions and journalists and yet youth around the world seemed to be raging more by the day. All over the internet, each day, protests are reported in various forms and ways. Some physical, some digital. Social media activism at an all time high in the history of the internet. Everything that needs to be ‘changed’ has been talked about and new matters come up constantly. I cannot summarize the list of things that have taught us “Evolution is the only constant”. And yet we somehow skip the point.
One day, as I heard the news of a renowned photojournalist passing away while covering the war, I was forced to rethink the role of journalism and media in a functioning society. To stop and ask “Is it really changing anything at all? Has it been so far?” and more importantly, “Is there anything to change?” Let’s pause here for a moment and look at the question as it states minus any conclusions or belief systems we might be carrying.
An interesting combination of philosophy, scientific theories and the natural process, spiritual realizations and intellectual examination from an objective point of view helped me find the slightest of a definitive answer. There is nothing to change forcibly or externally, it is already happening and the natural flow of the world is a constant evolution. What we aim to do is be a part of the process by being ‘channels’ to mainly play a significant role.
You could listen to Imagine while travelling in the metro or go for that student protest your institution organized for a certain cause you care about. You could post on various digital platforms or decide to ‘take things in your hand’ by getting into the system and facilitating on field changes regarding various matters. You could pick up a pen or a camera or a brush or just start a podcast and initiate an engaging discussion. Or you could stick to your path once discovered and trust the process. Withdraw revolution while believing that evolution may best be left up to what drives it the best, our natural and mystical world. Perspective matters. Mindset shift can change a lot more than we like to credit it for. Can’t be too sure all the time.
