Writing for Posterity

 

This is the first day back from my short vacation where I can sit here and actually write something. Last night I recapped the trip to Estes Park but I always do that after a trip. I always feel the need to document these get-togethers. I’m specifically talking about writing, not taking pictures.

Of course I did manage to get a few. The rest I lazily stole from more efficient picture takers, my brother Justin. He took this one on the second day up the snow covered trail. There is a beautiful lake behind me completely covered in a late April blizzard. It seemed silly to take a picture here. There really isn't anything to see. Other tourists were there snapping away as well. I kept thinking, what am I missing here? But I didn't want to be left out. So here is a picture of me in snowstorm looking a little confused.

Pictures aren't my thing. They get in the way of enjoying the occasion.

The search for the perfect picture becomes the point instead of the search for adventure. You spend your time finding the perfect setting and the right light. My picture taking is somewhere between zero and Japanese tourist. No doubt I’ll update Facebook and share some pics on my page, but snapping pictures is pretty much a mystery to me. Not that I can’t figure it out, it’s easier than ever now. Modern camera phones adjust the light and auto zoom for you. My issue is with taking great pictures. It feels like the space for that is already so crowded. So many people doing wedding pictures and taking time to really learn Photoshop. I just don’t care that much.

But writing is different. It comes easier to me sure, but what I enjoy is knowing that I’ve given a little story line to the photos.  Pictures and movies are certainly the popular way to record for posterity. But writing creates a fuller idea in the reader’s mind of the time in question. Ask yourself what comes to mind when scrolling through a social media feed where pictures are prominent? What do most of the people in the pictures share in common? Happiness, peace, good times and fun? We tend to share the best of ourselves online through happy photos. Facebook and Instagram are all smiles and a sense of the good life.

Oh sure you can find the dark and scary and sad too, but we like fun more. Advertisers use fun to sell everything from alcohol to precious medals. Their images are as reflective of real live as those cat filter settings we use to distort our faces. But it’s also not a great idea to vomit sadness and regret all over the screen. Pictures are limiting the same way video is. We are consciously aware of our behavior when in front of a camera, video or picture. Writing allows some distance where a fuller idea of the time period can grow and expand. Words give the reader a sense of time, place, culture, relationship and importance. I realize the writer has to draw this out through either fictional characters or a detailed retelling of a situation.

In the case of short family vacation a little journaling is enough. We aren’t preparing a witness for cross examination or anything.

A good photo can do more than express the subject’s emotion. 

When I was a teacher I used to show stark photos of tenement life in New York City before some housing and building codes became law. Labor laws helped to change a lot of this too as did Christian charities like the Salvation Army. The picture above of the street kids sleeping in the street gives us an idea that this kind of thing was common. We can imagine they hustle to get by and struggle to eat. We might even be able to guess something about where they live and work based on their clothing. They probably don't have family or shelter. It's tough to look at and not feel heartsick.

 Newspapers advocating for labor laws would certainly capture the squalor of inner city life for kids with no families. Pictures are used to distort reality too.

How many police arrests make cops look like aggressors? We tell them to keep the streets safe and blast pictures of them roughing up a suspect that tried to flee the scene, risking everyone’s life in return. It’s maddening. I hope we can all get a sense of how easy it is to give a distorted picture of what’s taking place.

Words allow the subject to reflect on the event. With the benefit of time, even a few hours, your attitude can change significantly. This happens to me a seemingly every day. White hot anger turns to shame and apologies after a few minutes and a fuller picture of the event. Just the other day I got a phone call about an issue with one of my orders. I thought it could wait until I was back in the office. I was stuck, unable to help and feeling worthless. The whole incident felt unfair. I was angry. I started running through scenarios where I angrily defended myself to coworkers. I even managed to mentally prepare for an altercation. Time passed and I began to breathe again. After a while I started to see it from the other side and even became sympathetic.

My whole attitude changed completely by the end of the day.

This is writing about history in a nutshell, or at least it should be. Even short term history like what happened at work today. Journaling (or reflecting) is a way of reasoning out a story and writing as honestly as possible.

Tell the truth and provide a story to the pictures everyone is going to see. Don’t do it for today, do it for tomorrow.