Embrace The Suck
William Shakespeare once wrote, “Let thee embrace me, sour adversity, for wise men say it is the wisest course.” It is thought that this is where the military came up with the phrase, 'Embrace the Suck'. I like the militaries version, because it encapsulates so many thing sin life. Life sucks at times. Embracing that suck is a far better way of dealing with it than complaining about it in thought or even vocally. I think this is how military folks have chosen to deal with awful situations they think suck. My beloved Chicago Cubs have taken on the mantra as a means of dealing with a slow start to their season. Embracing the suck becomes a coping mechanism, but I also believe it can become a refocusing opportunity as well.
As a photographer, I try not to suck and I begin by trying not to focus on things that suck. That may seem a bit blunt coming from a Presbyterian Minister, but it's true. I grew up with an adage 'garbage in garbage out' meaning if I focus on garbage coming into me and my thoughts, garbage will come out in what I have to say and how I live my life. For me, the same is true in photography.
After making it through long and uninspiring meetings this past week in Fort Lauderdale, I decided to detox on the two hour drive home and decided to drive up the highway rather than taking the faster freeway route. I call this windshield time - a time where I can drive and think through issues and ideas that are either troubling or inspiring me. I found purpose on this drive.
Most photographers focus on the beauty found in the world. I certainly try to. Like Dewitt Jones, I try to celebrate what is right in the world. In doing so though, I have come to recognize that there are many situations that are hard to celebrate. In driving home from Fort Lauderdale, I came across many of these situations.
To drive along Highway One in south Florida, you'll find many remarkably different economic environments. There is amazing wealth along this two hour stretch and as well as abject poverty. All os this within a mile or two of each other. The drive is an amazing contrast between the haves and the have nots. Is this really the way it's supposed to be? In school, we want no child left behind, but it seems in society that leaving behind families is part of the grand plan.
So how is one supposed to celebrate this? I had a hard time embracing this suck I was experiencing.
The two hour drive took five hours.
As I drove, I had to wrestle with what I was experiencing and seek out what right in this environment to celebrate. It was the people. I saw a stark contrast between cultures, but it was the people that stood out.
As I thought about this experience, the word value kept coming to mind. What do we as a society value most? Perhaps a better question for each of is what do I personally value most? For me, it's people.
I don't offer these comments as a means of providing a solution for the disparity between the haves and have nots. I do offer these words as a means of encouraging anyone reading to question what they truly value in this life. Perhaps they don't have to be at the top of your list, but I'm asking you to consider adding valuing people to your list.
Jesus told some Pharisees who asked him about which was the greatest commandment that there were two that were vital. Jesus told them that everything rested on these two commandments. Everything. And truth be told, the commandments were straightforward. "Love the lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second one is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Mark 12:30-31)
Love God with all of your being. And Love your neighbor not more than yourself, but as yourself.
Celebrating what is right in the world is a way of loving neighbors as self.
There is a lot of suck in the world. If we could just learn to embrace it and love it, perhaps the suck will not be the focus of our attention. Perhaps those have nots might turn into haves, because they have received our love.