Acting under pressure

The first diamonds were discovered in the 4th Century BC, in India. They found their way along the Silk Road, the ancient trade route and were dispersed from there around the globe. It is said that ancient civilisations thought diamonds to be a gift of the gods and associated them with health, wealth and strength. Thousands of years later we know how diamond's are really made and yet we attach the same, or similar, ideologies to them.

Diamonds begin their existence some 100 miles below the surface of the earth in the layer called the mantle. This layer separates the exterior of the planet from the molten core where extreme temperatures and pressures exceeding 725,000 ponds per square inch exist. The heat and pressure combine to modify the crystalline carbon called graphite on an atomic level and a diamond ensues. For all those geologists out there please forgive my basic explanation.

The diamonds find their way to the surface through volcanic eruptions, travelling in the magma, through kimberlite pipes depositing closer to the surface to be found by us. We take the diamond, shape it and cut facets into it and wear it...That's pretty much the process in a very tight nutshell.

A facet it simply a flat surface on a geometric shape and diamonds, in fact most cut gemstones, incorporate them to catch the light and make the stone more appealing. The funny thing is that humans also have them, facets I mean; More to the point the word facet can apply to a human, among other things. It's essentially someone or something with many features or perspectives.

Thinking about it today brought me to wonder how my own facets are perceived by others and I had trouble determining just one defining answer. At work, with my colleagues, I am perceived in a particular way, the Directors probably see something else and the clients something different again. In my personal life my wife and family see me differently to how my shooting friends would see me. Each little group probably has sub-groups also. I think it's get's quite complicated and probably even more so when one adds in how they perceive themselves.

I've mentioned my ethos before, design and create your ideal life, don't live it by default and in addition to that there's a couple of other phrases that I feel are quite important like, life your best life and also, be the best version of yourself as often as possible. Catchphrases? Yes, probably...Unless they are applied to a persons life with conviction, passion and consistency.

We know what happens to graphite when heat and pressure is applied but what happens to you? To me?

A human could be quite happily living its life until pressure is applied: Job loss, poor health, financial difficulty, civil unrest and danger, death of a loved one and so on. That's when the happy human gets tested and in my opinion it's what a person does under pressure that defines them; How a person reacts in the bad times that speaks about their character. Do they get hard and then shine like a diamond or do they break down? People are tested all the time around the world...The mother protecting a child, a soldier on the battlefield, a doctor operating to save a person's life...Being human means feeling pressure.

We all react differently to pressure and fortunately all have different facets as well; No two of us are the same. However we tend to react in similar ways being somewhat predictable due to our human-ness. That is a benefit I think as we are able to look around us, learn from others and their situations, and then adopt, adapt or discount that course of action or behaviour. Essentially, we can learn from our own, and other people's mistakes, failures and conversely, success.

No one is perfect and I'm not sure if anyone ever will be. What is perfection after all? What we are is flawed, just like diamonds and yet, just like those most prized gems, we can shine and sparkle as well. Inwardly and outwardly. If you are a happy human right now maybe have a think about how you can spread some of that around...You know, share your sparkle. If you are not happy for whatever reason then that's ok too. Just remember that you can be. Ask for help, and don't feel awkward taking it.

It's ok not to be perfect despite what Facebook and Instagram says. That's not real life anyway. It's photoshopped, made up and contrived rubbish designed to sell stuff...Like diamonds for instance, and fizzy energy drinks, iPhones and just about everything else. Perfect doesn't exist when it comes to diamonds and it certainly doesn't apply to humans.

Perfect enough does though. Be that.

This image was taken by me today. I originally took it without the green but the stones lacked interest so I shone a light through a lime-cordial container to get some green-tinge and ended up with this. Whatever works...perfect enough.