To break through

This picture was taken about a year and a half ago during a walk on the grounds of Paris. It was the time when I started to take interest in photography, and my friend had kindly accepted to go out with me so I could try and take a few shots with his camera. This picture turned out to be my favorite. As I was walking by, the perspective and lines created by the concrete doors and the jogger at the intersection of the said lines caught my eye, and it struck me as the perfect moment to take a shot. It was taken very quickly, as I wanted the jogger to be as far away as possible on the picture.

Now that I can take the time to look at the picture in its entirety, I find myself fascinated by the black and white patches on the front and second walls, which to me represent the internal fight between good and evil. But the distinction between both is not clear, especially on the first wall, as they are somehow blended together. Ultimately, the picture speaks to me of the egoic barriers that prevent us from really connecting with each other. Whether it comes to other people's creations or my own, my interpretations - when I am to make one - often revolve around spiritual ideas. In this picture, for instance, I can see the walls as a visual metaphor for the different layers of our ego. The more we pass through them, the more they become clean and unsoiled. And if we managed to pass through all of them, we would realize that, even though other people seemed to be separate from us before, they were actually part of us all along. Separateness is only an illusion created by the ego, but if we succeeded in breaking through its illusions we would realize that we are one with everyone else - just as we are one with the rest of the universe, for that matter. Looking at the picture this way, I can now feel a sort of unknown intimacy between me and the jogger in the distance. Everyone suffers from a lack of connection in some degree. And whether we do it with guided wisdom or confused desperation, I believe that we are ultimately all wired to run towards each other.