Detritus: Something New Arising

 

“To consult the rules of composition before making a picture is a little like consulting the law of gravitation before going for a walk.” - Edward Weston

    This image is the last of three making up my first triptych. In case you're still wondering what a triptych is, allow me to explain. Historically, it is a type of art composed of three related pieces, usually panel paintings, which were hinged together such that they could fold or be allowed to stand upright on their own, often for use at the altars of churches in the Middle Ages. The middle panel was generally the largest, although today that's not necessarily the case.

    A modern triptych can mean anything composed of three parts, but in my case, it's three photographs that are related to each other and that together tell a story. The first part of this triptych is an image I called Vertigo. The second is called Residuum. Here, then is photograph number three of my first triptych, as I shared in my post from January 29, 2022...

    Everything eventually ends. When something is over, it could be an occasion to joyfully celebrate. In other circumstances, an ending might call for sorrowful grieving. Either way, all we can know is that some task or project or phase of life has either been completed or abandoned. So many projects are energetically launched but quickly deserted when the work grows hard or tedious. But perhaps it's wise to recognize that many sad endings aren't entirely our fault. Some endings may happen despite our best efforts because of choices or events beyond our control. Good or bad, it's easy to feel a bit lost when something we worked on diligently no longer has need of us. When an ending occurs without victory or satisfaction, it is easy to lose confidence. Our self-esteem can take a hit, at least for awhile.

    The famed Roman statesman and orator Seneca the Younger, born in Cordoba, Spain at roughly the same time as Jesus, thought much about this idea since his life was a repeating cycle of triumph and tragedy. He taught from painful experience that, "Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end." This timeless phrase of hope is undoubtedly more familiar to modern audiences as a direct quote of Seneca by singer Dan Wilson for his band Semisonic's 1998 hit song "Closing Time." The concept seems achingly obvious, even simplistic, but simple things are often the most powerful of all: No matter what has come to pass, or what has finished, or what is over, there will be something new arising.

    As much as we may regret what has just ended, we can be assured that a fresh beginning is right around the corner. We can be confident that, with patience, what unhappy conclusion we now mourn will someday be but a memory and that its ending will open the door to something new. The remains of the past become irrevocably stored in our spirits and are best used to help build the new, better future. It's all part of the great circle of life.

    Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end. What's ended for you recently that cleared space for something new to begin? 

Clicking on the image will open it in full screen

‘Detritus,’ the remains of old beginnings giving way to new generations, during a lovely sunset evening on the sandy eastern shore of Rehoboth Bay.

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