"Making Sense" [Gross and Shapiro - Tao Of Photography - Reflections - Sec. 2 - Intro]

In making sense of things we see,
Our mind asks self, “What can this be?”
For sight itself is not the eye
But mind behind, it’s more the “I”.

So we “make” sense of what we see,
The process works continually;
But if we’re to efficient be
We buy what’s our “reality”.

Reality for now, at least,
It works quite well – not all of feast
At smorgasbord must fill our plate –
It’s even good if we’re quite late –

And some of pot-luck is all gone,
And all that’s left is soup and scones;
But what was seen by those ahead
Is past – like living folks now dead.

So “locked on” versions of what’s seen,
Perhaps is gone, it’s what has been
Replaced today – like child grown up –
Now driving – “Are you old enough?!”

I have this paper – gibberish;
I give to groups – “Now open it
And learn to say it when I call”;
Then “Count the letter ‘F’(so small) –

They quickly call their tally out;
Quite varied answers – then they doubt
When I say, “You all have the same” –
How to explain this little game?

It’s simple – first you learned what’s there;
Then counted quickly, little care –
You did not see what’s on the page,
But what you knew – failed to engage –

With what was there – but then my trick –
I say, “There’s six” – explain real quick –
And no one says “There’s only five”
(No longer they go with their eyes).

Our “little worlds” are made like this –
Within the larger, little bits
Lock on, “Why that is what was seen”,
We say where magic trickster’s been.

But photos help to challenge views;
Help people smaller worlds to lose –
Consensus of reality
Turned on its ear in what we see.

Three layered cake reality
Of culture – how each came to be –
There’s land – that’s layer one around
That’s air and sea and local ground.

From that we work to extract life-
Sustaining resource, day and night;
That’s layer two of culture-cake;
But people living – systems make –

And that is “culture” – layer three –
“How organized efficiently”
To do such work fulfilling needs –
So ground, to work, to culture leads.

Such culture’s slow to change for folks;
It forms the basis of our jokes;
In cities “cultures” match and mix,
From hinterlands out in the sticks.

It’s here convention loses sway;
“It’s relative” some say today;
But no, it’s just efficiency
When minds construct “reality”

So shift realities in pix;
You open smaller minds like this;
Take time to look and look again
At what is “seen” – and it will change –

To meet new needs of life today;
Just re-present in fresh new ways
“Reality” in common mind,
Translated to some new way find.

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