Faces of life look upon the realities of life around us. People’s faces determine what someone is feeling, or whether they reveal a friend or an enemy. Life is a dice that shows different faces. During this Pandemic situation, this dice has been tremendously turned upside down. Life is a very special thing given to us. Right now, we are going through a bad situation with the Corona Virus. We all are stuck in our houses and are not allowed to go outside. We have all passed through unexpected scenarios without any rich and poor gap. This Pandemic has played a significant role in bringing out the realities of life. And we have all learned that we cannot escape from the reality of life and not always can we wear masks and hide our faces.
1. THE UNSEEN
There is always an untold story behind every face. Covered up in fake emotions and actions, life goes on for many of us; discontent, unsatisfied and sometimes hurt, hurt deeply. Yet we cover up our blemishes and ‘put on a happy face’ for the world to see. This famous line quoted by the ‘Joker’ in the 2019 film epitomizes what most people are doing today. The movie, the makeup, the wide smile is all symbolic of the masks we wear each day. Masks of life, masks of emotions that hide our true selves from one another, because it is easier to smile than to move on rather than accept the realities of life. In a circus, the joker/clown represents the ultimate expression of the term “crowd-pleaser”, who does everything possible to amuse the audience no matter what it takes. Sometimes in our lives, we also become part of a circus and we become a crowd-pleaser.
There might be countless reasons for our submission to that fate, but we must always try to break free from this state. The image given above is a depiction of the fake smile or the masks we wear throughout our life. These acts might make others around us happy and content but not ourselves. We are left in a black hole, feeling discontented inside. The image encapsulates this essence and displays it with utmost clarity. The image is very zoomed in, almost ‘in your face’ and portrays a joker with a wide and almost scary smile. The half face represents the half-truth of this smiling face. There is another half to this story and the mystic factor of this image is compounded by the solid black background of the image. It helps to focus the half-smile as the only element in the photo, that helps us to draw parallels with the fake smiles we give out and come across and assume that is the only part of their story; when much of it is hidden right in front of us. The black and white contrast highlights the smile and the makeup of the subject; in a way pointing to the obscure nature of the picture.
“Reality of things are hidden in the realm of the unseen, sometimes even in plain sight.”
2. EMPTY FACES
Ravaged by the future of uncertainty
Every face has a story. These Photographs reveal the undiscovered storey through our lens. Faces tell stories, tell the situation of the person, and tell the story of the place the person lives in. Not often in life do we take out time to notice others. There are a few faces which we meet every day yet we have never paid clear attention to those faces. The picture above portrays wide things, the picture looks interesting because of the distortion. A security officer’s career is often an overlooked profession in today’s culture. Some consider this job as horrible and cultureless. Our military soldiers are also securities and they work day and night protecting us. Every work has its own dignity and we must understand and appreciate it. But people often forget that security guards play a vital role in many aspects of today’s business, from construction sites to shopping malls. So, with our blog, let’s shine the spotlight on what it takes to excel in the role before you put on that uniform.
This picture was taken from IIT Hyderabad on July 23, 2019. The photographed man was a silent, temporary working staff in IIT. His empty face deciphered his anxiety about being a temporary worker and the fear of losing his job. The person who makes sure that the campus is safe and secure is the same person who doesn't have any security in his life. The look on his face shows his anxiety about his ravaged future. He left his family and friends for earning a living by protecting us. The person who provides security to the campus building doesn’t have any security in his life. No one cares about his life or living conditions.
COVID-19 is the time and a great opportunity for us to recognize the security guards and the regular contributions they make to business functions and operations that are beyond security and change your thinking. They have all suffered tremendously and many have lost their jobs. They are also humans and have emotions and feelings. If we all make an effort to acknowledge the role of the security guard force, check our assumptions that they can do everything (without training), include them in our thinking, stop using them to fill poor planning gaps and make a personal effort to just say good morning, afternoon or evening, this will make a difference- a big difference indeed. It doesn't cost a penny to give others a free smile, which in itself is the simplest yet most beautiful form of charity you can offer.
Life is not always a bed of roses. Sometimes we have to face thorns too. And this very thought summarizes the various experiences of different individuals during the lockdown period during the Pandemic. Some landed on people who became a reason for the smile, while brought a thoughtful tide. Some gave up on the situation, some never stopped to believe in hard work. Some were happy under a single roof; some did not contend with several rooms. Some had plenty to carry on while some couldn't touch adequacy to carry on.
“The old you is only a shadow of the reality which is the new you. The shadow is useless without its reality.”
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