This morning I stopped at a Circle K for some gas. I pumped my gas and then proceeded inside to pay and get a beverage. On my way inside there was a car parked outside with the windows rolled down blasting a foreign music; I’m sure it was Middle Eastern. I could hear the music from inside and I found myself enjoying the music so much, I purposely took a little longer to decide which cranberry juice cocktail I was going to have. I obviously could not understand the words, but the voice and melody were hauntingly beautiful. On my way back out to my car, the music faded and it got me thinking…

If I moved to a foreign country, I would hope I could play my music, practice my religion and embody my culture freely. This country has a lot of problems with prejudice, as we happen to live in the worlds’ melting pot. Our differences breed fear and doubt and we morph that into hate and intolerance. Each face you pass on the street is drastically different from the previous face. Some may look at this as a burden, but maybe we should start looking at it as a gift. How boring would it be if every face, religion, music, food, customs were the same? In what other country do they recognize Cinco de Mayo, Mardi Gras and the Chinese New Year? Let’s look at our differences as more reason to celebrate. Either way, we have to get used to the fact that almost 4,000 people are granted permanent residence in the United States per day. And that’s just the legal immigrants. And by the way, that number is only going to increase. True, the United States has great problems, just as any other country of its size. In fact, we have more. But I think there is something to be said for our ratio of human imports vs. human exports.

To bring this whole idea home, I think one way we can embrace our differences is through photography. It is a medium that seems to honestly convey the human condition on any level. A picture truly says a thousand words. For instance, imagine you are looking at a photograph of a homeless mother on the street in Mexico . Suddenly this woman is not Mexican. Whether you are white, black, Asian or any other race, you view this picture with human eyes. This woman is suffering, this woman is hungry, this child deserves a better life. This picture has made you instantly relate to this woman and understand her plight. It is brutally honest and real and any prejudice you might have of this woman on any given day is diminished. The power of a photograph is taken for granted. Maybe we should start recognizing this power and use it as a tool for bringing people closer together. A camera, if used properly, can be a very powerful piece of equipment. I would urge more photographers to put their talents towards enlightening others through thought provoking pictures.Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

“Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she with silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”