View allAll Photos Tagged Introspection
how is the project coming along?
very well. except. . .
except what? dammit! this has to perfect!
well. .
c'mon, out with it!
well, your fly's open
the underground tunnel stretches into infinity, its walls a mirror of the world both outside and within. one figure walks alone, cast in shadow, while their reflection offers a glimpse into a parallel reality. here, silence and solitude merge with the soft hum of the city above. light bounces, dances, but the atmosphere remains still—a moment of introspection, frozen in time beneath the hustle of berlin's "rotes rathaus."
Explored!
I had a chance to look closely at myself today. It was interesting.
thanks to clarence for being my human tripod. i couldn't decide for the life of me, whether to upload this one, or the one in the comments.
I am convinced that most people do not grow up. We marry and dare to have children and call that growing up. I think what we mostly do is grow old. We carry accumulation of years in our bodies and on our faces, but generally our real selves, the children inside, are innocent and shy as magnolias.
In paradise, the air is thick with the scent of untouched beauty—the kind that makes your heart ache for just one more sunrise, one more lingering moment. The colors bleed into each other seamlessly, as if nature itself were painting for no audience but its own reflection. Yet, as the days stretch endlessly, the perfection begins to press down, like a weight you never realized could be heavy.
Without growth, paradise becomes static. You can touch it live in it even marvel at it's beauty, but it offers no answers to the restless pulse within you. It cannot offer the kind of friction that sparks change and renewal.
And yet, paradise is not without its own quiet lessons. It invites introspection. It forces you to confront your own dependency on chaos, your craving for contrast. Perhaps the trouble with paradise isn’t in its flaws but in how it reflects ours—our inability to be content in stillness, our yearning for what lies just beyond the horizon. Paradise, perfect as it seems, becomes a mirror, showing us the sharp edges of our human restlessness.
maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Kalepa/41/220/1506
Splendid Isolation
"De noche, especialmente, es hermoso creer en la luz"
Platón
www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOWl_tvVQaA
Luciole - V. West
Gracias a todos por vuestras visitas y comentarios.
Thank you all for your visits and comments.
Seeking Hope in the Darkness is about those quiet, uncertain moments when life feels heavy and the path ahead is unclear. There’s something grounding in the presence of old stone, weathered monuments, and distant spires—symbols of endurance that remind us we’re not the first to feel lost.
In the hush of solitude, beneath a pale sky, we begin to listen more closely. We search for meaning not in grand revelations, but in the small things that persist: a familiar ritual, a remembered story, the gentle rhythm of breath.
Hope, in these moments, isn’t loud or certain—it’s a quiet practice. It’s choosing to keep walking, even when the way forward is dim. It’s lighting a candle, writing a few honest words, or simply sitting with the silence. Meaning doesn’t always come fully formed; sometimes it’s something we shape slowly, through connection, reflection, and the soft refusal to give up.
And maybe that’s enough.
Maybe the act of seeking, even in darkness, is its own kind of light.
captured at amsterdam schiphol airport, this photograph conveys the quiet anticipation and transient nature of travel. passengers sit in the waiting area, absorbed in their own worlds as the light filters through the blinds, casting long shadows on the polished floor. the interplay of light and shadow creates a serene yet poignant atmosphere, highlighting the stillness amidst the constant motion of an airport. each person, lost in thought or engaged with their devices, embodies the solitude and introspection that often accompanies the journey.
captured in munich's city center, this photograph features a young woman sitting on a bench in front of an old brick church. her relaxed posture and contemplative expression, along with the cigarette in her hand, create a poignant scene of introspection and solitude. the black-and-white composition emphasizes the texture of the brick wall and the subtle details of her coat, highlighting the quiet intensity of the moment.
The clouds (and rain) continue and so does my introspection. I know that many of my decisions are made on feel and, as we say, from the heart. However those big life decisions were always preceded for me by an agonizing period of attempted rational thought. As I grow older, I find I am happier to accept my heart's dictates and to go with the flow. After all life just does happen, doesn't it?
I took a moment to reflect on this past year, the highs and lows and I feel very blessed that the great times far outweighed the not so great.
Each and every experience has had a role to play in making me the person I am today and though some may perceive me in a less than flattering light, I am comforted by the fact that the people that matter to me, those that I love, know the real me.
At the start of this new year I am looking forward to making many more positive memories and to see what adventures await me. ♥
“He is not the same, nor is he another.”
Buddha
Kyoto, Japan, Ginkaku-ji
"Ginkaku-ji (銀閣寺?, lit. "Temple of the Silver Pavilion"), officially named Jishō-ji (慈照寺?, lit. "Temple of Shining Mercy"), is a Zen temple in the Sakyo ward of Kyoto, Japan.
In addition to the temple's famous building, the property features wooded grounds covered with a variety of mosses. The Japanese garden, supposedly designed by the great landscape artist Sōami. The sand garden of Ginkaku-ji has become particularly well known; and the carefully formed pile of sand which is said to symbolize Mount Fuji is an essential element in the garden."
Wikipedia
The Zen-garden of Ginkaku-ji is one of the most beautiful places I know. It is very famous now. So you have to share the beauty with thousands of other visitors while walking in line through the garden. Still the beauty remains.
This photo was taken during a very special introspection moment; the ocean was still quiet and the sunset was beautiful. Everyone stopped doing their activities just to appreciate the actual paradise we had in front. It took me just a second to get this shoot, but just after that i understood the greatness of what i had in front. We realized how beautiful life is, we realized how much life itself has grown since it's beginning in the sea to the beings we are now, but most important i realized my paradise is her.
Valentina Carreño García
Santiago Angarita Films
Aeternum Dance Crew
Salentina
I don't think we spend enough time in reflection and introspection. We don't know who we are as individuals in this culture anymore.
~Naomi Judd
Dunnottar Castle, Aberdeenshire
Dunnottar Castle is a ruined medieval fortress located upon a precipitous rocky headland on the north-east coast of Scotland, about two miles (3 km) south of Stonehaven. Its surviving buildings are largely of the 15th-16th centuries, but an important fortress certainly existed on this site from Dark Age times. Dunnottar played an important role in the history of Scotland from the Middle Ages through to the Enlightenment, due to its strategic location overlooking the shipping lanes to northern Scotland and also being situated on a fairly narrow coastal terrace that controlled land movements, particularly the land access to the ancient Causey Mounth, the only medieval route from the coastal south via Portlethen Moss to Aberdeen
William Wallace, Mary Queen of Scots, the Marquis of Montrose and the future King Charles II, all graced the Castle with their presence. Most famously though, it was at Dunnottar Castle that a small garrison held out against the might of Cromwell’s army for eight months and saved the Scottish Crown Jewels, the ‘Honours of Scotland’, from destruction. Crown, sceptre and sword now take pride of place in Edinburgh Castle.
captured on the city beach of palma, this atmospheric black and white photograph showcases a solitary figure standing by the shore, absorbed in the vastness of the evening seascape. the dwindling light casts soft reflections on the wet sand, creating a path that seems to lead directly to the city's twinkling lights. the distant silhouette of the mountain and the architectural outlines against the evening sky provide a dramatic backdrop. this image eloquently captures the quiet, reflective mood of twilight by the sea, where the hustle of the city meets the calm of the ocean, offering a moment of solitude and introspection amidst the natural beauty of the setting.
Haiku by [https://www.flickr.com/photos/canonmao/]
at the ocean edge
i scream
only sound of waves reply
“Some birds are not meant to be caged, that's all. Their feathers are too bright, their songs too sweet and wild. So you let them go, or when you open the cage to feed them they somehow fly out past you. And the part of you that knows it was wrong to imprison them in the first place rejoices, but still, the place where you live is that much more drab and empty for their departure.”
- Stephen King, Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption : A Story from Different Seasons
Soundtrack : www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4e8TjBLsJc
It's Only Pain by Katie Melua
INTROSPECTIVE
If I climbed the highest mountain until I couldn't see the ground
If I swam the deepest ocean to a love that wasn't found
If I dug the deepest hole to buried treasure underground
If I sung the sweetest melody that echoed all around
If I screamed the loudest scream but didn't make a sound
If I recited all the poetry from my heart that knows no bounds
Would I see you on the mountain or would you still be on the ground
Would you swim beside me with the dolphins that we found
Would you open up the treasure chest with the key left on the mound
Would you sing in perfect harmony and dance and turn around
Would you fill the air with your sweet voice or leave the emptiness abound
Would you make my poems rhyme with yours with sweetness of your sounds
What if I never climb the mountain, what if I never swim the sea
What if I never lift a shovel or dig a tunnel straight to thee
What if I never sing a lullaby or whisper in your ear
What if the scream I make is as silent as my gently flowing tears
What if the poems, prose and words I write are simply emptiness
What if loneliness and sorrow end in silence; empty promises
Could we climb a different mountain; find a different kind of love
Could we swim in warmer water; where the sunshine is above
Could we bury all the treasures of a love that cannot be
Could we sing a different song of friendship; harmony
Could we cease to scream inside our heads and find peace in silent reverie
Could we form a Poet's Corner and speak quietly of our hearts so free
I like to think there is a better way, where words are not required
I like to think that I can convey my feelings with my eyes
I like to think that unconditional love means I can let you go
I like to think that you will live a life so happy and I can make it so
I like to think that in many years I will still be here
I like to think my memories of you will keep me warm, my dear
So with these thoughts and words of mine I journey on my way
So I can fight the fight within me, so I can have my say
So I can find the strength I know is waiting for the chance
So I can find the will in me, to let go; begin a different dance
So I can find a better way to find true happiness
So I can find the final hurdle and leap it; then I am blessed.
- AP – Copyright remains with the author
'copyright image please do not reproduce without permission'
No matter how
twisted
gnarled
wretched
old
battered
how not just there yet.
We all have|deserve a place in the Sun.