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“Photography has shaped the way I look at the world; it has taught me to look beyond myself and capture the world outside. It\u2019s also taught me to cherish the life I return to when I put the camera down.” – Lynsey Addario<\/em><\/p>\ni finished reading the book the other night. it’s was so beautiful, it hurts reading it from start to finish. but i did find myself smiling in between, it made me feel more than grateful\u00a0i’m doing what i love doing, too.\u00a0now,\u00a0i’m not really good in book reviews but it was truly riveting, i was hooked at every word she wrote. it almost felt like\u00a0taking photos\u00a0along side with her. (yeah, i daydreamed of it!) and i could almost hear her read out loud her own story and there i was listening like a child hearing a favorite book — my heart ached. a lot. at all the challenges Lynsey\u00a0had to go through again and again (imagine being kidnapped twice?). her\u00a0relentless pursuit for not just ordinary but extreme stories that shaped her life, making her come out stronger and even more passionate.<\/p>\n
“She\u00a0makes\u00a0a\u00a0decision\u00a0she\u00a0would\u00a0often\u00a0find\u00a0herself\u00a0making \u2014 not\u00a0to\u00a0stay\u00a0home,\u00a0not\u00a0to\u00a0lead\u00a0a\u00a0quiet\u00a0or\u00a0predictable\u00a0life,\u00a0but\u00a0to\u00a0set\u00a0out\u00a0across\u00a0the\u00a0world,\u00a0face\u00a0the\u00a0chaos\u00a0of\u00a0crisis,\u00a0and\u00a0make\u00a0a\u00a0name\u00a0for\u00a0herself.” – review from\u00a0Amazon.com<\/a>\u00a0<\/em> I could pick as many favorite quotes from the book but these part made me teared up:<\/p>\n “Journalists can sound grandiose when they talk about their profession. Some of us are adrenaline junkies; some of us are escapists; some of us do wreck our personal lives and hurt those who love us most. This work can destroy people. I have seen so many friends and colleagues become\u00a0unrecognisable\u00a0from trauma: short-tempered, sleepless, and alienated from friends. But after years of witnessing so much suffering in the world, we find it hard to acknowledge that lucky, free prosperous people like us might be suffering, too. We feel more comfortable in the darkest places than we do back home, where life seems too simple and too easy. We don’t listen to that inner voice that says it is time to take a break from documenting other people’s lives and start building our own.<\/em><\/p>\n Under it all, however, are the things that sustain us and bring us together: the privilege of witnessing things that others do not; an idealistic belief that a photograph might affect people’s souls; the thrill of creating art and contributing to the world’s database of knowledge. When I return home and rationally consider the risks, the choices are difficult. But when I am doing my work, I am alive and I am me. It’s what I do.<\/strong>“<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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\n<\/em>if I even had that chance to meet her in person in this lifetime, i’d be dumbfounded and will truly be blown away. so much love and respect for you, Lynsey. I really just want to hug you now. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n