First time, I heard it from my Ac xcllg-carpool friend, when we were on the road to work, there was an accident, there's a dead body lying on the road covered with newspaper and the ambulance / police have not arrived. So I said 'if only i have a camera with me now, to shoot the scene', then came the respond from my friend 'I dont know why, I wouldn't take a picture of other ppl's suffering'.
Hmm.. I just wonder in my mind, is it becos its 'pantang'? Well usually I'll bring my camera along even during funerals, and I've always wondered if its ok for me to snap picture of the dead person.
Anyway, so on second occasion, somebody commented about my pictures that I took of the poor little kids in Cambodia. He said he doesn't have the heart to snap picture of these pitiful people, to explain his point he asked me to imagine if I'm in their 'cham' state will I want other ppl to snap picture of me?
Hmm.. that's not hard to answer -- I just dont pity them / feel awkward when I look at the Cambodia kids. Then I wonder if I'm heartless or if my heart is made of stone. If I'm a photographer / reporter, I should be taking more of the pictures that depict the poverty / realities of life for the whole world to see, for enlightenment / sharing / education / awareness purposes.
See, some friends have visited my photoblog and were touched by the people-pictures I took. Frankly speaking, I didn't know why does it look heart-warming. But I'll take it as a compliment.
When I'm taking pictures, (in the case of Cambodia kids), I'm really seeing simplicity of life. I went thru the last INCOVAR camp learning about appreciating the simple things in life and be happy simply... also remember what Lama Samten shared during his interview, when he advised youung people to explore the world outside, to see how other parts of the world live.
I agree with my dad, when he said, although the poor people may look poor in the outlook, but they are rich in other ways. *totally! my dad rocks!* The little kids that I saw in Cambodia, they were smiling, and playing with sands and stones with their siblings / neighbours / friends. When you were a child, would you be happy playing only with sand and stones under the hot sun?! I believe the kids that we know in Malaysia, are playing with video games or barbie dolls, but are these so-called better off kids really happy?
When I walk passed most really young kids in Cambodia, by the roadside, they'd innocently smile & wave back at me, knowing that my camera is pointing at them. Sometimes, I miss the shot, cos I was moving.
Ok, I do feel terribly odd, when I went for a full body massage. Cos I really think I dont need a massage, esp by another girl who's almost same age as me, and it cost alot to me. (my mom dragged me into it, k). I feel that I could use the same amount of money to donate to all the poor kids. Of course, thinking from another point, the massage lady must have a family to feed too.
Seriously, if I'm born very poor, thankfully with the Dhamma and family values that I'm brainwashed with, I know I'll STILL be positive / happy / grateful. Being born poor, gives us the opportunity to understand and appreciate the simple value of life's great lessons. Family bonding becomes much stronger, and maybe a poor person's spirit / motivation in life is bigger. I know most poor people strive very hard to be rich, but the born-rich people do not have a reason to work so hard ;P
HAha... gong lei gong hoi, ngo gong sai. Maybe I'm one of them, you know one of the carefree people that dont mind playing with sand and stones under the hot sun, that's why I dont see these people as pitiful! *will always remember losing tictactoe played on sand, to a bunch of Vietnamese kids, urrrggghhh!*
(Ok, I admit that have a big problem with not washing my hands before I eat, cos I'm afraid of worms that could go inside my stomach!)
1 comment:
A good trip! Good blog of what you've seen in Cambodia.
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