Visibily Homeless

Walking around the World Press Photo 2007 winner's exhibit in BCE Place, I saw so many pictures, showing the human spirit in action. Some were in the midst of sports, others were in the midst of trying to change their world. Others were just trying to live their lives. In the dark of the night, every photo seemed a little more menacing, a little darker, a little more jaded.

Then I saw this photo, by Espen Rasmussen, shot in Pakistan after an earthquake hit the area in late 2005. Here, at their broken mosque, these people are praying. At a place that was destroyed by an Act of God, they pray to that same God, worshipping him for the lives that they have.

For me, this is incredibly poignant. In this world, there aren't many people who would do this in this situation. They would curse God, blame him for all that they lost because of the earthquake. Instead these people chose to pay respect to their God, and thank him for their lives.

To have faith that strong is rare. It shows a rare strength of the human spirit - the ability to believe in what we cannot see, but only that which we feel. These people feel God so strongly, despite what has happened to them. They did not lose faith.

That's what made this photo different for me. It wasn't dark, it wasn't sinister, it wasn't showing people suffering. It showed a part of the human spirit that gives us all hope and faith in the ability to trust in something bigger than ourselves.