Look beneath the surface of the city

More than meets the eye
London, ON
December 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Standing on the outside, looking in, it's easy to spin a story for yourself, to convince yourself that you have precise knowledge of everything that goes on here, every subtle nuance, every moment.

Outsiders always seem to know, don't they? And when they venture into the murk for a bit, they claim to know even more. "I've been there." "I saw it with my own two eyes." "Trust me."

For the record, I don't much trust the view of the outsider. Because none of us ever really knows what goes in inside the life - or the mind - of another. We may see a drug addict shooting his arm full of unmentionable substances, then leave the discarded needle in a dirty corner beside the sewer grate. But we probably don't know this individual's back story, what led him or her to this place, at this time, in this manner.

We might feel like we have the right to pass judgment because no right-thinking human being would ever shoot up in a shadowy downtown alley. We don't. No one chooses to live a life in a place like this. Everyone has a back-story. Rarely is it shared.

People on the outside looking in think they're smart enough to know all this. They aren't. And they're often the last to learn this sad dichotomy.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #downtown #urban #city #richmond #street #photography #streetphotography #color #light #shadow #alley #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything