Tuesday, June 02, 2020

The day I met newlyweds by the beach

Goodness lies ahead
Deerfield Beach, FL
December 2008
This photo originally shared on Instagram
I'll apologize in advance for not following the internet herd in posting a black panel in support of #BlackOutTuesday.

It's not that I don't support the movement, or the right of anyone to live free from discrimination and oppression. I do - and these are core to who I am.

But I don't believe in slacktivism. I don't post things just because everyone else posts them. I don't put frames around my avatar after every terrorist attack or school shooting.

It's not that these actions aren't admirable. They are, and they represent an important piece of a larger puzzle.

Let's hover on that one for a moment: piece of a larger puzzle. Because if you follow the herd today and do nothing to modify your behavior going forward, you've missed the entire point of the exercise. If posting hashtags and frames is all you do, you're not effecting change.

So, again, please accept my apologies for staying off the virtue signalling train. I didn't need to add a blank slot to my feed to reinforce the fact that I am listening to the necessary voices striving for change, and doing my best to model the kind of behaviors to drive our community toward that change.

Humanity has managed to turn crisis into opportunity countless times throughout history, long before social media was a thing. We'll make it happen, too, both this time, and long after social media fades into tech history's shadows.

In the meantime, please enjoy this photo of a just-married couple I photographed by a Florida beach over 11 years ago. I think of them often, and hope their lives have followed a path of opportunity, health, and happiness.

In other words, what we all want. And deserve. Today, and every day.

#deerfield #deerfieldbeach #beach #florida #fl #fla #vacation #travel #throwback #newlyweds #blacklivesmatter #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #Nikon #nikonphotography #random #street #photography #dslr #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

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