Some of my best memories exist on the ocean. It is a dream of mine to live by its shore someday.
Oceans bring the concept of connection to mind. One of my goals in life is to produce work that fosters connection and understanding.
The ocean means something different to everyone. It is a connector, covering more than 70% of the Earth’s surface (NOAA). When I visit the ocean, I’m reminded that change is a constant.
One day I was down at the boardwalk. People from all walks of life were enjoying the afternoon sun. I was surprised as I watched the shadows of people dancing on the wooden planks.
Shadows are often used to portray evil in popular culture. (E.g. The Third Man). I think the reason is because they mask our features, and therefore inhibit some kind of need for identification – an outdated survival instinct.
That was my reaction at first. However, on that particular afternoon, the shadows were strangely beautiful. As the they danced, they seemed free and unencumbered. They were able to reflect the “inner light” or personality of their companions – without the burden of physical appearance that we commonly refer to as a “self”.
Recently, I have learned about the Buddhist concept of “emptiness“, which attests that there is no independent self.
“The word “emptiness” should not scare us. It is a wonderful word.
Suppose we return the sunshine to the sun. Do you think that this sheet of paper would be possible? No, without sunshine nothing can be…Without a cloud, there will be no rain; without rain, the trees cannot grow; and without trees, we cannot make paper. The cloud is essential for the paper to exist. If the cloud is not here, the sheet of paper cannot be here either. We can say that the cloud and the paper inter-are…
To be is to inter-be. You cannot just be by yourself alone. You have to inter-be with every other thing. This sheet of paper is, because everything else is. Suppose we try to return one of the elements to its source.
And if we return the logger to his mother, then we have no sheet of paper either. The fact is that this sheet of paper is made up only of “non-paper elements.” And if we return these non-paper elements to their sources, then there can be no paper at all. Without non-paper elements, like mind, logger, sunshine, and so on, there will be no paper. As thin as this sheet of paper is, it contains everything in the universe in it.”
My takeaway from this passage, is that each of us is dependent upon our environment to survive. To me, the concept of “inter-being” means that we cannot exist in a vacuum. We must rely (and benefit) from the other beings around us to survive, whether this is people, animals, plants, the sun – and so on.
In the footage I captured, you’ll see the shadows of people on wooden boards, made from trees, harvested by loggers centuries before – generated by a star millions of miles away.
The liveliness of the image is made up of these ingredients.
No matter what we look like, or where we come from – everyone casts a shadow. It is something each of us can share, even in times of great difference and division.
The tide is energizing and strong. “Soft” and “unceasing” as a teacher once described it.
For everything it takes away, the tide brings new things in exchange.
When a shell on the beach gets carried out to sea, sometimes the same one returns, reshaped by the power of the waves.
Other times, it disappears forever – washed up on someone else’s shore far away.
There is peace in accepting both outcomes.
However great the distance between those two shores, they remain interconnected by a flowing current.
Over the past year, I have witnessed quite a bit of change.
I’ve seen friends navigate divorce, death of loved ones, heartbreak, unemployment, loneliness, and sickness.
Others got engaged, married, found new jobs, and started new fitness routines.
I’ve navigated a few of these uncharted waters myself.
As any Buddhist would tell you, attachment leads to suffering.
Thich Nhat Hanh writes:
“Attachment to the false view of self means belief in the presence of unchanging entities which exist on their own . To break through this false view is to be liberated from every sort of fear, pain, and anxiety.” (The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation)
So in that spirit, I’m learning to ride the wave, and flow with the current. To accept that things happen when they are meant to – and to be patient and appreciative when the surface of the water appears placid.
The movement of the ocean’s tide is completely out of our control. Its mass can’t be tamed like that of a river, or a lake. It is best to sit back and marvel at its power.
This short film is a way documenting my love for that ever changing energy.
To support ocean health and research, consider contributing to the Oceanic Preservation Society.
“Fog’s rolling in off the East River Bank // I saw a shadow touch a shadow’s hand on Bleecker Street” – Paul Simon, 1964
Director of Photography & Editor: Jeremy Loewer
Music: ‘Pendulums’ by Joelle Zima. Used with permission.
Sound Effects: remixed from Freesound.org under a Creative Commons license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Seacoast Semblance is © Jeremy Loewer 2024
