Please take a moment to study this image and fully absorb it. What story is it telling you?
This picture was taken by Kevin Carter in Ayod, Sudan, in 1993. His mission was to document the famine in Sudan. After a long and tiresome day of taking pictures, Kevin walked to an open area where he spotted this tiny human-being struggling to make it to the food center while a vulture stood by in wait. Kevin was directed not to touch the victims because of diseases, so he decided to spend the next twenty-minute waiting for the stalking vulture to spread his wings. When it didn’t, Kevin scared the bird away and watched the toddler continue their painful journey to the center. This image was published in the New York Times and received the Pulitzer Prize, an award to honor journalism’s exceptional achievements. Four months later, Kevin took his own life because he could never escape the nightmare of his encounter.
What if…
What if Kevin had made a different choice at that moment? Would he still be alive? Would the toddler have received help sooner?
Often, we are instructed by the world around us to live a certain way, make choices that make sense, and conform to what society deems acceptable.
But, what if…
What if you stepped outside the norm, outside the instructions you have received, and ultimately made choices based on what feels right deep down? How much different would your life be? Living your purpose could be tied to the choices you make, are they based on what seems right to your environment or to you?
That is so sad! I learned, when I was stationed in South Korea, just how much we take for granted here…