#john lok

Serene Reflection - captured by Photographer John Lok

A scene captured in 2006 during the opening ceremony of the Japanese Garden in the Washington Park Arboretum.

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“This is the answer! 

The answer is not in getting and keeping, but in getting and giving. The answer is not in saving and preserving, but in growing and changing. 

The answer is not in making things stop, but in making things go. The answer is not in covering and hiding, but in touching and sharing. 

The answer is not in thinking, but in feeling. 

The answer is not in death, but love. 

Not death, but life. 

“I consume too much. I overeat. I don’t get outdoors as much as I want to. I eat more meat than’s good for me or the environment. I know that eating and buying local, green produce is better for myself and the world around me. But I don’t. I try to be a good person. I recycle when possible, avoid buying bottled water. Bring my own bag with me as often as possible and say no when the cashier asks me if I want a bag. I bike as often as possible. I drive less. Is this enough? Does this even matter at all on a universal scale? I am sad. I am lonely. I spend an average of 8 hours sitting down on weekdays. This is bad for me. I am 24 years old and I am overweight, not to the point of obesity but if I continue down the road that I’m on, it will probably end that way. I think of myself as creative, but it seems that I am actually destructive. To myself, the world around me. When I am sad I drink, smoke, laze around. This makes me more sad, so I repeat the cycle. Consumption excites me. It seems to make me happy for a while.  Starting today, I will eat until I am satisfied and no more. I’ll stop staying up late and snacking and smoking. I’ll sleep more. I’ll do more exercise. I will find a place where my soul can be free. A place directly connected to the earth and nature. A place where people smile at each other. I will create music, love people, grow my own food and connect people together. Instead of dying everyday, I will live.”