Count That Day Lost – By Rom and Ella

Looking at the photo you can see two people hiking on a mountain while the sun sets behind them. Although we can’t really know what these people are to each other, we can still see that they have each other’s back. Instead of going on ahead, the hiker decided to help his hiking partner up the mountain. He could have just gone ahead without them and let them get up by themselves, despite this fact he still waited for them and helped them climb their way up. If he wanted to climb the mountain alone, he would’ve gone by himself. Yet he decided to go with someone else, so why would he not have helped?

A series of seven people are shown in the image. There are shadowy figures jumping in front of a sunset colored in different shades of orange and yellow. The figures are cheering in joy and uplifting spirit. We know that due to their body language which indicates a happy moment in their life. Their arms stretching to the sky and their legs up in the air. The contrast between the colored background and the black silhouettes, deny individuality from the people in the picture, thus putting emphasis on the moment and emotion and not the people who are experiencing it. When we think about a fulfilling day or helping and contributing, we often see this picture in our collective mind. People together in a group, happy and satisfied, emotions we (as well as the poem) associate with assisting someone

“One glance most kind, that fell like sunshine where it went”

Both of our pictures are set in the sunset and sunrise but not ‘just because’. Sun rays often symbolize positive feelings. Those felt by the person who was helped and the one who aided. The line we chose  refers to that. The fact that even a short look can provoke warm feelings of peace and acceptance. For that reason, it correlates to the hikers and the cheerful people helping each other and jumping with the setting sun in the background. The first picture we have chosen is set in the sunrise while the second in the sunset, following the poem’s recipe for a well spent day.  If you start your day helping someone, you will finish it feeling pleased with yourself. Then, you can count this day cherished forever.

In the picture you can see a person sitting on a bench near the sea while the rain heavily pours down upon them. In our opinion, this person is sitting by the beach in the pouring rain because something despairing occurred to them. Additionally, we think that this person is quite lonely. If something dire did indeed come about, they could’ve gotten consolation or assistance from others. Yet here they are all by themselves, which to us shows that the person seated on the bench doesn’t have anyone they can confide in. They are truly alone.

The picture captures in a not-so-subtle-way the concept that selfishness damages our life. A porcelain ball is destroyed to smithereens by a hammer. The ball shaped statue stands for ‘LIFE’ while the hammer functions as a replacement for ‘SELFISHNESS’. This idea of transport throws the words ‘life’ and ‘selfishness’ that decorate the ball and the hammer (respectively). In the balls case, the object is white under the red caption. The hammer’s handle is yellow and connects to the metal looking weight. The hammer crushers into the ball and destroys it. But this is not a ball, this is not a hummer,  and this is not a pipe. This is a picture depicting the ball and hammer as metaphors.

“You’ve nothing done that you can trace, that brought the sunshine to one’s face”

We selected this specific quote because it represents two distinct aspects within the photos we have chosen. In the first photo with the individual who is sitting alone on the bench, instead of being on the giving end, they’re on the receiving end of the quote. Instead of not bringing smiles to others’ faces, they have been the one to not receive a smile  through words or deeds. On the other hand, the second photo illustrates to us how selfishness can dramatically affect various aspects in life. This photo shows what it’s like to be on the giving end. You haven’t brought smiles to others’ faces, you haven’t made someone happy. Your selfishness could have ruined someone else’s life, just like how it hurt the individual that is seated on the bench.

Bibliography:

Man sitting on bench:

https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/alone-sad

Two people hiking:

https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/releases/helping-others-dampens-the-effects-of-everyday-stress.html

Hammer and ball:

https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/b/selfishness-destruction-health-life-symbolized-word-selfishness-hammer-to-show-negative-aspect-selfishness-173792597.jpg

People Jumping:

https://www.alwaysonpurpose.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/happypeople-1024×679.jpg