Song of Us
By Cameron Asher-Bond
Photo by Cameron Asher-Bond
There is, by the study of history, a sort of cure for a myopic view of the world–That by seeking to understand the past, we might better understand the present, and be better equipped to witness it through clear eyes. Horizons are widely broadened by the study of history, and an appreciation for humanity might develop. So, it’s as I sit here, full of reflection in every sense, that the weight and implication of the moment is not lost on me.
A day ago, I stood in the modern city of Hong Kong. A beautiful monument of collision between East and West. I stood among thousands of people, demonstrating with their combined voices, a desire for change. It is essentially, the frontline of a battle for contemporary democracy. And now, I sit in an ancient city, where two millennia ago, the very ideas of democracy were passed around by an enlightened few.
The line of history that connects these two places, like a fine thread transcending ages, is a reminder of history’s ability to weave the story of us into some great quilt of struggle and consequence. From the whispers of a new idea upon a rocky hill, to the perilous march of millions, and a moon landing somewhere in-between, every bleeding moment of history, is a celebration of us.
August 7, 2019
Athens, Greece
Beneath the shadow of the Acropolis