I’ve seen some horrible shit online. I’ve grown blase of the grotesque.
But this…
…this just makes me want to cry.
In 1993, Kevin Carter, a freelance photographer, was in Sudan to photograph the rebel movement in the famine-stricken country. Seeking relief from the sight of masses of people starving to death, he wandered into the open bush. He heard a soft, high-pitched whimpering and saw a tiny girl trying to make her way to the feeding center. As he crouched to photograph her, a vulture landed in view. Careful not to disturb the bird, he positioned himself for the best possible image. He would later say he waited about 20 minutes, hoping the vulture would spread its wings. It did not, and after he took his photographs, he chased the bird away and watched as the little girl resumed her struggle, panting. Afterwards he sat under a tree, lit a cigarette, talked to God and cried. Nobody knows what happened to the child.
This image won Carter the Pulitzer in 1994. He killed himself from depression a few months later.
I know I’m not in a good frame of mind these days. I’m far from my happy place. But this reminds me that things could be a hell of a lot worse, and that maybe I should be thankful about that.