Choice by Destiny
Shortly before turning thirty years old,I started to reflect on my life and to examine the career path I had taken.I could not help but recall what Confucius once proclaimed,“At fifteen I set my life goal to become an intellect,at thirty I had established myself,at forty I had been able to make right judgments with full confidence,at fifty I had known my own destiny…”This well-known text by Confucius has been passed on for 2500 years,and has had a great influence on scholars of later ages in Chinese culture and around the world.In the western culture,no one has yet defined one’s own trajectory of life in a chronological time table.Many individuals think that life is a journey of suffering.This notion probably originated from the belief of Buddhism.If life is compared to a long journey,what would one have to suffer? Everyone may have one’s own answer but for some people the purpose of life is the most puzzling conundrum of all.
While contemplating the purpose of my own life,I walked into nature unwittingly.Not long before I started to appreciate the beauty of grasses,trees,animals,rivers and mountains,I also started to understand the harmony of our natural world.My conscious appreciation soon turned into fascination and enthusiasm once I was drawn to the beautiful photographs of nature published in magazines,books and in other media.In the spring of 1995,I decided to teach myself landscape photography.In the beginning,I used a Nikon camera and a few lenses to take the close-up photographs of flowers,grasses and insects with color transparency films.I learned through trial and error,and through self-evaluation.I also read books and studied the works by well-known photographers.Among them are John Shaw’s practical field technique guide book series for landscape photography,the books and images of the Himalaya and high Sierra mountains by Galen Rowell,and of Africa and other parts of the world by Art Wolfe.I was inspired by these masters.I realized that if I could devote all my energy and passion to photography,I would gain all the satisfaction and have no regrets at the end of my life.Gradually I started to take longer trips to the Great Smoky Mountains and the Blue Ridge Parkway,as well as the vast coastal regions in the Southeastern states of America.Later my photo trips were further extended to the American west,Alaska and various parts in China.
Twenty-five years after I first picked up a camera,photography has become the focus and loyal guide of my life.It has been a beacon of light as I traverse life’s journey,leading me to the realm of which I had never dreamed.As I walked further and deeper into the world of photography,I never stopped wondering about the meaning of life.At the age of around forty,I realized that no one could come up with a satisfactory answer before living through a large part of one’s life.Through photography,it had become clear to me that the meaning of life is to explore its possibilities and to achieve its full potential in making contributions to the civilization of mankind.
Photography has not only given me a life purpose,but it has also developed me in every way in the process.I have never felt that I have sacrificed myself to the art of photography.With photography I have lived my life in constant meditation while enjoying the pleasure of the art.Through the lens of the camera I have seen the world,and I have also found myself.
引 言
使命的抉择
在三十岁前夕我开始了对人生的思考和自我的审视。不由得想起了孔子的自述：“吾十有五而志于学，三十而立，四十而不惑，五十而知天命……”然而，孔子对其所述并没有做进一步的注解。对于这句话的含义后人有着多重的诠释。多年里我也曾为孔子所言深感困惑，直到接近不惑之年时我似乎才对孔子的这一论述有了清楚的认识。根据我个人的理解，两千五百年前的人类文明尚处于早期的发展阶段，绝大多数人是以务农或从事小手工业为生。因此，“三十而立”对于当时多数劳动者来讲，是指三十岁时具备了谋生的技能，可以自食其力，并且承担起支撑门户的重任。而对于孔子这样以治学为本的思想家而言，“三十而立”应理解为学有所成，包括思想意识、治学理念和世界观的基本建立。“四十而不惑”应该是说对世界有了清楚的认识，对事物能够做出明悟的判断。“五十而知天命”则是指在有生之年知晓自己的人生使命和价值，故而不枉一生。如果说中国文化有着五千年的文明发展史的话，那么可以认为孔子哲学凝聚了前2500年的人类智慧，之后又经历了2500年的验证，可谓人间哲学的精粹。孔子为人生所设的规范和年谱，也是对千古学子治学的不朽教诲和指引修为的必由之路。
西方文明发展史中尚无人按照年限为自己做出人生哲学的评定。在当代最为普遍的观念认为，人生是一场受难的旅程。这大概是沿袭了佛学的信仰。如果把人生比作一个漫长的旅程的话，那么人生究竟痛楚何在？人生的意义又是什么？在这个行程中除了所需的衣食住行之外，恐怕最大的苦楚莫过于不知目的地了。在迷惘中徘徊是愁苦的。只有确立了目标，人生才有了意义，也才会有坚定的信念，以及历经重重磨难的毅力和战胜困难险阻的力量。而西方对人生较为积极的观点表明，幸福的人生一定要有所爱，有梦想，有作为，还要有给予。许多人为了自己的所爱，为了追求个人的志向而奋斗不息。
在冥思苦想之中，我不知不觉地走进了大自然，渐渐地开始沉湎于山水草木如画的美景之中。继而又受到书刊杂志中风景照片的激发，于是在1995年春季，我决意开始自学风光摄影。起初我使用尼康机械型相机和镜头，热衷于拍摄草木、花卉和小动物的微距照。我在摸索中逐步体会，在失败中学习，也从摄影名家的著述和作品中吸取创作的经验和智慧。我最早读过的书籍中包括美国摄影师约翰·邵（John Shaw）撰写的风光摄影实地技术指导系列丛书。此外，伽林·罗威尔（Galen Rowell）在喜马拉雅山脉和内华达高地拍摄的作品，以及阿尔特·沃尔夫（Art Wolfe）在非洲和世界其他各地创作的许多作品，都对我有很大的激励。在逐步的成长中我的拍摄之旅越行越远，开始到大烟山、蓝脊山脉，以及美国东南部大西洋沿岸拍摄风景，后来又扩展到美国西部、阿拉斯加，以及中国各地。
自从拿起了相机，摄影成了我生活的核心和人生的向导，它犹如燃在我心中的一盏烛光，引导我步入梦想不到的境界。我始终坚信将全部的热情毫无保留地倾注给摄影艺术，就会从中获得无比的满足，待到生命的尽头，我不会留有丝毫的遗憾。摄影总在伴随着我思考人生的意义这个不解的难题。而到了不惑之年时我方才意识到，对于人生的意义只有在完成了漫长的旅程之后才能得以体悟，绝对不会在此前有切身的认识。当到达人生中途的时节我终于体会到，人生的意义在于探索其未知的可能，生命的价值在于对人类文明发展进程的贡献。
在过去近25年的艺术创作中，摄影给予了我一切，也重塑了我的所有。值得欣慰的是，我投身于摄影，却从未感到是为之献身，而始终觉得在艺术之中生活，在创作中享受和思考，也在其中发展和成长。同时我还通过摄影来认识世界，发现自我，造就自身。在这个过程中，摄影艺术与我的心灵融为一体。摄影锻造了我的身心，成就了我的人生。