Why Photography unites and languages divide.

Vocal sounds existed long before cultural icons. Today we can hear Birds and Monkeys and Dogs create sounds of warning. When our cave ancestors created pictures on walls, those pictures became the first creative cultural and silent means of communication away from their vocal sounds. Over centuries wall Art pictures became smaller and smaller until they changed into tiny symbolic icons. Today, sounds silently represented by icons are different for each culture. For example I am writing the phonetic English alphabet where each icon, (or small letter) has two distinct sounds understood by English people. First, a child learns the English sounds created by his parents and friends and then he or she is taught how a small letter represents each sound he has learned. The letters are then combined into words and those words are associated with objects and people and places within the child's environment. When enough words are placed together they create larger communication letters and books.

 Children are taught to link small letters together to create words. The letters (or icons) are handed down through the centuries. When small English letters are combined they create a word which is understood by English people. When a Chinese person creates a large letter written with Chinese symbols, it is seldom understood by English people.  The same goes for Russian letters and for Greek letters and for every other different culture and nationality. Unless we all learn to use the same language, communication is difficult and without communication, we develop social problems. It becomes difficult to warn each other when there is an impending natural or social disaster!

   All cultures and nationalities live within the same reality on this planet, however, we utilize so many different sounds and letters to describe that reality, we isolate ourselves!  When small iconic symbols are placed 
together to create words, the words are often associated with a specific culture. Chinese people have different sounds for the same reality and so do Russians and Greeks and every other nationality. All human beings who live on this Earth use different sounds to describe our Planet. It is only in the realm of Photography where we can all unite to see the same beautiful wonders this Planet holds for all of us and then we can describe those wonders in what ever language we choose. In other words Photography is helping us return to creating beautiful wall Art and it can also warn us of impending dangers.