Contemplate… Photographically: Reflections on “Vita Contemplativa” by Byung-Chul Han – Essay

Every morning, I wake up with the impulse to check my phone notifications, as if a blaring, endless alert were demanding back my hours of sleep.

Morning coffee, far from being an elixir, becomes a liquid spur that must be accompanied by the daily multitasking ritual.

Walking the dog, watering the garden, writing my to-do list, telling my daughters I love them, sweeping the porch… Each of these actions performed with mechanical, hurried thoughtlessness.

Rushing for what? I don’t know! All I know is that before I realize it, it will be midday, and dust will have settled once again on the office furniture.

Amidst this unconscious whirlwind, I was fortunate enough to come across Vita Contemplativa by Byung-Chul Han.

"We are losing the ability to do nothing," he warns us in the first few pages. Immediately, almost instinctively, one asks: And what’s wrong with that?

Before continuing, let me ask you, dear reader: Do you enjoy doing nothing? Or, put differently, Do you feel comfortable when you're not producing anything?

If we dare to approach these questions with honesty and self-critical frankness, we might crack the armor we have built around ourselves—made of goals and purposes, as hard as iron, as suffocating as the expectation of success on Instagram.

Purpose

"The ceremonial of inactivity is: we do, but for nothing. This ‘for-nothing,’ this freedom from purpose and utility, is the essence of inactivity. And it is the fundamental formula of happiness." – Byung-Chul Han

Asking why am I doing this? can be just as revealing, as we will likely respond with a clear goal or purpose in mind.

• Why did you prepare a salad? To be healthier and perform better throughout the day!

• Why did you buy that book? To learn a new skill that will help me with work or my personal branding online!

• Why do you watch the news? To get angry about the state of the world and join the cacophony of social media!

• Why do you exercise so much? To feel better about myself and get more likes on Instagram!

Byung-Chul Han points out that we have even "capitalized" sleep, turning it into a power nap in service of our performance in the next waking hours.

We have reduced the fullness of human activities to a dynamo, promising ourselves to be tireless. A promise packaged in the form of supplements, performance-enhancing medications, and training courses that ensure we always show our "best version."

We have become the animal laborans.

But the dynamo’s power is finite. And the promise of perpetual performance cruelly collapses with the onset of burnout or the growing plague of anxiety.

Assigning a purpose to every activity in life is an arrogant declaration that we know what is best for us, eliminating the healthy doubt that allows us to explore unexpected paths.

So, what remains when we do something for nothing?

Contemplate… Photographically

Contemplation is the exaltation of stillness. It is proof that we are living, not just surviving.

Byung-Chul Han delves into these ideas through brilliant examples. He associates contemplation with poetry, as a celebration of language:

"Poetry, on the other hand, suspends language as mere information. In poetry, language enters a mode of contemplation. It becomes inactive: ‘Poetry is precisely [...] the point where language, having deactivated its communicative and informative functions, rests within itself, contemplates its power of expression, and thus opens itself to a new possible use.’" – Byung-Chul Han

It was in these passages that I found a parallel with street photography, as opposed to journalistic or commercial photography.

Street photography is a poem to everyday life. It is the contemplation of transience. It forces us to take a step back and observe. Unlike journalistic or advertising photography, it lacks a specific purpose.

Wandering is contemplation. And the presence of a camera does not diminish its essence, otherwise, reflection through writing would also be an invalid comparison.

We take photographs without purpose, captivated by details invisible to those preoccupied with their next task.

Framing, shadow play, composition, saturation, aperture… Everything comes together to pay attention to the ephemeral and make it eternal.

Before Leaving

It is important not to fall into a simplistic interpretation of Byung-Chul Han’s texts. The praise of inactivity does not seek to suppress activity, nor is it an aspiration exclusive to the economically privileged.

Contemplation is the seventh day of rest after creation. It is the Sabbath, the birthday celebration. It complements activity just as a photographic postcard complements a memory or as an incubator fosters new ideas.

It is accessible as long as we are willing to relinquish some of our goals and purposes in exchange for nonsense, celebration, dance, photography.

And, as always, thank you for reading.