Photographs

A/N: This was my speech this last semester. I felt it was so good, I thought I'd share it here.

**

I remember framed photographs hung on the walls of my parents' bedroom – there were three, actually. One of me content, one of me smiling, and one of me crying. I passed by them every day and never really thought it as anything abnormal. However, now that I have grown up, I have to thank my mother for an upbringing with something as simple but important as those photographs – important enough to share with you all today.

She always had a camera on hand, ready to snap a picture. Whether it was at the zoo, at a birthday party, or just around the house, she always wanted to remember that moment – to remind me of activities I did when I was younger.

I was raised with her taking pictures of me, so what did I do growing up? Probably making my friends really uncomfortable, especially when – out of nowhere – I'd pull out my camera and start snapping away, making for some pretty awkward memories. Back then, I thought it was perfectly normal – I mean, every kid grew up with pictures of their childhood and their family and their friends... Right?

*

Well, I bring forth a problem to you all now.

We – as a species known for preserving our own history – are in a crisis. Yes, a crisis. It's something that affects us all though we're probably so used to it by now, we don't even notice. Well, I'm talking about... The Digital Age.

Yes, you heard me.

The Digital Age has deprived us of one crucial and important traditions that so many people have done throughout the generations, and that is... printing out the photographs we take. You might think, "Well, what's the big deal about that? I mean, we aaalll have smartphones nowadays..."

It seems smartphones have it all, don't they? – the professional cameras, the instant gratification you get when posting on social media – in other words, the works. Of course, you can store thousands of photos on that little device, but what does that say to the guests that enter your home? They can easily see how much you really care about the ones you love by the lack of photographs on the wall...

But, I'm not talking about your school pictures that were taken every year, or the graduation pictures, or the wedding pictures. I'm talking about pure and candid snapshots of everyday life. These pictures that were not rehearsed but simply taken to look back upon in later years. These pictures that are meant to be the center of many conversations – if you think about it, many new memories could be formed because of them.

These pictures were meant to be on display in the real world for all who enter your house to see. They were not meant to be hidden away on a piece of metal waiting for the right moment to be brought up. Or perhaps when they are brought up and the moment is over, we're glued to that bright little screen – neglecting those around, letting the many conversations die right before us.

*

That's something I have learned on countless occasions. However, here is an example of a conversation between loved ones and myself this past Mother's Day over a printed photograph: My grandaunt brought photos that were taken in the late 1970s and handed a particular one to my great-grandmother. She squinted at it for a long while before looking up with a very confused look on her face and asked, "Is this when I was older?"

The entire room filled with laughter and it was explained that the woman in the photo was in fact her mother (my great-great grandmother). Keeping with the mutual joke, we assured that though she was older in the photo, she was younger now.

Sadly, I fear that this is just the older generation. My sister – however – prefers the Digital Age. All her pictures are stored on a device such as a computer or her phone, and nearly none of them see daylight again. Even in her house, no printed photographs exist. How sad is that? Well, I learned just how sad it was...

I had a few friends over for a movie – these people had never been inside my house. So, the second they walked through the door, they were both floored at the sight of this. An entire wall from the front door to the hallway, of pictures in the shape of a family tree. The first to recover turned to me and said with such awe in their voice, "Wow, Randi, your family must be really, really close. I've never seen anything like this. We don't even have any pictures in our house."

I was stunned at that. I could not imagine a life where a child can grow up without constantly seeing printed images of themselves and those who love them all around.

So, here is what I ask of you now...

*

One day, if it hasn't happened already, you'll settle down and have a family. One of the most important thoughts that will hopefully cross your mind is: everything they do, every step they take, every word they say, every smile they smile must always be out on the walls of my home.

And if in your life (so far) there haven't been many printed pictures around you, hopefully you would want to give your children a life filled with framed photographs of family and friends – something that they can constantly see and have as a reminder that they are loved.

Not only is it a way to remember how your life has changed, but also it is a way to bridge the gaps between their youth and their older age. There's a certain point at a certain age when we can no longer remember our childhood...

*

So, I urge you to take photographs of the moments you can later look back on whether it was a first-clapping experience, someone wore their shirt backwards all day, or to simply remember those that have left us too soon.

I urge you to take the time out of your day to stop living in the Digital Age and print beautiful and physical pieces of art to cover the walls of your house. Frame them, preserve them, and save them for future generations to come. Even invite loved ones over and boast about your newly decorated walls! I urge you to always keep adding to your framed collection.

Every moment of every life is special and deserves to be cherished. Remember, your memory and the memory of your phones will not last forever.