Introducing Great in the World

Former National Geographic photographer Dewitt Jones presented an eighteen minute talk to TEDx, South Lake Tahoe, last year. He spoke of how he came to look at the world in a new way; with a focus on celebrating what is right with the world. While he uses his photography to illustrate the concept, the idea is much more broad than photography.

Jones’ ideas gave me inspiration to create a fork in the EXPLORE! Blog called “Great in the World.” As Jones says, “Every day the internet and the media bombard us with all that is wrong with the world and it is so easy to buy into it. It is so easy to stare into that darkness. But, wouldn’t you rather focus on the light rather than the dark? Wouldn’t you rather focus on what is right rather than what is wrong? That’s the change we make when we put on that lens of celebration.” Like many others, I found the need to break free from the daily news cycle and open my eyes to the great things that surround us every day. These blog posts will help me do that and perhaps help you do that as well.

Here is Jones’ talk:

Our “Great in the World” blog posts will appear in the EXPLORE! Blog, but when seen on the website they will have a header like this, with earth as the background:

The posts themselves will feature something that is great in the world. Topics will be the earth itself or anything on or seen from earth that is, somehow, great. These great things may be presented photographically, in words, poems, videos or whatever means of expression seems to fit. Typically, in keeping with the mission of EXPLORE!, these great things will be outdoors.

I hope they will inspire you to get outdoors , put on the lens of celebration, and discover what is great in the world around you.