Midnight Vision

Jonathan Swift said, “Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others.”  I began to understand this idea Friday night as I explored Prague without plan or intent.  I picked up my camera, and started walking.  I didn’t know where I was going, and carried no “to do” list.  I simply wandered.  See, I realized a long time ago that “hunting” for a great photograph or simply an inspiring view usually proves quite futile, at least for me.  How do you look for what you don’t know exists?  Sure, I know the Charles Bridge is majestic, the Prague Castle is grand, the streets of Prague can be beautiful.  But I don’t know when or if they will reveal themselves in a way that could make a great photograph or the most beautiful view.  So, I wander, patiently, observantly, and it’s amazing what appears.

If you have never slowed down and wandered a great city without a list of attractions, shops or sites, I urge you to try it.  It may take a little effort for many of us because it just feels inefficient or a waste of “valuable” time.  I promise you it’s not.  You will see things others don’t.  You will smell and hear things others will never even know existed.

After simply meandering through Prague the other night, I looked at my watch and realized it was midnight – I had been looking, listening, smelling, and most of all, living Prague for over six hours.  It had been everything except a waste of time.  As I wandered toward the tram that would take me home, I turned around to look behind me.  St. Nicholas Church was lit up in a way I’d never seen.  At most other times of the day, the streets would have been clogged with cars and tourists.  But for now, the view was mine, and mine alone.

Aristotle said, “The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.”  As I looked back at the church, I began to understand why men toiled for 51 years to build St. Nicholas Church in Mala Strana, pictured above.  For them, I am confident, the structure was not a building, but art.  While I pass the church every day, it was only at midnight, standing alone on the street, that I began to really see.