Life Through a Lens

"To speak truly, few adult persons can see nature. Most persons do not see the sun. At least they have a very superficial seeing. The sun illuminates only the eye of a man, but shines into the eye and heart of the child."

Ralph Waldo Emerson put it very simply in his essay Nature: adults lose sight of the beauty of the world. It has become terribly hard to find an adult that enjoys nature in the same way a child does. Many look passed the greatness that surrounds us, focusing on the materialistic parts of life, like having the nicest clothes, biggest house, or the most expensive car. Life becomes more of a routine than an adventure. The wonder becomes lost somewhere in all the labels.

Finding an adult with a child-like love of nature and the world is rare. This makes knowing Will Hummel extremely special.

 (Will climbing in New Zealand)     

Will, now 21, grew up in Glenview, Illinois with his younger sister and parents. Growing up, Will would spend many weeks during the year in Hawaii where his mother is from. He and his sister spent a lot of their childhood playing outside, whether it was on the beaches of Hawaii, or at home in their backyard.
   

I have been close to his family for about 7 years, but did not realize how unique Will's outlook on life was until he started going to Pomona College in California. His love for being outside only deepened when he left for school. He started rock climbing a couple times a week, picking it up very quickly. Will soon began hiking mountains throughout California, and started making trips with friends to deserts and other national parks that were close enough to drive to from his school. Exploring the beauty of nature became a quick obsession for Will, and soon he began taking pictures of his surroundings.

What Will started as an experiment quickly turned into a passion. He has an innate talent for capturing nature in its finest, most peculiar moments, making those observing the photographs question if something so beautiful actually exists. His pictures make viewer want to experience nature for themselves.

All of Will's pictures are posted on his blog.

In Louis Rene Beres' article, The Few, The Proud, The Individuals, he criticizes how people in America today conform to what everyone else is doing. He says we need to "resist camouflage and concealment in the mass. Courageous individuals who will risk disapproval for the sake of resisting the mass now offer America the only republic worth saving."

Beres' point is that individuality is key in life. If everyone does what the mass is doing, there is nothing unique about anyone; everyone becomes the same. Independency is lost.


This is not the case for Will. Independent is one of the first words that comes to mind when talking about him. Last year, Will spent two months in South Africa, learning about how to be an entrepreneur and teaching natives how to set up their own businesses. He met businessmen and women from around the world, experienced the World Cup, and learned about a completely different culture. At the beginning of this year, Will set off for New Zealand to study a semester abroad. Shortly after arriving, a destructive earthquake hit the town Will was studying in. While the school insisted that all students transfer to another university in a more industrial area, Will decided that he would rather stay put and explore New Zealand's terrain for himself. School could wait; he would only be in New Zealand for a short couple of months. So his studies were put on hold for the semester. Will is currently backpacking through New Zealand.

In an excerpt from Henry David Thoreau's Walden, he talks about how as humans, we do not know exactly who we are, but we should never stop to think. Just do. Learn through experience. There is a passion deep inside all people to try new things, and it is necessary to live deliberately. Do not get caught up in routines. Most importantly, do not waste any moments in life. It rushes by; take advantage of every opportunity the world presents.

Will lives his day to day life in this manner, always curious and willing to try something new. He is only 21. I am eager to see what the world brings him next. I do know, however, that it will be anything but ordinary.

To end, one of Will's favorite bands: Bon Iver.