An Honest Perspective

Super Moonrise without zoom

The first full supermoon of 2025 rose this week, and from posts seen on social media, many people expected to see a monster-sized moon, similar to the AI-generated and photo-shopped images in their feeds. A camera with a telephoto lens can compress the foreground and enlarge the moon, making it look very different from what is perceived with the naked eye. Our grandson is standing on the hill at the end of our street with the supermoon rising in the background. This is a true image, but hardly exciting enough to grab someone's attention online. 

Zooming in...

Zooming further...

Zooming in with my camera quickly altered the perspective, making the moon appear much larger. I can easily superimpose a large image of the moon onto the first picture in this post to create an illusory supermoon photo. I choose not to be deceitful, especially for the sake of our grandchildren.

Sunset behind the moonrise

Spring and fall are the times of year when sunsets and full moon risings happen simultaneously. The low light created a photo of my granddaughter that is more impressionistic than focused. It conveys an atmosphere, but not much in the way of detail.

I often feel that I am navigating through a world of altered perception and focus, comparable at times to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Lewis Carroll cleverly wrote the children's fantasy based on distorted characters and experiences that were part of his own life. While his work was clearly fiction, it is more difficult to discern truth from fiction in today's online spaces. When we focus intently on one issue or event, we can lose sight of the setting, other viewing angles, and details that make up the big picture. 

Dr. Jane Goodall died at the age of 91 on October 1, 2025. She was interviewed in March 2025 for a Netflix documentary, Famous Last Words. Her interview was released posthumously and shared on October 3, 2025. I watched it last night, and it was fascinating to listen to her summarize her values and the most meaningful experiences of her life. At the end of the program, she shared her "final message" to the world. I found it very inspiring!

In the place where I am now, I look back over my life. 

I look back at the world I’ve left behind. 

What message do I want to leave? 

I want to make sure that you all understand that each and every one of you has a role to play. 

You may not know it, you may not find it, but your life matters, and you are here for a reason.

I want you to understand that we are part of the natural world. 

And even today, when the planet is dark, there still is hope. 

Don’t lose hope. If you lose hope, you become apathetic and do nothing. 

And if you want to save what is still beautiful in this world – 

if you want to save the planet for the future generations, your grandchildren, their grandchildren – then think about the actions you take each day.

Because, multiplied a million, a billion times, even small actions will make for great change. 

I want to – I just hope that you understand that this life on Planet Earth isn’t the end. 

I believe, and now I know, that there is life beyond death...

You have it in your power to make a difference. Don’t give up. There is a future for you. 

Do your best while you’re still on this beautiful Planet Earth that I look down upon from where I am now. God bless you all.

I see many people who are nearing the end of life on earth. They don't care about the news, weather, politics, or the words of the latest social media influencers and podcasters. The work we do and the things we own mean little without good character and meaningful relationships. A faithful spiritual legacy is also a priority for me. I must work every day to focus on the big picture, to live a life of honesty and integrity, to give my time and energy to the things that matter most in the end.