Excerpt: Invisible Sun

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FAR FROM BEING AN IMPEDIMENT TO ENGAGING WITH OTHERS, I USE THE FACT THAT THE CAMERA IS THERE AS A WAY TO START A CONVERSATION AND MAKE A CONNECTION WITH PEOPLE. Same three kids, totally different moment. I came across these kids while walking through a bombed-out neighborhood in Kabul. There was so much sadness, distance and suspicion in their eyes. Then I made a fart sound by doing a raspberry with my mouth. The photograph on the top shows the boys reaction to the camera. The photograph on the bottom just a few seconds later is their reaction to me. When I make a funny noise with my mouth the kids react with a laugh or a smile that’s not the end of the moment – it’s just the beginning. If all there was was a chuckle, then the whole interaction would be reduced to nothing more than a party trick. But when my vulnerability and openness gives way to a growing light in their eyes the moment shifts to a place that is primal, tender and most of all authentic. Real connection is not about making someone laugh, it is about making someone feel like you care about them. Not as objects to be photographed but flesh and blood human beings with dreams, fears and an almost incomprehensible amount of challenges.

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Kabul, Afghanistan

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My kids Tess and Shane, NWFP, Pakistan Truly helping people is a really hard job. Being on the ground helps us to understand how to do it better.

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Street kids in Central Market, Kabul, Afghanistan Are they entering our world or are we entering theirs?

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Qalandia, West Bank, Palestine I love her painted nails, just trying to be a little girl. The graffiti on the wall on the following pages is near to where she lives. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s part of her everyday childhood.

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Syrian Refugees, School, Syrian-Turkish Border Nicely dressed and filled with positive energy. It must feel even more jarring to go from a comfortable middle-class life to suddenly losing it all. Everything can change in an instant. Warm coats and smiles, but without their homes. Maybe with their nice clothes and shoes,

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itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easier for us to see our own children in their faces. So much comes down to letting compassion rule out over fear. More than 150,000 Syrian children have been killed since the conflict began. Millions have been displaced.

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Weligama, Sri Lanka

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Sera Jey Monastery, Mungod, India Living life as a refugee is never easy, not even for a monk. It’s not just the toy gun in his hand, it’s the menacing look in his eyes.

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Lo Manthang, Kingdom of Mustang

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I HOPE THAT THE IMAGES AND IDEAS IN THIS BOOK HAVE SUCCEEDED INSTIMULATING AN INTERNAL CONVERSATION ABOUT THE POWER OF HOPE, GRATITUDE AND MAKING A DIFFERENCE. Because at the end of the day theconversation you have with yourself is the only one that really matters. Whatever your passion or circumstance, you don't have to go to theother side of the world to make a difference in the lives of others. You can literally go around the corner from where you live and find opportunities to be eyeball- to-eyeball and hands on. Imagine the power of all our concrete baby steps added together.

Jalalabad, Afghanistan

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BE SELFISH, GO HELP SOMEONE.

Bhaktapur, Nepal

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Rwanda Everyone in this picture is in prison accused of participating in the Rwandan genocide. The tall guy on the left was accused of killing over 30 people. They are in this camp to learn skills like carpentry so that when they are released, they have a way of supporting themselves and their families and perhaps will be less likely to lash out again. Photograph by Tess Sager

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