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Contributing Writer Philosophy & the Human Condition

Rashid Noor

Rashid Noor is a writer and essayist whose work spans photography, philosophy, and the study of human restlessness. He has contributed to Light & Composition since 2013. A photograph for Rashid is always a question in disguise — and his Reflections resist easy answers, sitting instead with the productive discomfort that a good question leaves behind.

517 Published Reflections

Reflections by Rashid Noor

Showing 12 of 517 essays
The Mirror of the Wild Photo of the Day
September 15, 2017

The Mirror of the Wild

If we were to look into the eyes of another species, would we find a reflection of our own soul, or merely the cold indifference of a world that does not know our names? We often categorize the living as if we are the only ones keeping a ledger of existence. We build walls, we […]
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The Ink of Eternity Photo of the Day
September 9, 2017

The Ink of Eternity

Can a single line ever truly contain the infinite? We spend our lives tracing boundaries, carving our names into the soft clay of existence, hoping that the marks we leave behind will outlast the hand that made them. There is a quiet desperation in this act of recording—a belief that if we can only find […]
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The Weight of Small Hands Photo of the Day
September 3, 2017

The Weight of Small Hands

Why do we assume that childhood is a season of lightness, a time unburdened by the gravity of the world? We look at the young and see only the potential for flight, forgetting that they are often the anchors of their own small communities. In many corners of the earth, the transition from play to […]
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The Ink of Eternity Photo of the Day
August 25, 2017

The Ink of Eternity

Can a human hand ever truly capture the breath of the divine, or are we merely tracing the shadows of a language that existed before we were born? We spend our lives attempting to anchor the infinite into the finite, carving symbols into stone and clay as if to prove that our fleeting presence has […]
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The Weight of Gravity Photo of the Day
August 24, 2017

The Weight of Gravity

Why do we feel the urge to leave the earth behind, even when we know the ground is the only thing that truly holds us? There is a strange, quiet tension in the act of letting go—a moment where the safety of the solid world meets the terrifying invitation of the open air. We spend […]
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The Weight of Small Things Photo of the Day
August 15, 2017

The Weight of Small Things

If a memory is not held by the mind, does it cease to exist, or does it simply dissolve into the soil of the world? We spend our lives building monuments to the monumental, convinced that only the grandest gestures define our history. Yet, there is a quiet persistence in the things that go unnoticed—the […]
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The Witness in the Wall Photo of the Day
August 6, 2017

The Witness in the Wall

Why do we assume that the world is built only for those who walk upright? We construct our cities of concrete and steel, measuring our lives in the rhythm of traffic and the ticking of clocks, convinced that we are the sole inhabitants of our own history. Yet, there are silent observers tucked into the […]
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The Silence Between Echoes Photo of the Day
July 30, 2017

The Silence Between Echoes

Why do we assume that a place is defined by the noise it makes? We walk through streets crowded with history and expectation, convinced that the city is a living, breathing beast that never sleeps. Yet, there is a profound truth hidden in the hours when the world retreats into shadow. In the absence of […]
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The Weight of Echoes Photo of the Day
July 18, 2017

The Weight of Echoes

Can stone truly hold the memory of a voice, or are we merely projecting our own longing onto the silence of the past? We walk through ruins as if they are ghosts, searching for the pulse of those who stood exactly where we stand, yet the earth remains indifferent to our presence. We build monuments […]
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The Weight of What Remains Photo of the Day
July 17, 2017

The Weight of What Remains

If a wall could speak, would it tell us of the hands that built it, or the hands that eventually let it go? We often mistake permanence for strength, believing that stone and timber are the true keepers of our legacy. Yet, history is rarely found in the grand monuments we construct; it resides in […]
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The Weight of Passing Through Photo of the Day
July 6, 2017

The Weight of Passing Through

Why do we feel the need to leave a mark on a world that is so clearly indifferent to our presence? We walk through ancient corridors and narrow passages, our footsteps echoing against stone that has outlived empires and will surely outlive us. There is a strange comfort in this anonymity, a quiet realization that […]
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The Silence of White Photo of the Day
June 23, 2017

The Silence of White

If the world were to be erased by a single, soft stroke, would we find peace or terror in the blankness? We spend our lives building monuments of noise, marking our territory with words, habits, and heavy footprints. We fear the void because it demands nothing of us, and in that lack of demand, we […]
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