22 Dec

Young Guns by Ian Aleksander Adams.

“While on a 10-day Birthright Israel trip a few summers ago, I watched tanned rollerbladers in Tel Aviv, slept with Bedouins in the desert, and hiked to time-worn military encampments. I saw children bathing in waterfalls, walls covered in bullet holes, and people of diverse origins and mindsets. Even the heat was unpredictable, but I often found myself bizarrely comfortable. There was one constant, a harsh reminder of how far I was from home: We were guarded at all times by teenaged veterans of multiple conflicts. (The military drafts nearly all 18-year-old citizens.) Our protectors thought of the assignment as a vacation, though their weapons spoke otherwise. I didn’t feel threatened by the soldiers or any outside force — the only thing that scared me was that I eventually found it all so normal.” -Ian

Every two weeks I will release a new showcase on Pictory, and when I do, I’ll post a favorite image here to remind you to go check it out. This one is from Overseas and Overwhelmed.