Journey to Afghanistan

While cruising Metafilter I happened upon this mesmerizing and beautiful collection of photographs of Afghanistan, many of which were taken in the 1970's. The intrepid photographer is Luke Powell, about whom I know little. He was in Afghanistan in the mid-late 1970's and evidently left only days before the coup which was followed by the Russian occupation. He did not return until 2000. I particularly liked his introductory paragraph:

"It is important for those living in the industrial world to develop an appreciation for cultures that are sustainable, to learn to see beauty and survival in a world where people walk, live in daily contact with animals, raise their own food, pray, and live in families. Such people have as much to teach us as we have to teach them. "

Stop what you're doing; settle into your chair and take a vicarious trip into an ancient, majestic landscape inhabited by tough, resilient people. And ask yourself what we're doing there.