{"id":63322,"date":"2018-01-04T02:17:08","date_gmt":"2018-01-04T07:17:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/improvisedlife.com\/?p=63322"},"modified":"2023-09-24T20:13:04","modified_gmt":"2023-09-25T00:13:04","slug":"an-antidote-to-the-difficulties-and-terrors-we-face","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/improvisedlife.com\/2018\/01\/04\/an-antidote-to-the-difficulties-and-terrors-we-face\/","title":{"rendered":"An Antidote to the Difficulties and Terrors We Face"},"content":{"rendered":"

Scrolling through Artsy’s\u00a0The Most Powerful Moments of Photojournalism in 2017<\/a>, we were stunned by this image by Joseph Eid of Mohammed Mohiedin Anis \u2014 Abu Omar \u2014 seated on his bed amidst the dust and debris, fallen-in windows and crumbling walls of his bedroom. He lives in the al-Shaar neighborhood of Aleppo, Syria, the site of a deadly battle that devastated the area in 2016.<\/p>\n

Eid<\/a> recounted the story behind the image to TIME Magazine<\/a>, taken when he visited the home Omar who is a collector of vintage cars:<\/p>\n

As Eid described it, Abu Omar lit a pipe (pieced together with Scotch tape) before playing a record by Syrian singer Mohamed Dia al-Din. Although he\u2019s seated among the ruins of his home, and a third of his car collection is gone, he is embracing the things he has left<\/strong>\u2014a vinyl record player that does not require electricity; one of his favorite songs; sunlight, even if it streams in through shattered windows. He is neatly dressed in a dark green blazer and, it appears, is holding onto hope for the world.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWhenever I feel or will feel any kind of despair or surrender to [life\u2019s] problems and obstacles I will always [recall] the image of Abu Omar smoking his pipe while sitting on his rubble-covered broken bed and listening to his favorite music,\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"
Joseph Eid\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It reminded us of the reaction to the 9\/11 attacks of a baker we knew in a small town in Italy, who was beloved for his astonishing tenor and arias sung a capella. He said:<\/p>\n

\n

Debbiamo comabattere con la belleza.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/h1>\n

We must fight back with beauty.<\/span><\/em><\/h1>\n<\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

Read the full story of the photo here.<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Thanks Fern!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We were stunned by this image of\u00a0Mohammed Mohiedin Anis listening to music amidst the dust and debris, fallen-in windows and crumbling walls of his bedroom in the al-Shaar neighborhood of Aleppo, Syria. It holds an essential lesson and reminder.<\/p>\nRead More<\/a>","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":63323,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[46,31,6549,780,90],"tags":[10710,10437,11292,11293,11294],"yoast_head":"\nAn Antidote to the Difficulties and Terrors We Face - Improvised Life<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We were stunned by this image of\u00a0Mohammed Mohiedin Anis listening to music amidst the dust and debris, fallen-in windows and crumbling walls of his bedroom in the al-Shaar neighborhood of Aleppo, Syria. 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