When Gus takes part in the hanging of Jake in Lonesome Dove, you might notice a peculiar Twinge on Gus’s face. Gus looks up at Jake as the rope snaps his neck tight and an involuntary grimace moves through his cheek as if a laser hit the side of his face and pushed it toward the other side. Robert Duvall was good at that facial expression or tick.
When it comes to death, we all may have some sort of involuntary tick or recoiling grimace. It’s our last chance at keeping the grim reaper from laying hold of us and snapping our neck. This tick is all too common today due to our deeper acquaintance with violence and death.
I collected butterflies when I was a kid. All I needed was a net and a killing jar with carbon tet in it. Net em, drop em in the jar, pin em on a board when I got home.
No grimace in those days, it was so natural to end their little lives. Today, I couldn’t do it. My face would be permanently ticked. I can still swiftly dispatch mosquitos, even wasps, but butterflies are safe from my hand.
Cameras are all I need to collect today. Even they can lead to violence as they can document violence in real time. At least I’m not spilling blood with a camera. I might even preserve life with well chosen images.