icons

well, there it is. starin' right at ya. do you know what it is? of course you do. its the same image thrown in your face almost everywhere you go...whether you realize it or not. you dont have to be christian to know the story, either. the whole "jesus died for your sins upon the cross" shpeal. but whose to say it still upholds that vision today? i doubt if every guy with a cross tattooed on his chest is tributing jesus, or every girl who wears a crusifix on her neck is a christian. the fact is, the cross was around long before jesus died...or even lived. throughout history, the cross has represented health, fertility, the four directions (north, south, east, west), the four seasons, the four elements, the human form, the universe... the list could literally go on forever. how is one to distinguish between one meaning or the other? in todays society, icons like the cross are thrust upon us with ideas and feeling behind them. each bit of information told with these images sticks with you, most of the time without notice. but its these moments that mold the vision we hold to these objects today.