"Waiting for the smoke signals" , by Erik Pevernagie , 100 x100 cm, oil on canvas.

People often don't dare to send smoke signals or attention-seeking signs because of an ingrained reticence to open their minds.

Could it be mistrust, laziness, or lack of courage that stops us from walking up to people?

Could a lack of confidence lead to lethargy and apathy? Have we just got to sit back and wait for some smoke signal? Should people go on sending smoke signals or messages in a bottle, before falling into despair?

Hope may inspire and entice us, but we cannot just live on hope. Indeed, love can be hope, but it is merely a contingency since it might either mend our life or break our hearts.

Whichever way, let's look at the bright side of life, even if love has only been a long shot and become evanescent. Love may still inspire us if we have the gift to savor the fragrance of the treasured moments of togetherness from memorable times that furtively slipped away.

If we merely see life as we think it is, and we perceive things only from our own tapered point of view and don't learn the idioms of the others, life is doomed to remain a misconstruction.

So, let's not put our lust of life on the back burner of a distant future, but let's share and walk up to others, listening to the sound of their words, and taking part in the vibrant carrousel of their pursuits.

Phenomenon: Social isolation

'Factual starting point of the picture' : man in waiting position and smoke signals