My recent Instax mistake was hardly earth-shaking, but it felt strangely relevant to my current headspace. It reminded me of a NASA proverb: “We have to own our mistakes and ensure they never happen again.” I truly believe that growth is impossible without the friction of failure.

Using an Instax requires patience, composition, and timing. In a world of instant smartphone captures, the physical film forces you to sit with your choices. Lately, however, my thoughts haven’t been on photography, but on the escalating tension between the U.S. and Iran. It’s a weight that makes it hard to focus on work or even a book—just a lingering sense of dread and anger.

Why disrupt progress when negotiations were actually moving forward? It feels like we’re shouting into the void: Haven’t we learned from our mistakes? In the digital age, leaders seem to forget that the world is watching in real-time. We see the contradictions and the buried truths. Perhaps the scariest part is the realization that these aren’t “mistakes” to those in power, but intentional choices driven by greed. While they profit, others pay the price. I can only hope that accountability eventually finds its way to those creating this chaos.