Stumbling out of the villa at seven in the morning, I wondered down to the cabana overlooking the beach. Sipping on Javanese coffee and gazing out upon the majestic Indian Ocean, an odd scene formed before my eyes. At first I wasn’t sure what to make of it – three oddly clothed individuals carrying what appeared to be a mass of wood. As they came into focus I realized that not only were they carrying a significant amount of weight, but that the women were old enough to be my grandmother. As horrible as I felt at composing a photograph of them, I knew that I had to share this image with others.

My heart goes out to those in need – and those who are unable to rest with age. Poverty rapes this land and these people, forcing them into work that would be deemed unimaginable in other countries. How is it that we may help them? How will this woman ever find rest? How unfair is it that we are born into our situations without control over our levels in life?

I pondered these questions for a moment before realizing that even the camera that I was holding would take them years of punishing work to purchase. Imbalance was the only answer that I could provide myself with.