Signs

Among the myriad billboards and corporate signposts that flank I-294 south of the O'Hare toll, south-bound commuters can learn daily from the simple teaching of this sign. In shape it resembles the han, and so it calls us to practice. Like a visual koan, it invites us to question the very fabric of reality. (Is it advertising an electronics company? Where has the "ith" gone to? Where was the "ith" before the sign was born?) Like numerous masters throughout the Buddhist canon, it teaches us with gentle pragmatism. ("Hey-don't stare at me! Watch where you're driving!") And the sign's dilapidated condition - hinting at the many years it has stood watch over millions of passing cars - subtly reminds us that all things must fade.

Photo by Jon Laux. Mike McKane was standing very close by.