Whenever I work with the human figure, I know I’m in for a bit of a ride. Our deeply informed perspective of our own species doesn’t make much room for random dabbling. Every gesture, every wrinkle, every angle sends a message, whether or not it is intended. In my piece, “Our Shrinking World”, the idea that humans are increasingly capable of affecting the rhythms of our very planet led me to ponder where the line is between our various human concepts of man and God. All creatures leave their mark, and environments are never completely static, but it is ever more clear to anyone who has been in an airplane, or ridden in a car, that we are a remarkably productive, if not disruptive animal. We leave broad trails wherever we go, and our marks on this Earth are lasting. As our knowledge and our capabilities increase, so does our ability to impact our planet, for better and for worse. In sickness and in health, we are one with our world. Our ability to balance what we are capable of doing with what we ought to be doing is the fundamental challenge of our times.