The World Wide Panorama

Introduction

The World Wide Panorama event of the third quarter of 2025 is a collection of panoramas with the common theme of “Why”.

Theme Essay: Why

The essay conveys the team’s idea of the event. It is usually published together with the Theme announcement and offers a starting point for the contributing photographers.

The theme for the upcoming World Wide Panorama Event III/2025 is: „Why?“

This one question, „Why?“, has been growing stronger and stronger over the past couple of years.

Why war? Russia is attacking civilian targets and even the civilian population in a brutal war of aggression. The Hamas have killed innocent people at a peaceful festival and have taken many hostages – an act of senseless, inhuman terror. The state of Israel is trying to bomb Gaza into the Stone Age by purposefully destroying civilian infrastructure and killing civilians, even targeting churches where the people seek refuge.

Why?

In global politics, the ultra-right-wing forces are gaining strength. Many politicians are fostering national and nationalistic egoisms. Make *** great again – (*** insert a nation of your choice). Yet they do not try to make the nation great again by supporting education, science and social justice. They try to make others small, so they can feel “greater” in comparison.

Why?

Currently, the entire human race is driving this planet into a catastrophe. No reasonable person can deny climate change. We all experience the disastrous effects. And yet, the measures taken are lunatically insignificant.

Why?

One set of answers might be: greed, a sadistic mindset, a lust for power, ignorance, and idleness. But are those really sufficient to explain the galloping madness that comes over the world like a fifth horseman of the apocalypse?

For your submission, I currently see two possibilities: You might find your own panoramic version of the question. Or you might want to try and find an answer. And with such a creative community, there might be even more ways to tackle this challenge.

But of course, there are the even bigger questions: Why are we here, what is the purpose of all that – in short: Life, the Universe and Everything. These questions have been answered long ago by a simple number: 42 - Although up to now no one knows the exact question.

The image of the banner was taken at the military cemetery on the Col de Wettstein. The Col de Wettstein is a small pass in the Vosges. This part of the Vosges was the site of savage battles in World War I.