“Darkness is always at the mercy of light. If you want to be rid of darkness, light a lamp.”–Shane Hipps
Light and darkness are often depicted as opposites. The same is so with love and hate. In fact, these are not opposites. Darkness is the absence of light. Hate is the absence of love. To rid the world of darkness, add light. To vanquish hatred, love. These are so simple, yet we struggle with these truths.
Our world is increasingly polarized—us versus them. I am right. You are wrong. I am very open to the idea that I am wrong. Indeed, I know full well that I am ignorant, even in the areas in which I have greater knowledge. The vastness of the Universe. The eternal nature of God. These are all too big for my simple mind to contain. To grow one must accept that there in room to grow. The way of Truth is the way of Light. Let it in and in drives out the darkness. To try to work against the darkness is like pushing against the wind.
There is always room for light. A small amount of light allows us to see, but it is only when the fullness of light enters the room that we can see clearly.
The light in the room, however, must be balanced. Otherwise, parts of the room remain in the shadows.
We have a house that was built in the ‘90s with recessed lighting. It (the lighting) is horrible! It never sufficiently lights the room. We either sit in shadows, or we must light area lamps to add to the ceiling light. It is never sufficient. We can keep adding light, but the room is never quite full.
This is the concept of Spiritual “well-centeredness”. Religion adds light to our Spiritual lives, but, alone, it is wholly inadequate and often focused in small areas of our lives. Small acts of love and self-centeredness have a seemingly small effect until united with the Universal acts of others. Love drives out hate. Knowledge drives out ignorance. Truth conquers fear. Life overcomes death.
My light, albeit small and insignificant, is illuminates the darkness. Its effect is only seen when it is joined by the light of others.
Being (extra)ordinary comes from the desire to be that small light that adds all that it is able to the greater Universe. Be your best (light) today; be better (brighter) tomorrow!
Carpe momento!