Light

Most of the times, it is our own prejudices that create the biggest challenges for us. I just came across a passage that says that what we consider as "evil" is just the absence of light. That's all. People who choose this path only do so because they have not seen or felt the presence of light. They are simply ignorant, in the sense of being unaware or naive about their thoughts and actions; they don't know what they are doing. Light--or enlightenment--is the presence of a higher and more meaningful knowledge which aims to benefit not the individual, but everybody and everything.

It is interesting to consider the case of a sunny day. The light of the sun reaches everybody with no prejudices. We are the ones who run for a shade away from this light. We try to protect ourselves no only from the light but from others as well. We build a ceiling against the sunlight and walls against others. We isolate ourselves and create our own world. Similarly to Plato's allegory of the cave, we start seeing the outside world as a theater of shadows, and from the partial knowledge we acquire from that, we create a reality that fits the experience we are having. The result is simple, and resembles the parable of the blind men and the elephant: we can only see part of the whole, and we assume that this part is the whole reality, the whole truth.

Once sheltered from the light, once our reality is set, it can be difficult to leave this situation, but not impossible. We just need to realize that there is one layer (or perhaps more) that separates us from the light. Our challenge, if we decide to leave the dark stage, is to find this layer and remove it. It is simpler said than done. Boethius, a Roman philosopher from the 6th century, writes:

The man who searches deeply for the truth, and wishes to avoid being deceived by false leads, must turn the light of his inner vision upon himself. He must guide his soaring thoughts back again and teach his spirit that it possesses hidden among its own treasures whatever it seeks outside itself.

Then all that was hidden by the dark cloud of error will shine. ... The seed of truth grows deep within and is roused to life by the breath of learning.

(Boethius, The Consolation of Philosophy.)

As Boethius said, learning brings the necessary knowledge that sheds light on what was previously unknown or avoided because of ignorance. Furthermore, this learning is an action that comes from the person, and the answers are within the person. How to uncover, then, these answers? This is part of the process of self-discovery. Different people find the answers in different ways, and it is important in our journey that we find the ways that work better for us.

This is an individual journey, and there is no escape from it. However, there are many people that, as part of their own journey, want to honestly help us along the way. We too must assist those who need our help, but it is important to let them come to us when the time is right, rather than offering help when it is not needed or when it is not appropriate. The same way, we are always invited to take the initiative and look for help when we need, and we should do it.

We shouldn't, however, be too eager to go toward the light, as insects are attracted toward light bulbs. Too much light when we are not ready can be blinding. Learning, really learning, all of the lessons one step at the time, will bring the answers.

In this journey toward the light we need to be humble and curious, respectful and tolerant, and always willing to offer our hand to others with a smile on our face. How about if we start right now by offering ourselves a hand?

http://thoughtsandnoises.blogspot.com/2010/11/light.html