by M.D. Neu
There is darkness all around us. Many of us can’t see the sun anymore. There is no light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. We feel as if we’re falling in a black pit with no way out, the news and the world seemingly getting worse. And maybe it is. Perhaps we are seeing our great fall. However, all around us are hundreds, if not thousands, of pinpoints of light. Those dots are barely detectable, but that brightness is there. And that light we can hardly see; is each other.
If you’ve spent any time looking at the news, or doom-scrolling on social media, then you know the state of our world and you probably feel helpless. You probably want to give up. Climb into your own little cocoon and hide. Or you might want to fight. You might be boiling over with anger and are waiting to find someone to spew your vitriol all over. And I wouldn’t blame you. We are angry. We are hurt. We feel helpless. Yet, many of us are still looking for that light at the end of the tunnel. We are hoping and praying; begging and pleading for someone or something to come in and show us the way to the light, to the tunnel, so we can get out of this gloom.
We wait, get more flustered and angrier because nothing is changing and nothing is getting better.
For us, right now, there is no sunshine.
What we aren’t seeing are all those pinpoints of light all around us; Our friends, our co-workers, our family, our partners, our on-line community. We’re being blinded by the darkness and not seeing the little pips of light showing us beauty, art, books, music, poetry, love, friendship, family, and community. Since we can’t see these wonderful things, we have to become the light. Not for others, but for ourselves. When we show a small act of kindness, when we smile at a stranger, when we hold open a door, when we treat another person with dignity and respect, we shine a little brighter and our pinpoint of light becomes bigger. That little pinprick of light will reach another person, and their light will shine a bit brighter. They will see the next bright spot and soon we’ll all start to see a light at the end of the tunnel. It only takes one small action.
The collective ‘they’ say that the journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. I say the journey towards the light at the end of the tunnel starts with one act of kindness. Send a friend a message saying you were thinking about them. Glance away from your doom-scrolling and smile at a stranger as you pass them. Hold the door open for a new arrival. Thank someone who has assisted you with something. Pet a puppy. Stop and take in your surroundings, breathe deep and enjoy the moment of peace you’re having. All it takes is for your light to shine a little brighter. Your light brightens the world around you and suddenly the world doesn’t seem so dark.
I had a former co-worker who would say, ‘don’t let the world dim your sunshine.’ I’m saying the same to each of you, because we have a choice to make. Do we wallow in our doom and gloom, or do we search out the light at the end of the tunnel by trying to become a bright spot to guide others? One act. One smile. One moment. In a world where so much is out of our control, our actions are what we can control, and this is what we have to do to wash out the darkness. One pinpoint of light at a time.
As always, choose kindness. Choose to be the light.