Bearing
Light
“But if
I've learned anything, it is that goodness prevails, not in the
absence of reasons to despair, but in spite of them. If we wait for
clean heroes and clear choices and evidence on our side to act, we
will wait forever...the people who bring light into the world wrench
it from darkness and contend openly with darkness all of their
days...”
Krista
Tippett (Speaking of Faith)
This morning at daybreak
the clouds were lit from beneath. The bright white ones were overlaid
with dark gray. Beautiful sight, the meaning of which is not lost. I
remember the first time I flew in an airplane. I was twenty years
old, newly married and on my way to see my husband graduate from
Officer Candidate School in San Antonio. Once we got to altitude, I
looked down on that solid layer of blindingly white clouds and
thought that I must be very near to God—this must be what the
angels see when they look down from heaven. You can see how naïve I
was, how inexperienced with the ways of the world. After that came
years of war in Vietnam, trucking around from base to base,
separation, divorce, despair and some very dark days. But I did not
forget that light on the clouds or the feeling of closeness to God.
There will always be
darkness in this world; within us individually and collectively. The
very best we can do as human beings is to see it clearly, claim our
part in it with as much honesty as we can muster, and try our best to
shine a light when possible. We will not vanquish the darkness—it
is part of nature—ours and the universe's. We can only be aware of
it, and not in denial that it dwells within us. Recognizing our own
demons, wresting with them, not allowing them to have the final word,
is what gives rise to consciousness. And conscious people carry light
into the world.
In the Spirit,
Jane
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