The darkness of school shootings and their aftermath has been front and center in the news this month, testing our very resolve to build a better world. As the light dawns this morning, I am thinking of the latest horrific event and other instances of light and darkness in our world… and what we can learn from these things.
I turn away from the news and look for signs of light… and, thankfully, I find it. It is evident in the photos of a beautiful baby born into the family of a friend — photos showing the vibrancy of a new life and the joy and love that surrounds her. And signs of light are evident in other places, too — like the kind words spoken to comfort a mother or father who grieves deeply from the loss of a child. Light and darkness seems to alternate in our lives. In one moment, we are laughing. In the next, we are sobbing in sadness. I want to keep looking for more signs of light, more moments that lift our soul’s burden even slightly. These are the moments that will get us through the madness of the world we see today. I am sure of it. And yet, that light is so elusive, especially in times of grief.
Today I was reading about light and darkness in a passage from the Baha’i writings:
For the inner reality of man is a demarcation line between the shadow and the light, a place where the two seas meet; it is the lowest point on the arc of descent, and therefore is it capable of gaining all the grades above. (Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha)
Aside from this quote, I don’t have any great insights to share today. But I do have a moment of thankfulness to voice. Thankful that I have gotten this far with some measure of sanity and health and comfort. Thankful that my family has gotten this far with some measure of the same. And today I am reminded of the simple mantra we often used to tell our young daughter when speaking of life, the universe, and the promise of a greater life beyond this one … “Look for the light. Look for the light.”