Love: Light in Darkness

Martin Luther King said:

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness: 

only light can do that. 

Hate cannot drive out hate: 

only love can do that."

Whether we show our love in a card or a kiss, or buying The Big Issue, we are lighting up the world around us.

At times I have felt like I'm slipping into the darkness, other times it's a constant cloud over my head casting shadows over everything I see. I am paranoid, frustrated, irritated, disappointed, cynical...and what good does that do me? I just make my cloud bigger and more concentrated. It bears down on me, blocking out the light. Clouding my judgement. 

At times, I know the sun exists but can't feel it's warmth or see its light. I think everybody else does and in fact they are stealing from me, what should be my portion of the heat and light. Then I realise I am my own sunscreen, hiding myself from the harm I fear but then missing out on the positive attributes of sunshine and light. In protecting myself I am creating barriers. I am trying to block pain but lose all feeling. The barriers I put up against the hurt I am afraid of also shield me from any feelings of safety, calm, satisfaction, joy and love. 

So I chip away at the walls between me and others, and as the darkness fades and the light replaces it, I can see more. I'm coming out of the prison of my own making. It's brighter. I'm lighter. I'm free.

Looking for the Light

If we think the worst of people and treat them that way it can be no surprise when we get the worst from them.  Part of getting the best from people is thinking the best of them and treating them that way. If we stop concentrating on what we hate about people and instead think of what we love about them it will be a brighter world. Maybe not just for us, but for us all.
  
If, as Martin Luther King said, only love and light can drive out hate and darkness. Then we must seek love and light or we just perpetuate the very hate and darkness we are trying to escape from.

So when our minds become overcast with doubt and the darkness of hatred clouds our judgement, we must look beyond that horizon and look for the light of love.