Everyday ethics: Lean into the light
The wisest advice I can offer about how best to live — lean into the light.
What does this mean? I’ll try to be as clear as I can about this somewhat cryptic guidance.
Light and darkness are the twin, universal symbols of many world traditions. They are not necessarily opposites but complementary — held in tension, like the Taoist yin/yang symbol, each feeding off the other.
In the scientific world light is seen aselectromagnetic radiation visible to the human eye, traveling at nearly 200,000 miles per second.
Conversely, the ultimate scientific images of darkness are black holes where there is no light. These black holes comprise most of the known universe.
In creation myths the original force is light, not the so-called big bang. “Let there be light” is the first command, not “let there be noise.”
We are, therefore, creatures of the light, spun from the initial energy and carried through time and space by forces we don’t completely understand.
If light is the symbol of creativity and potential good, then leaning into it might be the best as opposed to leaning into the destructive energy of darkness. And if each one of us still retains some of that original force, then reaching deep within we can rediscover our ancient connection.
It doesn’t take an expert to understand what light and darkness are in ethical ways. Light implies such terms as compassion, empathy, fairness, love. Darkness implies lack of empathy or compassion, injustice, hate.
By leaning into the light, we learn that ethically speaking love yields a better world than hate, even though sometimes the forces of darkness seem to be winning. In the long run evil feeds off itself and is consumed by its own self-destructive energy.Whenever I get discouraged when the forces of darkness seem in control, when lies rule and truth seems broken, I return to the lyrics and music of Leonard Cohen’s “Anthem” for hope:
“Ring the bells that still can ring. Forget your perfect offering. There’s a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.”
John C. Morgan is a writer and teacher whose columns appear weekly at readingeagle.com
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