THESE ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD

 

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Who is the Light of the World? If we don't take this to mean God or Jesus, to whom does this attribution refer?

 

We know what is happening in the world these days at the beginning of the 21st Century. Apart from terrible "natural" disasters, and idiotic man-made disasters, there are wars all over the place and injustice is the rule everywhere - from the little house on the prairie to the capitals of power in every land.

 

There doesn't seem to be a lot of light around. Every day and every night, I read the heart-breaking stories of survivors of crime and abuse. I never realized how common murder is. In my naivete, I thought it was something largely of fiction, and the exception in the so-called "normal" world.

 

But I am learning that murder is as common as baseball in the western societies often referred to as the lands of the free. And rape and robbery and hitting and pinching, and lying -  Oh! Yes ! Lying. That is the most common commodity on earth. Everyone lies. None of the other crimes could succeed if it weren't for the ever-present dirty lie. It is the drop of poison that all too often determines the outcome of conflict. If only the truth were told and believed. What a different world this would be.

 

In a time of universal deceit, truth becomes a revolutionary act.

George Orwell.

 

But, back to the point - Who is "The Light of the World? It is not the church. We all know it is not the church. Nor is it any other religion or cult or guru or politician. It is certainly not any movie star glowing in her false eyelashes and little else to cover the form she was born with. It is not the United Nations whose bias has tainted its reputation. Where do we look for the Light of the World?

 

There is light. It is faint. It flickers. It dims. At times, it sinks below the horizon and we are left in darkness and despair. But I believe there is light, because I have seen it.

 

I have seen its glow when my friend Aliyah trekked for miles through heavy snow carrying heavy bags full of home-made food to my door when I was sick. I have seen it when my minister, David, sat up past midnight talking with me - listening to me, encouraging me - when I was going through life threatening crisis.

 

I see that light when my friends, Melissa and Shirley, phone just to see how I am feeling, and when Joodi, who is not well herself, brings me something I need from the store and mails my telephone bill so it won't be overdue and cause me to be cut me off from the world. I see the light when Pat welcomes Alana into her home after that kitchen fire. I see the light when Anne and Georgia let me know that I can call upon them if I need help. They lighten my burden and they do so with love.

 

I saw the brightest flash of God's light when my oncologist received me without an appointment last April - and saved my life.

 

I see God's Light every time my friends Carolyn and Alan come to my rescue when I get into one kind of trouble or another - never doubting me, never asking for anything in return, even coming out of bed after midnight to rescue me when my enemies had me arrested in order to try to intimidate, discredit and silence me. A drippy faucet. Child's play. They are here with a wrench. The Light of the World. I would not be alive without them.

 

The Light of the World. When no one wants to know you, look for who is near with a comforting pat, a hug, a pot of hot soup.

 

The Light of the World. When your enemies send hate mail and write bizarre and threatening messages on your blog, call Leslie, and he will accompany you to the police station to file your complaint - because the Montreal Police would not accept your complaint when you went to the station, a woman alone. Leslie is a really tall and handsome light, and the constable was overwhelmed and shamed by his glow.

 

When I was a young girl, I wanted to have a party. I had heard that young people had parties and they were fun. I wanted to have cake and ice cream and balloons, like I had seen in the movies - and nice music - and I wanted to wear a pretty dress, preferably pink. I wanted to invite friends

 

My mother taught me something important then. The kinds of people who come for parties are "cake eaters". Friends come when you have no cake. They are the Light of the World.

 

There are people who are the true Light of the World. They are often quiet but they are not timid. They are not the whiners and petty complainers who say, "What's the use? We can never win anyway, so why bother? " Those people are not the light. They are another sad burden responsible people have to carry.

 

The Light of the World are those who know things are really tough. They know how hard it is to gain a step against the storm of injustice. They know that we will be hurt again and again and that, even those we think of as friends will turn against us, ignore us, tire of us. But they know that we have to do what is right anyway.

 

The Light of the World emanates from those who will do what is right - not for rewards in heaven or on earth - but just because it is right. And even though it seems all is darkness, those who are the  true Light, see the light and will not be deterred from bringing the light into the darkness.

 

Phyllis Carter
August 15, 2010

 

You must be the change you wish to see in the world - Mohandas Mahatma Gandhi

 

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world;

The unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself.

Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.

 

George Bernard Shaw