Light Vision

It's so easy to see bad -
both around us in the world, and inside ourselves.
Hate, envy, greed, lust.
Antisemitism, bigotry, cruelty.


And then there is a ray of light.
Something that makes one believe that goodness truly outshines bad in the world. Like a small candle which lights up a large, dark room.

Sometimes it's something sweet you see in the world that lights up your soul. And sometimes it's your lit soul which in turn lights up the seemingly dark world around you.
But how are we to conjure up this light? To uncover the good, sweet side of ourselves & in those around us?

We have to search for it with purpose, knowing that it's there. Knowing that our souls - who we really are deep down - is true goodness. And knowing that when we reveal that good, its light overpowers darkness 1,000 fold.
True, this doesn't mean we mustn't recognize evil in the world, and ignore it. We must call a spade a spade. Cruelty & bad must be denounced, both around us and within our personalities. Suicide bombers shouldn't be painted as freedom fighters.
But too often we focus on our friend's bad, and our internal bad. That's too easy. More often what we really need to do, is focus on the good within ourselves and others, and highlight it. This encourages ourselves & others to become better & grow positively.

To end with a relevant, nice story I read this week:
A very pious man (living near the times of Rabbi Akiva), was walking with his students. They passed by a dead dog which gave forth a foul odor. The disciples said, "How dreadful does this carcass smell."
But the pious teacher replied, "How white are its teeth."
(Duties of the Heart, vol. II, P. 99)
Such is the lesson of focusing on good. If so by a dead dog, how much more so by a living, thinking, feeling person!

Let's try to see through the evil we see in the world, and take solace and inspiration by the good found therein -
within ourselves & others. And inspired by the inherent good you possess, kindle the darkness of the world with your personal candle.
"The candle of G-d, is the soul of man." (Proverbs 20:27)

Shabbat Shalom!

-Daniel