From the Editor's Computer
December 21st - the first official day of
winter, the Winter Solstice, the shortest, and therefore darkest, day of
the year.
The ancients knew that it is impossible to fight
or retaliate against the darkness.
The darkness always wins when you try to attack it.
The only way to remove the darkness
is to dispel it by adding light.
Even the tiniest spark or ember of light
will defeat the darkness.
Our world today seems filled with so much
darkness, despite it being a festive time of year.
Whether it is the darkness of the night (as
the days shorten) or the darkness of human actions (recent mass shooting in Connecticut), the only way to deal
with the darkness is to add more light.
The darkness of night is powerless against
even a small candle. And the darkness of
human action becomes powerless against the light of love, compassion, and
kindness.
And what does the light of love, compassion,
and kindness look like? A smile...a
hug...holding someone’s hand...saying hello to someone on the street...holding
the door for someone...letting someone go in line ahead of you...donating to a
local organization which benefits local youth...the list goes on and on and on.
Don’t be discouraged if you don’t see
immediate evidence of the darkness receding.
While one small candle causes the darkness to recede, it doesn’t remove
it totally. More light is necessary.
Just as one tiny spark or ember can start a
roaring fire, so too can one kind action by each individual start a wave of
kindness that spreads far beyond what we can imagine.
Beth
Read the complete issue of The Chautauqua here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kUReTEKIW241H024tt1c45TfEMOTDi9I/view?usp=sharing
To contact The Chautauqua, email: thechautauqua@gmail.com.
