Monday 10 November 2008

Philosophical thought on Light vs Dark

The all encompassing light chases away the shrouding darkness.
That’s a common conception among people. They believe it with all their souls and allow it to coil its comforting arms around them and banish fears of monsters in the night. It brings them inspiration for poems and art, likening it to love and family and anything they can to make them selves feel better about the twisted truth of their damaged souls. Because everybody has those thoughts, the ones that come in moments of intense anger or pain, the ones that are not be talked about in polite company, the ones that turn people into slaves to the idea that the light always chases away the dark. But darkness is much more than a simple lack of light, it is an entity, a living thing that dwells inside of every living person.
But see even the people who have that darkness inside of them also possess the light. It shines at the surface, hiding the darkness in the depths of the heart for ever. That is why they cannot see the other side.
When someone goes through life without that light, without the comfort of a lie to hide behind and fight off the horrors of your own true nature, they are privileged - or cursed - enough to observe another perspective on the matter. Perhaps the Darkness is not defeated by the light but simply bows in submission to the one enemy it cannot exist without.
Without the ideals of good there can be none of evil and since life to each individual is nothing more than their perceptions of it then the one cannot exist in this life without the other. Without day there is no night. This is something that everyone knows is truth, but one thing no-one can ever know is the true standing between the two defining forces. Throughout history it has been thought that light does or at least should always defeat the darkness.
However, with a perspective unclouded by a shining light and a warm, nurturing soul comes a new belief. The dark is the true noble one as it does not lose to the light, rather it steps aside and allows the light to shine it’s warming glow over people, to sate their primal need for the rays of day, for without the light the darkness has no reason to be.
But it goes beyond that, beyond a simple selfish gesture, it is an everlasting show of envy and worship. For light is everything darkness is lacking. Warmth, comfort, life. Whereas darkness is cold and frightening and death. It is guilty of many things, it uses it’s arms to conceal those who would hurt, damage or corrupt the light to which it so reveres. It strikes fear in the heart of children and adults alike. But one sin it would not commit is to use it’s own existence to damage any form of light. That is why the shadows of the night retreat away from the breaking dawn and why feelings of darkness inside someone, when it is taking over, does not blurt out into the open like the light but rather inspires urges of self-destruction, rather destroying itself than allow it’s involuntary growth to destroy the light. Because when considered logically even it’s sins are a gift of sorts. Because just as the darkness cannot live without the light, nor can the day survive without the night . For without the fear and threats of danger brought on from the darkness there would be no need for the reassuring warmth of the light.
This rare perspective allows the realisation that Darkness is not the villain of the story. Rather the invisible hero that holds the weight of this responsibility on it’s metaphorical shoulders. This is known as a truth to those who share this perspective, for no-one else will ever realise the overwhelming effort taken trying to restrict and withdraw from those around them who bathe in the light of their souls out of fear of damaging or corrupting this quality with the shadows of their own hearts. For the closest the dark will ever get to experiencing light is to view it in the actions and ideals of others, and to feel proud that it is doing it’s part to ensure the continuous existence of this.

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