Friday, August 27, 2010

Can the light at the end of the tunnel go two ways?

Feeling the urge to write and sitting without a prescribed topic could be agony. Or so I concluded on this mid-spring evening while sitting at my mom's work. When out of the blue it suddenly hit me that the light at the end of the tunnel might go two ways, and i was struck down with the dilemma of whether there is a possibility for the light to be on the wrong side of the tunnel or not...


'There is always a light at the end of the tunnel...' what a phrase! it is commonly used all over and used to console, inspire, motivate or even just to state the obvious facts.

Funny that with the teachers strike and all the upheaval in the country people seem to find confidence and reassurance in that exact phrase, a few simple words and we feel that everything is going to be just fine, and we feel at peace, confident and happy. We feel that we can relax!

This made me wonder about a lot of things, the power of words, for instance let's look at some of the words in the phrase: ‘There is always a light at the end of the tunnel...' The phrase plays wonderfully with the concepts of the two contrast of dark and light.

Where light always represent Hope, Peace, Purity, Relieve, Joy, Happiness and everything that is good. It represents God or the Presence of God. It is the absence of all that is bad or evil. Where darkness on the other hand is the exact opposite, it gets to be associated with fear, stress, coldness, loneliness and with the everlasting enemy of all God fearing people, satan.



But is that quit true in our lives today, in the 21st century does that phrase still applies to humanity. This brings me to question the phrase a little, for instance I would like to know what colour is that 'light' at the end of the tunnel, because see in this century different colours of lights have different meanings and therefore it changes the whole purpose of the phrase, okay I'll give you some examples of different lights that could have different meanings. Let’s look at the different colour lights we get in today's day and age...



I'll start with Red, red is the light at shines out of a square vehicle rushing someone to a hospital, a promise of hope, a promise that you might just be saved to live another year or two, or maybe they can't save you and then just before you blow out your last breath your life flashes before your eyes and you remember another time when you saw a red light. That time you visited the 'adult world' with its neon light flickering on and off, on and off, on and off... giving you a false sense of confidence or hope, that someone will in some way be interested in you and become the person to make you whole. But of course you then just came out of there with less self-confidence, guilt and disgust and you are even more broken than you were before...

Blue, blue is a colour associated with coldness and death, blue is a warning colour, when someone become blue in the face you act fast to save or relieve that person, it is the colour for the warning light of our ever present and faithful police force (who are sometimes not on time but hey! they are also only human) A blue light is the sign that help is on the way, but if that light is too constant in one place, people also seem to find a sense of security in it, and in its absence it is a colour that is sorely missed.

Then you get all other kinds of lights, the flickering type that change to all the colours of the rainbow every two or three seconds, yep. The ones that is sure to give the calmer people of this earth a headache, specially baptised by the party lovers as the 'Disco lights’.

Then you get your entertainment lights the greens, purples, yellows, oranges, pinks and all the neon colours. Yes, I guess we can say that in this dark world of ours we do seem to have a colourful display. Which some would describe beautiful and enchanting, while others call it deceiving and false hope. Who can blame them for having a deeper insight? I just hope that with that insight they do have something/ someone else to enlighten their hearts and souls from the dramatic, dreadful, depressing darkness of this world.

Any way there is just some thoughts for you to chew up and enjoy (you may spit it out if it's to thick or much for to swallow.) Now let's get back to the phrase a second, you could understand now that I for one would not really want just any type or colour of light to shine or beacon at the end of my tunnel...

But then some of you would say that it is better to have a light at the end of the tunnel in comparison to the utterly despair that you would feel when there is no light insight what so ever! For what would you focus your eyes, heart and mind upon if there is not a glimmer of hope or a shimmer of light in sight?

Well you know there is always another option, like they say you always have a choice even if you 'choose' not to have a choice it is still a choice you make. Now let's see, if you cannot go ahead then surely you must go back and find another path, road or tunnel, whichever you may choose. You could also choose to sit in the dark and feel sorry for yourself, but I for one would not advice you to do so. Let's see, what if there is a possibility that the light is shining at the wrong end of the tunnel? Now you would all say that 'Surely it can't be so', well that would be your opinion and you are entirely entitled to your own opinion.

Though I would choose to say that it is entirely possible, whether you are one of those who is always looking into the past for answers...'I'm learning from my mistakes'... or you just can't seem to face the future, or you are totally lost and disillusioned, it doesn't matter, you would then have your light at the end of your tunnel on the wrong side of the tunnel as you won't know that the darkness is the actual wrong side of the/your tunnel.



I don't really know what I'm trying to say, but I think maybe it will be safe to say that for me, this 'light at the end of your tunnel' phrase(nonsense) does not work. For me it would help to have a light by my side or in me or in my hand when I'm moving through the tunnel, so that when I am walking along this dark passage way or tunnel, I would not bump a toe or stumble and fall. That way the light will never be at the wrong side of the tunnel and even if it is there is no way that that I could be miserable in darkness, or feel anxious because i can't find my 'light at the end of the tunnel'.



And therefore I for one choose to be on the safe side and let my light shine in the darkness, by choosing to have His Spirit guide me, and be my light in the dark recesses of my life and in the depressing darkness of my life (tunnel).



So with that said I conclude that it is the choice you make that is going to determine whether you see the 'light at the end of your tunnel' or whether you vision will be clouded by false hope and despair.



This I leave now with you...

2 comments:

  1. wow Alma you rock! well done for being such a wonderful writer, you Will have a wonderful future ahead of you in writing. i love you my sis

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