“In the light, you will find the road…”
February 19th, 2010 by sarah
Cormac gives us this quote this week:
“Sometimes it’s better to light a flamethrower than curse the darkness” Terry Pratchet
I’m not taking the quote literally - of course- because we all know that if I had a flamethrower, then dark or not, I’d be finding every possible reason to employ it’s use. I like fire. I like raw primal explosions of energy. I like s’mores- and a flamethrower could do beautiful things to a marshmallow Peep. So we’ll get that out of the way by saying “if it’s a real flamethrower, it is always better to use the flamethrower” and get on to the philosophicalness.This is a topic that I could say a great deal about (more than I should, really) because it is reminding me of a situation going on in my world that… well, it applies. It applies, but it isn’t my story to tell or even to hint at, though, so instead I’m going to try very hard to phrase myself in broad generalizations. So- bear with me if it feels clunky. This isn’t going to come out exactly like I’d like it to, but I’m trying.
The awareness that “Holyshit, ya’ll, this ain’t right” is a tough thing to deal with yourself… and it’s harder to watch when somebody else, somebody you care about, is in a void of enlightenment, just realizing that something about their life or situation needs attention. That’s just heartbreaking, but it’s an important part of the process of fixing. The realization requires shock time and adjustment time and then reaction time- and in my world, it’s one of those adjustments that does require time, if you can give it. Time gives perspective.
Perhaps you’re in the dark and you know it, because you’ve been there for awhile. There’s an answer you’re looking for that can fix you. It might be something you have within yourself, or it might be something that somebody else holds, but there’s not much more frustrating than knowing that some piece, if only you could find it, could get you out of the proverbial darkness and on with ‘it’- whatever it is. That’s usually, for me, anyway, the point at which I’m willing to think outside of my comfortable confines of what I hold to be true in order to accept whatever it is I’m going to find- or somebody else is going to give me. You find the answer- or even a hint as to what the answer might be, and you’re more open to it, more accepting of it, possibly willing to adjust your perceptions to take it. You are ready for the illumination because it is time to receive it… but I think that timing is quite important here. When you’re not even aware that you’re missing something, it’s really hard to bend your will towards being receptive.
I think my train of thought here is indicating that ultimately, Pratchet is right- sometimes the flamethrower is the way to go, but you’ve got to be ready to receive what it brings before you can really benefit from it. Otherwise you’ve just got blinding light and more confusion than you started with, and it’s scary and counterproductive and shocking.