Tag Archives: Darkness

Embracing Darkness

In shadows deep, where light retreats, A realm of darkness lies and greets, Its vast expanse, a mystery, The opposite of light’s decree.

Within us all, it takes a place, A part of life’s enduring grace, For knowing darkness, we can stride, Through darkest nights, unafraid, we guide.

Embrace the void, the depths within, For facing darkness is to win, The veil removed, the truth revealed, In darkest corners, light’s concealed.

From night to day, the cycle’s dance, The sun, and moon, in cosmic trance, For birth to death, a seamless flow, In darkness’ womb, life’s seeds do grow.

Ignorance yields to wisdom’s might, As knowledge pierces through the night, In shadows lurk both good and bad, The interplay of all we’ve had.

From love to fear, the spectrum is broad, In darkness’ grasp, emotions hide, But fear not, for the light’s embrace, Shall guide you to a sacred space.

So face the darkness that you bear, And let it teach you how to care, For knowing darkness brings forth sight, A beacon shining through the night.

In unity, the opposites bind, Embracing both, the soul will find, That darkness holds the seeds of light, In harmony, they dance in flight.

So let us learn to stand and see, The hidden truth, so wild and free, For in the darkness, lies the key, To finding light’s eternity.

Our Shadow Selves

education from dark to lightHow often do you look at yourself in the mirror? Not just how your hair looks, or to shave or do some other grooming habit, but look yourself in the eye and see who is looking back. This is a daunting thing to do because you may see something you didn’t expect, darkness. Each person born into existence has been taken with two choices, dark or light. You may argue against this simplistic idea, but look at yourself honestly, and you will see it reflected in you, the potential for both darkness and light. What ultimately wins in your life is totally up to you and the choices you pursue.

Equal Parts Exist In You

All people contain the ability to love deeply, show compassion, help their mlkfellow man, and give entirely to virtual strangers. There is also the capacity to be petty, mean-spirited, selfish, and discriminatory without too much coaxing. I watch this each day in the faces of others and some days in my reflection.

This dichotomy exists in all of us; at some point, the dark side has shown its face. Looking at yourself, you have seen and felt this before if you are honest. We are doomed to spend our lives with these two elements fighting for our attention, thoughts, emotions, and behavior dictating. If you fail to see this is true, you will be subject to some rude awakening. They will often be brought on by people who are choosing the darkness, and these experiences will hurt you and change your life path. Sometimes we need the hard slap of coldness to move us in a direction we need to go. Even though darkness exists, golden rules all and, in the end, destroy the dark.

Favorite Dark Side Activities

Separation is the place where one’s dark side can take control of their behaviors. Any time you put yourself on one side and somebody else on the other, you are in danger of dark side activity.

This is because when you label someone like them, or different from you,  or not like you, subconsciously, you permit yourself to discriminate, take advantage, and even commit violence against another human being. Notice this in society as people are labeled immigrants, Muslims, terrorists, illegals, or any other category. This happens to justify behavior, attitude, or action.

This is the real power that many government officials and the national media use to justify many policies that can’t be classified as any other thing but dark. Separation leads to the justification of dislike and even hatred and can also influence the seemingly most beautiful people to accept others’ poor actions.

Separation of race, religion, economics, sexual orientation, or region of the world one comes from is nothing but a pretext for discrimination. All you have to do is look around you and see separations. Recently economic divides have been convenient dividers.

Justifying cutting benefits to people with few resources. The dark side explains this quickly, “They should get a job.” “Why are we paying for them to sit around all day and do nothing.” We are all in this together, but we forget this very quickly.

As a rule, when you talk about people like us, those, or we, you are probably separating and ready to perpetrate or accept others’ poor treatment. Or, at the very least, become taking of the discrimination of others.

Love Is the Answer

Thank Albert, I agree.
Thank you, Albert. I agree.

Of course, the light is love, which is always good and right. The solution to dark side behaviors is the use of love, and the best part is that you have one hundred percent control over how much love you share daily. With every interaction you have and every thought that you entertain.

Every time you see someone, you have the opportunity to treat them with love or indifference and separation. Treating someone with passion does not mean that you have to give away all of your money or do anything complicated; in fact, it is the easiest. Just be present and appreciate that every person is a valuable, beautiful soul with unlimited potential.

This can be directly talking to one person or sharing a friendly smile with another, but it mostly means avoiding separations. If you divide every belief with others, you won’t, and you can’t. It is just impossible.

You can recognize their humanity and accept them for their changes. We are all human beings living on this planet, just trying to do the best we can with the gifts and circumstances that life has given us. That is it.

Doing this and being aware of it will change the lives of the people you come in contact with and your life. You are on the right track when you think thoughts like, “We are all in this together.” “Our existence on this planet is better together.”

Putting everyone into the same category, including yourself, avoids separation and removes the unwritten right people feel to discriminate or hate because someone is just a little bit different.

Embrace Your Light, Understand your Darkness

In All Of Us
In All Of Us

So the next time you look at yourself in the mirror, look deep inside yourself and recognize these two distinct characters. There is equal ability to love and hate; everyone has it, and understanding the darkness in ourselves won’t let it win over your actions but will give you the power to choose the light.

It is important to remember that everyone matters in the trip we call life. From people who love and support you to those you have felt have wronged you in any way, if you neglect to see how your love and acceptance of everyone, you are participating in separation, closing in on hate, and preparing the way for discrimination or violence.

Love is always the answer; if you can embrace this practice, your life will inevitably change for the better.

Everyone is a moon and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody.” Mark Twain

We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.” Plato

Light thinks it travels faster than anything, but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first and is waiting for it.” Terry Pratchett

Look at how a single candle can defy and define the darkness.” Anne Frank

When you light a candle, you also cast a shadow.” Ursula K. Le Guin

I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness because it shows me the stars.” Og Mandino

 

 

My Darkness

relax-and-succeed-i-am-grateful-for-the-darknessThere is the gratitude I feel for the downtimes, the darkness, and the sorrows of life. A thank you. That needs to be said and felt.

Why am I grateful for these things? Well, there is no other choice because these things will exist whether I am thankful for them or not. But when you think about it, difficulties and hardships are a vital part of the journey. They reveal much about ourselves, what we are made of, and force us to grow.

Darkness Shows Light

light up the darknessI heard it explained that without the night, the light of a candle would lose the value and unique power that its light provides. When I look back on less enjoyable times to experience, I can see the opportunity to shine within them. As a human being, the challenges life throws at you are tests that allow you to rise higher than you could without the problem or, unfortunately, a chance to be crushed by the difficulties you face.

The most significant people in history resulted from difficult historical times, and the same can be said about your life. The hard times or darkness allow you the forum to shine and succeed.

Make You More Grateful for Good Things

grateful-for-everythingWhen you have things in life that are not pleasant, it makes you appreciate it when things are going pleasantly. If you have had a time of loneliness, companionship feels all that much better. If you have had tough economic times, the gratitude for bountiful times is all the more significant.

These sensations will not exist in their intensity without the contrast of darkness or hardship and downtimes.

Do Not Fear Difficult Things

tough-times-dont-last-tough-people-doOne of the most challenging things to deal with is a fear of difficulties that may come in life. When you look at your life and think that everything is going well, it used to be a time when I would worry a lot. There was nowhere to go but down. Yet, worry didn’t stop problems, hardship, or poor decisions; it only made my enjoyment of the great things in my life more appreciated.

Do not be afraid that hard times may come your way. You always have the strength to pull them through if you can persevere. Keep moving forward with gratitude, and inevitable change will carry you to a better time.

So today, I am grateful for the hard times and the darkness of life because it allows people to rise and shine their light and become great.   My wish for you is happy days and sunny skies and the courage to handle anything that comes your way.

“All things are as they should be, relax and enjoy them.”

 

There’s A Light

When was the last time you marched into the dark with only the soft glow of an idea you strongly believed in?

light in the darkness jonathan hilton
Are Your Ideas In the Darkness?

There are times in everyone’s life when they feel like they are all by themselves, with only their beliefs to guide them.  These times are opportunities to define your life, what your principles are, and how you will share this with the world. Will you continue to think as you always have? Or will you move in the direction of change and growth? That is a test that life likes to give us from time to time, and we must find the lesson and maintain our humanity and compassion in the process. There is no question difficult times are tough to endure but they bring with them an opportunity.  One way or another these moments will come to define your life, providing you with depth in the way you view life and your place in it.  You will have the chance to become more understanding of the plight of others in the world or you can build bitterness around your own situation.  The decision is truly yours. What light do you bring into the world?  One of illumination or destruction?

The Dark Side

walking into the darkness
Fear-based thought will lead you to the darkness.

When difficult times arrive, you may forget the soft glow of the idea you strongly believe in, you can lose your positive attitude. This experience can cause disillusion, anger, hatred, and, most of all, self-pity. Why is everyone against me? If they were real friends, they would support me no matter what. Poor me! These are natural emotions and thoughts, but that is all that they are.  We are not our thoughts or emotions. In this case, they are all caused by the actions and opinions of others.  The danger is that once you start down the path of self-pity and anger, you are in danger of staying there for a long time, if not forever.

All of these are fear-based emotions and thoughts, which can have no other destination than to make you unhappy, angry, and scared.  There is no way that you can embrace the good in something and grow if you spend all of your time, though, and effort in self-pity and anger. These emotions can become pervasive in all aspects of your life, and relationships end; you will find that you look at everything with a veil of suspicion, and it will become nearly impossible to be truly happy.  This change can be caused by any tragedy in your life, losing a job, character assassinations, the death of a loved one, or any of the significant obstacles of life.  Fortunately, this is not permanent or fatal unless you want it to be.

The Light

When you carry the light of an idea into the darkness, you will always have a choice, for

walking in the light
Thoughts and actions based on love will bring you to light no matter where you are

every adverse reaction above, there is a positive choice available to you.  This choice is the path of growth because these decisions come from love.  Compassion, understanding, kindness, and forgiveness are all examples of this type of reaction.  It is pretty easy to display these characteristics when times are good and everything is going your way, but quite a different story when facing challenges.  You get laid off from your job unexpectedly, how do you react? It would be understandable if you were angry and felt it was unfair and wished terrible things on all of those responsible, but what will that accomplish when you look at it?

You will allow the things that happened to you to define you and all of your actions.  Or you can accept that it happened and look for the positive. This optimism may be the push you needed to finally follow your dream and become a doctor or an engineer or whatever you have always wanted to do.  Difficult times and opportunities often walk hand in hand if you keep your eyes open.  Forgive those that you feel wronged you, accept what has happened, and move forward with courage. I can’t tell you for sure, but open your eyes and embrace the changes, and you may find yourself significantly happier than when you began this journey.

So if you feel like you are marching into the dark with only the soft glow of an idea you strongly believe in, make that idea one that honors you and leads to a more significant light in the world. If it creates love, it will do that. If it starts with fear, it will most likely lead to misery and pain. Look for the light in the situations you face, and even the worst things can ultimately positively impact you and the world.  There is no way to change the past and what has happened. You have one hundred percent control over how you react to them.

Into the light

 

Carpe Diem

At what time in your recent past have you felt most passionate and alive?

Carpe Diem Jonathan Hilton
Today is the day.

I have felt most passionate and alive right now, and there is nothing that could top this moment in time until tomorrow!

Many people will look far into the distant past for this answer or maybe dream of a day in the future that might be more perfect, but to me, right here and right now is the place where I feel most passionate and alive.

Get More Passionate Right Now

There is really no other way to be, is there? If you are not passionate and alive today, then it is time to make some changes and get more passionate about the life you are living.  As I am right now looking out the window and seeing the bright light of the early morning start to defeat the darkness of the night, I can only think about the

need a change jonathan hilton
Sometimes we all do!

possibilities that today contains in it.

I can’t wait to find out what is coming.  Is it good? Is it bad? We will see, but the experience of today has never happened before, ever!

It is amazing how many people can just let an opportunity to enjoy life slip past them and treat today like a carbon copy of Tuesday of last week when there is absolutely no such thing.

Enjoying the difference is what allows your life to grow and change in big ways.

Someday never Comes

I think it is a huge mistake to think that it is OK to suffer and be a little unhappy today because tomorrow will be better and bring me what I want, need, or desire.

Tomorrow may never come, and once you start making excuses about chasing your passion, you may do it for the rest of your life, living for the hope that tomorrow you will have the courage to change.

I know that there is no better opportunity than today.  What makes you feel alive is the belief and ability to live your life with the hope that you will achieve your goal and take one small action step that will lead to you finding it.

Choose to Live With Passion

Feeling alive should be a part of every morning because if you aren’t feeling this way or

feeling passionate and alive jonathan hilton
Be like Nike

you find life too much of a drag, and it saps you of the positive feelings life gives you.

If you don’t like how you feel about things, then it is time to stop doing them. Choose to do something else that feels better to you.

This sounds really simplistic, but honestly, ask yourself how often you have chosen to be unhappy, chosen to be dissatisfied, chosen to be afraid, chosen to go with the flow.

Find your passion and choose to follow it, and each day will allow you to feel the most passionate and alive than you have felt in your life.

I know for sure that I have this moment in life to make the best of that I can, whatever that may involve, and that is all I can really be concerned with, yesterday is gone, and I can’t get it back tomorrow may never come.

See a Little Light