Being the Light
I read a quote the other day, which went something like this: “I decided to stop looking for the light and to become the light instead.”
The Idea
I thought about the quote and asked myself: “What does that mean to me?” To me it meant I should become the change I seek. We sometimes find ourselves looking at a problem and wondering when someone else will fix it. Perhaps instead waiting for “help” to arrive we should become the “help”.
The Application of an Idea to Life.
I was travelling yesterday and I noticed the line getting off the plane was moving very slow. So I looked ahead to see if I could see what was the problem. I saw that there was an elderly woman struggling with her bag walking up the ramp. I think everyone was expecting someone from the airline to show up and help the lady with her bag. But I don’t think any personnel saw her. We were waiting for help, but it wasn’t coming.
I looked at her and thought to myself that she was someones grandmother. Then it dawned on me that she could be my grandmother. So, I slowly moving through the crowd past people saying repeatedly “excuse me I need to help the grandmother”. People looked at me quizzically but they quickly yielded. As I made my way through the line and got beside her. I wasn’t sure what to say, so I simply said “Hello” and “How are you” to which she mumbled a short reply. And then not knowing what to say I said; You know in life sometimes even a strong man needs a little help with his burdens. Do you need any help with yours? She frowned and shook her head, but at the same time she pointed to one of the side handles and said “I can carry this, but if you want to help you can hold that handle”. Once I grabbed the handle she smiled and we made our way up the ramp. I smiled and felt like I won the lottery.
Reflection
My parents use to say that a car moves forward because energy and effort are applied where the rubber of the tire meets the road. In life as in physics, we solve problems by applying energy and effort where the rubber meets the road.
