"Hello darkness my old friend.
I've come to talk with you again."
Paul Simon
wrote this song as a teenager in the bathroom with the door closed and the light off. It is something my kids do when they get upset or are just frustrated with things. They hide in the dark. Sometimes they put a blanket over their head or like Paul Simon they go in the bathroom and turn the light off. I tried it too and even brought my guitar. The silence has a music of its own that I feel sorry to break. The darkness enhances our ears ability to listen to sounds and helps us to become aware of the true surroundings. There are no visual distractions. There is no media, just me and my guitar.
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Allegory of the Cave
Darkness does have it's place but I can't stay there too long. Just long enough to appreciate the light around me. Although darkness makes my senses aware and helps me to realize who I am I can not stay in darkness. We all know the allegory of the cave in book five of the Republic. Those who lived in darkness could only see the shadows of things that passed by. They could not see the actual being itself. Finally when they were loosened from their chains and brought to the light it was too late. They did not recognize the light to be good at all. Their eyes were so used to the darkness that when they sensed light they could only sense pain. They were so angry at the men who "set them free" that they killed the men who brought them to the light. This was the life of the martyr of the philosophers and truth seekers of history. There are some well known martyrs and some unknown by the world. They each gave their lives for the truth. They shined a light that the world was not ready to understand.
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Tales from the Crypt
Just one year ago when I first thought about this I was much more naive. I thought the darkness was the general population’s ignorance of crypto but today I see there is a greater darkness. Who cares if you can open a wallet or mine a coin? Who cares if you can follow trends and sell high and buy low? Who cares if you have the greatest plan to put the blockchain into use when it is just copied and bullied out of existence? Who cares if a coin is called decentralized when only a small group of people control a large portion of the crypto?
If the blockchain technology is to be used in the light we are going to need a lot more than idealism or other isms. We need innovation and trust. We need to first look at ourselves and ask, “Why am I still here?” Is it because I thought I would be rich or is there something more? The light shines in who we really are standing there. The light penetrate and exposes the inner thoughts, motives of the heart and purifies the mind leaving behind what is good.
Sounds of Silence Lead to Light
Yes Virginia there is a Santa Claus.
People believe the cutest things and I can see why remaining in darkness is a good place to hide and reflect and listen but step by step we have to help them get out of the darkness. The sounds of silence are brilliant only when they lead us to the light.
One small step for man.
Come into the light.
Love,
Can't we all get along?