Dark, Cold, Scary

“They want us to be afraid. 

They want us to be afraid of leaving our homes. 

They want us to barricade our doors 

and hide our children. 

Their aim is to make us fear life itself! 

They want us to hate. 

They want us to hate 'the other'. 

They want us to practice aggression 

and perfect antagonism. 

Their aim is to divide us all! 

They want us to be inhuman. 

They want us to throw out our kindness. 

They want us to bury our love 

and burn our hope. 

Their aim is to take all our light! "

― Kamand Kojouri

This time of year is a good metaphor for the times in which we live - dark, cold, and scary.

Imagine watching the sun leaving in late fall and not being sure if it would ever come back. Yikes!

But, the sun always returns. Always. We can be sure of that.

And as the sun always returns, the human family always comes together to banish our dark times.

This time of year we celebrate a "general call to happiness, the bustle of spirits, and stir of the affections".

What bosom can remain insensible?

It doesn't matter how dark, how cold, or how scary it gets. Together we will prevail. We always do. That is the memory that keeps us going till spring and beyond.

While the sun returns no matter what we do, banishing humanities dark side will require some serious elbow grease.

We are up to it. 

Roll up those sleeves. Every little thing we do, every decision we make is precious and matters.

Each of us can be a candle in the darkness that threatens to take over.

Each of us can be the light than banishes that dark shadow, the cold, and the fear.