After months of waiting the latest Bond movie has finally landed. Quantum of Solace. I’m yet to see the film because I can’t find enough blokes to go with. Strangely enough all their wives want to go with them. I think we can be assured it’s no chick flick, so I can only surmise that the staggering interest from the female camp has something to do with Daniel Craig’s abs.
After the events in Mumbai over the last 24 hours I have been aware of the darkness that surrounds many people around the world at times like this. Fear of terrorism is no longer a distant problem, it affects everyone. Connect violence with ongoing financial worries and increasing poverty and I wonder if a Quantum of Solace is what multi-millions of people would love to have - a small amount of peace on an otherwise darkening landscape.
Metaphors like darkness and light are used in nearly all cultures to describe human experiences. We use the terms morally and psychologically. We might refer to a person as having a “dark disposition”, they never smile, never see the good and always manage to lower the mood of any environment.
Light on the other hand has a very different feel. Light reveals things and is the basis of colour. Artists known more about the nature and behaviour of light than just about anybody. Certainly a physicist might inform us about the properties of light, but an artist knows what light does to the human mind. An artist can move people with light in ways so subtle that we are unaware we are being moved or captivated.
Darkness is the absence of light. Darkness is a kind of nothingness. You can’t manipulate darkness. You can’t play with it’s properties - there aren’t any - and that’s a wonderful thought. Here’s why...
To explore or engage with the dark realities of life we need light. To create “mood” at home is not to make a room dark but rather manipulate the light. It’s light that makes the difference.
Therefore, if we can describe the effect of a dark mindset on society, how would we describe a light mindset and what effect would it have? It’s worth thinking about for yourself.
Chris Trotter in Fridays Dominion Post wrote, “...people are always more easily tricked into hate than persuaded into love”. Best words in the paper! Any physicist will tell you that darkness absorbs light. Psychologically and spiritually it explains why depressed people can easily suck the life from others. So too can trying times. We need a source of life that lets us live well in all circumstances.
The Apostle John wrote that the true light (Jesus) was coming into the world at Christmas. And this true light was the real life that we all search for. Even better, no amount of darkness can overcome it.
As we head toward Christmas, think about the light in your life - is it enough to overcome the darkness around you? Remember, there’s a ready supply in message of Christ.
Digby Wilkinson © 2008