As traditional Bible translations tell me “I am the light of the world.”
Well, maybe not.
For me Light is not of this world. When I speak of the world I am not referring to the earth or to natural phenomena. To me the world refers to the thought-perceptual systems that govern the individual and collective peoples that inhabit the earth realm. The earth is run by natural order. The world is run by largely illusory and ever-changing rules. These rules are often set by the privileged and result in minimizing the masses. They are fueled by private agenda and molded by greed and a desire for control. This isn’t exclusively true but there is a prevalence that you don’t need to look too closely to find.
These thought systems of the world are in great need of Light. They are in need of radical renewal and relentless revision. Justice must by shined upon these perceptual artifacts, enough Light that these systems begin to literally melt. The Light that is needed is clearly not of the same system that generated the problem. It is a Light that is sorely needed by the world but is not of the world. I take that personally.
So I am here dwelling upon this glorious earth and I am privy to the thought systems of the world. Sadly, much of the world thinking will destroy the earth realm and its inhabitants if it is not transformed. My relationship as a Being of Light, here loving the earth and its sentient creations, is what is at the core of that well known scriptural admonition. It is for me to look upon the perceptual systems that comprise this world in such a way that I can see through them and invoke something higher, broader, wiser, and truer. As I see with an open heart, a spacious mind, and soft eyes I see with a Vision that transforms the systems that are beneath what is essentially true of a connected humanity.
I am here to be a Visionary. I am here to Be the Light WITHIN this world. I am here to remain awake and stable and ready to shine.
This is not easy. The strategies of the world systems are becoming more virulent and unequal. The greed is a cancer that must be exposed. The marginalization and minimization of huge swaths of people is pervasive. The domination of the few is holding the masses hostage.
And I am called to be the Light. To look courageously and unflinchingly at what is happening and maintain my Spirit-center. I must hold to my mission and to my purpose.
I am not the light of the world. I am the Light within this world, and so I choose to shine.
