Challenge the Darkness

A Small Reflection for Today

Before he was abducted and murdered, Jaswant Singh Khalra shared a Punjabi folktale. I’ve turned to it time and time again in my life, when hope feels lost and darkness seems all-consuming.

I’m thinking about this story once again today and wanted to share it with you.

“There is an old tale about when the sun was first setting. As her distance narrowed to the horizon, the light on earth slowly diminished. This made way for darkness to creep over the land. The people were afraid that when the sun would finally set, darkness would be permanent. ‘What will happen to us?’ they said. 

“Far, far, across the land, in a small hut, a little lantern lifted its wick; it said ‘I challenge the darkness. In my small corner I will not let the darkness settle itself around me.’ With this example many other little lanterns in other small huts lifted their wicks to the darkness. And the people watched in amazement as so many little lanterns illuminated the earth, preventing the mask of darkness from taking over.” 

The lantern in Khalra’s parable did not seek to end darkness entirely. It was humble enough to recognize that this was not a reasonable objective, and instead, it focused on its own small corner. By doing its part, the lantern’s flicker of light inspired those around it to do the same. It modeled a way forward that could be emulated, collectivized, and scaled. As other lanterns followed, it became apparent that the little lantern’s humble action effected meaningful change. 

It’s a powerful story about hope and agency and goodness. It’s also a story about you and me. And it raises a pair of questions:

How might we each shine our light? What can we each do challenge the darkness?