Lighting a Lamp Here and Now
Hello, everyone. Many of us surely wish for peace in the world. Yet, the events taking place around the world can feel so overwhelming that it is easy to believe there is nothing we can do as individuals to make a difference.
I usually commute to work on a small motorbike. One day, while I was stopped at a red light, I noticed a man in a wheelchair struggling to get over a curb onto the sidewalk. Just then, a college student walked up and naturally began pushing the wheelchair.
As people around them watched, the man safely reached the sidewalk and a sense of warmth filled the air.
The student probably did not act with the intention of bringing about world peace; she simply reached out to help someone who was struggling right in front of her. Yet, that small act helped not just one person but everyone who witnessed it by bringing a light to their hearts. I believe this is exactly what the words from Masahiro Yasuoka in the President’s Message for this month, “Rather than complaining about the darkness, light a lamp,” are pointing us toward.
Following the major earthquake that struck Kumamoto Prefecture in July, many people have been asking themselves, “What can I do?” and continuing to offer support in whatever way they can. If we look closely at our own surroundings, we also find people who need support and compassion.
A simple “thank you” at home, a warm “thank you for your hard work” in the workplace, a smile to a stranger, or attentive listening until someone has finished speaking may each be only a small light. Yet these small lights connect from person to person, eventually becoming a light that illuminates our families, our communities, and even the world.
Perhaps the first step toward world peace does not begin somewhere far away, but right here and now by each of us lighting a lamp that we can offer.