Salute the Light
Photo Credit: Brands & People
“I salute the light within your eyes where the whole Universe dwells. For when you are at that center within you and I am that place within me, we shall be one.” ~ Crazy Horse, Oglala Lakota Sioux
Last spring I wrote a blog about the battle between dark and light forces called Feed the Light. I shared The Native American legend of the two wolves. A grandfather tells his grandson about the war raging within us between two wolves; one who is evil and the other who is good. The grandson asks, “which one will win?” And the grandfather answers, “the one you feed.” The message feels as important as ever, so today I’m revisiting this theme, hoping to provide you, dear reader, with more insights to help you make choices that fuel actions that perpetuate light.
In conversation the other day, the topic of identity came up, and how it is often at the root of disagreements and conflicts between individuals and groups. The position was voiced that when people view their personal or group characteristics as their identity, they are more likely to react with defensiveness or aggression to people who are unlike them. Alternatively, people who don’t identify with their individuality or with a group they view as like themselves are more likely to respond with acceptance and curiosity to differences in others. If I identify as a white heterosexual woman I’m more like to feel threatened by black homosexual men than if I see myself as a human being who happens to have those characteristics. It may seem a trivial difference, but I believe it is significant in how it shapes our ability to live in harmony.
A few days ago I listened to a presenter on YouTube talk about how some people’s identity is achieved through self-serving, hedonistic actions, while others link identity to a greater purpose, achieved through service and sacrifice, toward the advancement of all humankind. In my view, people who are identified with “self” are more likely to engage in ways that cause harm to others. They are often greedy, selfish, manipulative, and exploitive. In contrast, people who see themselves as part of a connected community are usually generous, respectful, kind, and of service to others.
I have found that people who identify with the philosophy that the world is nothing but suffering are apt to become despondent or reactive. They end up making the very thing that led them to despair grow stronger. They produce more suffering in the world. Sometimes they even come to enjoy and seek out opportunities to hurt others, from a misguided belief that making others suffer will somehow alleviate their own pain. It never does, the cycle just continues.
What if our journey here isn’t about changing the world, but how we be in the world? What if how we respond to challenges and unfairness justifies the design of creation, whereby nature necessitates difficulty and hardship? What if it is how we suffer that leads to our salvation? I wonder what kind of world it could be if people embraced ways of being that make our existence not merely tolerable, but “good?” Here are a few ways to be in the world that perpetuate light:
1. Grow your consciousness—stay awake.
2. Find people you admire, heroes of integrity, and follow their example.
3. Guard your mind against dark thoughts. Refuse to allow them to take hold.
4. Have high expectations and believe you have the ability to reach them. Then work hard to achieve who you want to be in the world.
5. Concentrate on your character and less on how you look.
6. Focus on helping others instead of always thinking about yourself.
7. Stop worrying about what everyone else thinks.
8. Never give up hope.
9. Practice random acts of kindness.
10. Stand up against crimes against humanity.
When more human beings take actions that grow light, the world will change. It takes a commitment from as many people as possible to participate, so we outnumber and overcome those who are working to cloak the world in darkness. Will you, dear reader, do your part? Will you do your best to lift up others? To spread hope, encourage others, and salute the light?
COMING UP…
Books & Projects:
· In December 2025 I signed a contract with Austin Macauley Publishers for my manuscript, The Trials of Alex Anderson, a character-driven novel that explores the relationship between mental illness and trauma. I am now on the road to publication, with an expected release date near the end of 2026. In February I worked with designers on the cover and its near completion. Last week I received the proofread manuscript for my review. Things are happening! I’ll be posting more updates here on my blog and on social media, so stay tuned for more exciting new developments.
· The Rogue Scorpion is available online at Amazon, Chapters-Indigo, and Barnes & Noble. You can also find it at select Chapters-Indigo and El Hombre de la Mancha bookstores.
Reviews & Interviews:
· You can read, listen, or watch a large selection of reviews and interviews on my website.
Events:
· There are no events currently scheduled in my calendar.
YouTube Channel:
Watch The Rogue Scorpion trailer