Have you ever noticed how light and dark are used to denote good and evil? Or positive and negative? Here are some common phrases.
He “saw the light.” (He understood.) “Light at the end of the tunnel.” (Hope that the end of a problem or difficult situation is near.) “Shed light on.” (Help to explain.) She “lit up the room with her presence.” (made the atmosphere or others happy.) Her face “lit up when she saw him.” (She was happy.) Or, “he’s brilliant!” (He’s super-smart!)
On the other hand, there’s “she’s in the dark” (she doesn’t know), ” Prince of darkness” (the devil, evil). Or “his mood was dark” (he was gloomy, hopeless, depressed), “he had a dark look on his face” (sinister, angry look).
Maybe you can think of other examples. Light reveals, brings hope, understanding, and literally and figuratively brightens our days. Dark hides, depresses, frightens and conceals. In fact, there’s a condition called Seasonal Affective Disorder, which is severe depression caused by lack of sunshine.
Just for fun, go to a Bible reference such as http://biblegateway.com, and do a word search on “dark” and “light.” It’s really interesting to see how many times these words are used and how they’re used.
Until later, here’s wishing you a brilliant day!
I often think about the relationship to light and dark in the winter here in AK. With the hours upon hours of darkness, it does get depressing. But in the summer, we have hours upon hours of light. How much more do I appreciate the sunlight when I’ve spent those days in darkness? If I never knew darkness, could I appreciate the light? Not nearly as much! In Texas, I took daylight for granted. In AK, it’s a precious gift–at least in the winter.
Sarah, that’s a good point. Do we really appreciate the light unless we’ve been in the dark for a while? My friend in Seattle has been yearning for sunlight this year, whereas down here in sunny Florida, sometimes a cloudy day can be a respite from the heat. Whenever I have dark days, whether literally or figuratively, I still look forward to seeing the light!
I remember how significant light and darkness became to me during a semester in England, when in winter it was dark from 4:30 pm on. How much more it must be so in Alaska! I didn’t realize until then how spoiled I was by California sunshine, but the motto of Oxford became very significant to me: “The Lord is my light,” from Psalm 27. So, with Him, we have light even in the darkness. Thanks for sharing, Marilyn and Sarah! You made me think. 🙂