The Speed of Dark

In his play “Tiny Alice,” Edward Albee has a character ask, “Where was Moses when the lights went out?” The reply: “In the dark.”

It is known that the speed of light is 186,000 miles per second.

It is only recently, however, that physicists posed the question: “What is the speed of dark?”

The answer: “The speed of dark is zero.”

So here is how this works for us working stiffs.

The world around us, and the world inside us, is a dark place until light arrives.

We are ignorant until we aren’t. And we are the major player in that decision.

If we have the courage to allow light to come into our life, we move toward the light.

If we are willing to do the work to bring light into our life, we move toward the light

If we drive, chase, or scare the light out of our life, we are left the dark.

If we deny, hide from, or lie to ourselves about our life, we are left the dark.

The speed of light can bring us into the light in an instant, but it can leave us in the dark just as fast.

If we are not diminishing our blindness, we are left stumbling in the dark.

The speed of dark is zero. It’s here. It’s arrived, and it’s not going anywhere. The question is what are we going to do about it.

Whether you are Moses or your Uncle Moe, denying the dark will not open your eyes.

Michelangelo said that he sculpted “David” by chipping away the loose pieces.

The best way to chip away darkness is with a chisel of light.