The Anthem of Us All

The dark.
Whatever adjectives come associated with that word in your mind, they’re not the type that you’d invite in for tea and a lovely conversation.
The similarities with the contrast of light and dark on a physical and mental level are striking. In the dark one stumbles, can easily trip, feels lost; in the dark, one can feel completely alone, even when one knows that there are others near them.
No one needs to tell a child to fear the dark, they just do. No one needs to tell a child to love the light, they just simply do.
We grow up though, and we begin to stop fearing the dark. Not because we learn there’s nothing to fear, but because it becomes a part of us. The ghosts and goblins that occupied it in our infancy make their way into our souls as we grow older and manifest themselves in a number of different ways: hate, violence, addictions—for me it was anxiety and depression.
If I had a dollar for every time someone described depression as darkness, I’d have enough money to no longer be anxious about my financial status.
Sometimes we wade through the dark with a light in the distance, or at least enough light around us to help us navigate our way.
Other times we wander with no light at all—dead phone, no electricity, and a cloud cover so thick not even the brightest light in the universe could break through. Sometimes we trudge through a wicked storm where the only source of light is the flash of lighting which gives enough light to show us the danger of the surrounding terrain, but does not offer enough light to show us how to navigate through it.
For a long time, that storm accurately described my situation. For well over a year, I waded through a storm of depression that blocked out all—even the very strongest sources—of light. The only glimpses of light were enough to show me the danger of my situation, but never lasted long enough to help me navigate through. They were flashes that reminded me of the joy I was missing out on, they offered a taste of reality to show me the danger I was in because of my mental state, but they faded away just as soon as they arrived and left me alone.
Many of you reading this can empathize.
Some probably feel shame and think to themselves that their case isn’t “that bad,” but subconsciously feel they can relate. To that I say, don’t be ashamed, let yourself feel.
No matter how well you can empathize, or can’t, there are two common threads that unite one hundred percent of people reading this right now:
1) All have felt pain. All will feel pain again in their lives. All of us can relate to feelings of darkness gathering in our souls.
2) All of us reading this have a perfect track record of wading through the dark, and coming out alive.
What is it about link number two that has driven us this far? Despite all that you may have faced as of yet, you’ve made it this far.
Why?
Hope.
Not the wishy-washy wishing that many confuse the word for. Do not be mistaken, “I hope it doesn’t rain today,” is not the same as the hope that guides us through the darkness we all inevitably face in life.
Hope is a power.
It is a power to action.
It is the power (though wading through complete darkness), to find the light switch. We hope in the light to come, and this gives us the power to find the light—or at least the endurance to wait till life guides us to the light.
Hope is the very foundation of society, and our lives. The belief that where you are is not where you have to finish—that there is something good left to find—is what drives our world day-to-day. Corporations don’t close their doors after a few bad reports because they know things can improve—they hope in what they do not yet see: a better tomorrow. Likewise, despite the number of times you may have been told that you’re not good enough, or have felt that the world would be better off without you, you’re here.
Why?
Because something inside you yelled to you through the raging storm and shouted, “They were wrong!” If they weren’t wrong, why else would you still be here?
This is hope.
Not the passive wishing for a better tomorrow, but the powerful force that motivates us and sees us through the night.
Hope is a power. It is the voice that motivates us to keep going even when there is no end in sight. It is the foundation that keeps us going, that sees us through the end of the night, and into the light.
Hope is a light, even when there is no visible light present.
Hope motivates.
Hope saves.
Hope heals.