The world has a lot of very dark places now. Dark places are not only scary they are uncaring, mindless, selfish, gruesome, and filled with broken people. The people that dwell in dark places are many that have been disappointed by family, by lovers, by politicians, by religion, by the State and by those who should have offered them love. There is a gross sense of despair in dark places.
To the child that feels unwanted and neglected, the dark place offers cover, no one sees them. To the youth whose history of absence from school and is now at a level of education that he or she cannot be gainfully employed, the dark offers a life of criminality with promises of prosperity. In the darkness they do not see the risk of death. To the political activists that has been prevented from holding a lucrative job due to his or her political allegiance, the dark offers a place to hide behind racism and sectarian divisiveness. To the sexually assaulted, the dark offers comfort as they are no longer visible, and their body can be used for pleasure and financial rewards.
The dark is filled with wickedness. The darkness prevents one from seeing the pains, the cries, the voices of hopelessness, it blinds you to truth and reality. In the darkness, corruption, nepotism, cronyism, a disregard for law and order, and chaos reigns. In the darkness the bodies lying on the street in a puddle of blood are not visible. The innocent homeowners that are pounced upon while opening their gate after a hard day’s work are not seen. The thousands waiting for years to get justice are invisible. The families and villages praying for a few days of water for sustenance are lost. In the darkness they move around as if there is no tomorrow.
Those in the light live in the light, unaware of their own light, their candle, as they see only brightness and their candle is of no effect. The time has come to take your candle to the dark places. Songwriter Kathy Troccoli put it best when she said, “There is a candle in every soul”. She continues, “carry your candle, run to the darkness, seek out the hopeless, confused and torn. Hold out your candle for all to see it and go light your world.”
Now is the time for every good person in Trinidad & Tobago to carry their candle into the darkness of divisiveness, of political sectarianism, of criminality, of ineptitude, of apathy, of selfishness and light up our country. As you light up our country hopelessness and despair will be erased, and hope will reign. The light will dispel the darkness exposing the ugly and allowing growth and development to take the place of the barrenness that darkness allowed to exist.
Beautiful things are possible with light. But it is up to the individual. Choose darkness or light, despair, or hope. Let there be light.
God Bless Our Nation.
Steve Alvarez