Going Dark – but not giving up the light

At this time of year, I’m about to turn off all my devices and go dark on social media until the celebrations have passed, because I want and need to dedicate myself to the life I started to build before tech insinuated itself into everything.

The last six weeks have been hard work, on all fronts. In my day job, the last quarter of the calendar year is very busy, and November and December (especially December) even more so. In my other lives (the price of doing so many different things, most of which are self-inflicted/self-chosen activities/creativities) I’ve been struggling to find minutes and hours to fit in what I want to do – and not succeeding. And I know creativity fluctuates, but I don’t like it to.

And now I feel the increasing weight of a world where the words I want to share at this time of the year (and every day, in truth) are, out of other people’s mouths, nothing but hypocrisy, because evil doesn’t change its tune at any celebratory point in any year. It’s something I discussed with my therapist yesterday, because I had to talk out of myself that self-critical judgement that I’m naive for believing in the goodness of humanity. As always, the conversation helped me find positives in my existence and thoughts – and it’s not naive to believe in goodness in all, and to want peace for all. It is those who usurp peace and goodness and truth who are those at fault. And, for me, it’s never a question of what faith you have or do not have, but it’s all about kindness and tolerance.

So I’m glad I found this message on Norwich City Hall yesterday, because it is what I want to say. And although I won’t be around for the next four days, here or anywhere in the virtual (yet real) world, I’m never going to give up trying to spread the light.