It’s been a big few weeks. A hard few weeks.

I have felt tremendous amounts of anger and rage this year. There have been so many pointless and disturbing acts of violence occurring in the world as to make me question what is happening to humanity.

I wonder when it will it all stop, but there doesn’t seem to be an immediate end in sight.

Like most people, I have looked for answers. I’ve Googled, researched, speculated. I’ve sworn, cried, blamed, ranted and raged. I’ve made hateful remarks that felt good at the time but later left me feeling ashamed of my own smallness.

It hurts to see people suffering and being hurt. It hurts to see such violence and ignorance playing out in the world.

It hurts to feel so powerless and unable to affect meaningful change.

In all of this, I’ve searched for a light. Something, or someone, who I can look to for hope; for guidance and leadership on what to do. On how to be, and how to act.

Surely, someone must know what is best. Someone will step forward, and guide humanity through this mess.

A leader. Someone strong, and brave and wise will appear. Someone will step forward, and help save us from ourselves.

Someone will come, and explain to me what to do, and how I can help. Someone will stop me from feeling such pain and helplessness.

No one has come.

It feels lonely, and hopeless, and dark.

I want to help, but don’t know how. What could I possibly do?

Where is the light?

In a moment of acute loneliness, I pulled out a notepad and paper and drew a silly comic. I sent it to some friends.

It made them laugh. They asked for more. I start to feel better.

With each ridiculous comic, I feel lighter. The plight of the world doesn’t seem so hopeless. A spark flies into the night, followed by another, and then another.

In the seemingly silly, insignificant act of drawing a comic, I remembered something which I have always known, but have lately forgotten:

A person must be their own light. They must manufacture light and wisdom and love with everything they have, even if it’s a dubious ability to draw comics, or a penchant for the ridiculous.

This is what people can do for the world. This is how they can help it.

There are people who bring me joy ever day with their simple way of being. In how they move, their looks, and their mannerism. In their small acts of kindness, and the way they inhabit the world.

In the way they inhabit my world. In the unique and meaningful way they move through it. I could not do without them.

There are other people who inhabit my world who I could do without. However, instead of allowing my light to be consumed in the darkness of rage and anger, I can choose to send sparks into the night. I can choose to draw comics and blog about things that matters to me, and upload photos of cute animals, because they bring me joy and delight me to my core.

I can choose to be my own light.

Maybe, if enough people send their sparks into the night instead of angrily fading silently into the darkness, we can light it up the sky together.

Whatever you love doing, whatever brings you joy, and however you find your inspiration – please do it. And please share it with others.

I love watching people shine and sharing their own unique, special kind of light. The gifted, the unsung, the seemingly ordinary, the unusual, the imperfect, the vulnerable, the silly, the hilarious, the admirable, the brave, the disciplined, the passionate, the serious, the insightful, the pointless. All of it.

When things get rough, look for the light. And if you can’t see it or find it in others, find it in yourself and shine it as brightly as possible.

The world can use as much light as it can get at the moment.

And yours matters.

If you too have a penchant for the ridiculous, you can find the aforementioned comics on this blog under: Caffery Comics.

Julie