Angst Among Friends

01. Light and Darkness

By Angela

I have wanted to do this column for quite some time. I did this with friends several years ago. While my first opener worked then (and I am fairly sure it would work now), I wanted to start with something fresh and new. You understand - new time, new period, new beginnings. My point - I have finally found my opening. I hope you get it, like it, and most importantly participate and give feedback through your comments. So���here goes.

My brother-in-law is crazy. We are very close and frequently have strange yet intense conversations. Some of them happen in the natural flow of conversation and some of them occur because he sets me up. I can be very opinionated and stubborn; he knows that. The other day was a prime example.

We were doing what we usually do - talking endlessly, about everything. As we talked, how we got there I don���t remember, we started on philosophy and school. He said he really got his philosophy teacher and class with one question. I didn���t realize it at the time, but that comment was the bait. I unwittingly took it and ran. ���What question��� I asked. ���Why is a light bulb called a light bulb? Couldn���t it be called a dark-absorber instead?��� My response was immediate, ���absolutely not!��� There then proceeded a full and extended debate over what light is, what a light bulb is, how they work, what darkness is, how it works, the definition of absorption and more.

He insisted a light bulb/light was indeed a dark-absorber. The more he insisted; the more determined I was to prove him and his theory wrong. Finally, frustrated, I said my proverbial - I guess we will have to agree to disagree. At this he chuckled and said ���exactly���. Then he went on to tell me about how his philosophy class became divided into those who agreed with him that light is a dark absorber and those that did not. Apparently, his teacher asked his professional peers and they also split opinions. In the end, apparently no one was able to definitively say, one way or the other.

As you see, I got sucked in. Ironically, after I hung up with my brother-in-law and thought about it, I was able to see how, philosophically, light could be called a dark-absorber. I totally disagree with this position but I can see how some could take this position. One���s answer may be based on one���s preference. Do you prefer light or darkness? One���s answer may be based on perception. Does light push away dark, consume dark, or take the place of dark, or does light? Or maybe it is a question of one���s perspective. Is light dominant or is dark? Or maybe it is a question of one���s spirituality. Do you see light as good and dark as evil?

Take a minute. Visualize darkness, true darkness. Now, a light appears. Darkness is gone. What has happened?

What do you think? Does light absorb dark?