The Dark Switch

What is darkness? Is it an actual thing? No, it's the absence of a thing, of light. One of my favorite metaphysical teachers Abraham talks of "the dark switch." When you walk into a bright room do you look for the dark switch? Of course not, you turn off the light! But why then do some people carry around a dark switch with them?

Recently a friend invited me along on for her weekend birthday celebration in New Orleans. After a fun weekend we got to the airport to come home, and as we went to our gate we saw a beignette stand and realized that the entire weekend we never had tasted this famous New Orleans treat! We had time so we got coffee and made-for-us beignettes and sat down. The cashier left the stand for about a minute, and in that minute a man walked up, saw nobody behind the counter, turned to my friend and me and said "This is what's wrong with New Orleans!" We thought he was joking about the sugary fatty treats, but no, instead he was flipping on a dark switch. He went on to rant, absolutely rant, that the counter was unattended. Of course during the time he wasted ranting the cashier had returned so he ranted at her. "I don't have time to wait for you to do your job" blah blah. The poor girl was trying to serve him but he wouldn't stop ranting, even as he ranted about not having time to wait for her! He finally simmered down enough to get his food, went and sat down. My friend and I were so upset but concerned about feeling better. We joked with the cashier, "Gosh isn't it a shame some people choose to start their days yelling and screaming? I prefer laughter myself!" The mood started to lift and I felt better, we all did. I hadn't seen that the ranter had sat near enough to us to probably overhear, and as he left, he stopped at our table to say that he had apologized to the cashier. "I love New Orleans, I really do, but this is awful and that is awful and this, well, that's just plain wrong. . . " blah blah. Rant Rant. Dang it, he flipped the dark switch again!

The difference for me from my past reactions to dark-switchers is that in the past I would have been upset all day, carried HIS anger all day. Instead I decided to flip the LIGHT switch on and enjoy my day. So I did!