Be a Lamp Unto Yourself
Blue Boy Turquoise ring
Eco sterling silver and recycled 9ct gold and rose gold accents
Size P 1/2 - US 7 3/4

Whether in the world of commercial advertising or in the heartlands of the new age, avaricious or unconscious people will dangle the promise of ‘secret truths’ or ‘lost teachings’ to those of us seeking answers and deeper wisdom.

The premise of such philosophies, much like those of most marketing executives, is that our feeling of dissatisfaction or emptiness can be remedied by exposure to a ‘hidden truth’. That only if we’d meditate in a particular style, start a new juice diet or attend a particular yoga retreat in Bali, that the sufferings of the heart would dispel and we would walk through life free and unfettered.

I think most of us are guilty of being captured by these promises. Even the most cynical of us get caught, and sometimes lifestyle changes do positively affect our lives. However, there is a deep cynicism within me when the promise of redemption lies in a sellable set of ideas or philosophies often touted by a particularly charismatic and beautiful individual.

That’s why I love that in his last days, the Buddha is said to have uttered ‘Be a lamp unto yourself’.

I love this philosophy. Much like many of our great psychologists, such as Carl Jung, it positions the solution to human suffering and to our daily struggles back within ourselves. It shifts the perspective from looking outside for a saviour, and instead focuses our vision within. Deep down within the complex and multifaceted cosmos of the self lie contemplations, conversations and deeply earthed emotions that oftentimes contain the key to our struggles.

It also provides us with a responsibility to become a burning light of dignity and goodness. One of the things I like about studying religions is the mythic portrayal of the battle between good and evil. I believe it often does a better job of expressing the stories of our lives than the explanations emanating from the social sciences. Yet like Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn said, ‘the line between good and evil runs through the centre of every human heart’. We have a responsibility to acknowledge our own capacity for evil and to do better. This recognition prevents us becoming to judgemental of the failings of others.

Ultimately, ‘Be a Lamp Unto Yourself’ puts power and responsibility back into our own hands, it compels us to accept and understand ourselves, stops the pursuit of solutions from without and takes us into the centre of our own flawed and beautiful human heart.