Why

 

 

I believe the human race is more beautiful than it realises.

 

When asked in an interview what was the most important thing that life had taught him, Ben Kingsley answered: "The pattern of light and shade."

 

I browse the newsfeeds of my social media and it can be a challenging experience. Sometimes I don't think I'm doing myself any favours exposing myself to the deluge of negativity, outrage, desperation and rampant clickbait that seems to pour out of the screen in an effort to influence me, get my support, get my name on a petition, get my money. Sometimes it feels like everything on there is trying to get me in some way or other.

 

So, when friends talk of quitting social media altogether, because they don't like how much of their lives it consumes and the way it makes them feel, I empathise readily.

 

But I do see stuff there that inspires and uplifts me. I would just like the ratio to change, away from content that seems to want to depress me or make me angry, and towards the content that lights me up.

 

It's all relative. It's all subjective.

 

But I like this idea that our ability to connect with each other via the internet is the great tool of our age for social evolution on a global scale.

 

In my newsfeeds I see the light and shade of the human race dancing in front of my eyes. And if there is shadow in the human heart then I am glad it is so proudly on display on the internet. I see the value of that kind of transparency. Let what fear, pain and disharmony that is present be seen, so that it can be acknowledged and faced honestly. And in amongst all of that dancing shadow, formed, interestingly enough, by pixels of light, there are the moments of gold. People are beautiful, funny, talented, giving, wonderful. People are loving. I see it in my newsfeeds, scrolling by in words and actions, songs and films and moments, along with the beauty of the natural world, the animals, the plants, the landscapes, the cosmos.

 

I do not wish to disconnect. And I don't even wish to irradicate the shadow. Without the pattern of light and shade there would be nothing to experience at all. But I do like the warmth and brightness of the sunlight. I would like to see more of it. And so the onus is on me to be proactive.

 

I salute those of you that have brought something beautiful, or funny, or incredible or mind boggling into my life through the light of the screen. You inspire and uplift me. Thank you so much. And I would like to join in.

 

And you shadow bringers, who fill my screen with fear, anger and desperation... I salute you too. Of course I do. CANDiGRAM is not about choosing light over darkness. It's about appreciating the pattern of light and shade, and offering my own contribution to it.