Sunday, April 24, 2011

Shadows Don't Make a Sound

Shadows are silent partners that witness everything we do. The light that shines on us allows the shadow to mirror all our actions, sometimes in larger than life images.

Our shadow follows us. We are the ones who make decisions, take the actions, and lead the way. Our shadow simply repeats and reaffirms our movements. A shadow can provide an outline that emphasizes our movements.

Now some people use the term shadow in an entirely different context, meaning the dark side of a person's personality, their bad behaviors or wrong choices. But I am not a fan of this theory.

You see, I think that everything we do, we consciously choose. If we choose to engage in a behavior that others think of as dark, it may simply be that our reason for choosing was formed in a way that others may not agree with or understand.

There is no "Devil" that made me do anything. Or you. We make us do things. We choose. We always have free will.

This shadow, you see, is simply the space in which our actions are seen. Shadows are one dimensional. The light we are facing lets a phantom image of us linger. The shadow is not an image of us in living color. It is not the person explaining why they did what they did, or why they thought this was a good idea. The shadow is simply trailing after the fact. If you see a shadow, it is not the same as seeing the person.

Have you ever noticed that even though we might be singing, our shadows don't make a sound?

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