Light defines what we see. Light is the force that uncovers the world in front of us. Whether it is stage lighting, store lighting or bathroom lighting, we rely on it to find see what is around us. In order to Progress lighting, is directed to make visible the path. What often gets neglected are the dark areas. Without shadows, without contrast, the view becomes flat and depth perception becomes impossible. The same truth governs our internal lives, the shadows are part of what make up a personality. It is often what lurks in the shadows that forms our lives and determines many of the choices we make.

In film the director of photography paints with light. He or she is consumed with light ratios, the amount of dark to light. A night time scene would have greater ratios then a day time scene creating near black areas of the screen. Daylight scenes would still have areas of contrast, but the shadows would still hold visible objects. It is an interesting question when applied to our internal lives, what is the light ratio? Are we unconscious about the details in the shadows of our soul or can we see enough details to know the nature of our selves? If our internal world was nothing but bright light, would we be able to distinguish between the light and dark in another person? Should we even aspire to driving out all of the shadows?

Any story worth telling will be filled with conflict. A film about happy people doing happy things in a happy world is not a compelling or interesting way to spend a couple of hours. We love stories about people trying to overcome obstacles. In every classic hero story, the hero has a character defect, an Achilles heel, or kryptonite. Many of the greatest films had flawed protagonists and antagonists with redeeming qualities. From The Godfather to Avatar, we want to watch characters that grow and change, confronting their limits in thinking or feeling and rooting for them. The general attraction is based on our own struggles to overcome the obstacles that every life faces.

There has never been a person who has walked the earth that hasn’t been confronted by obstacles, either internal or external. The majority of people will say that confronting these challenges has brought them character and compassion. Whether the shadow we confront is created by grief, fear or insecurity, it is often these shadows that bring depth to our lives and make us wise and hopefully happier.

When the shadows are embraced and we can walk through our lives without hiding our perceived flaws or vulnerability, then we are free to be fully who we are. By confronting our shadows, we often discover the very source of the light that brings us joy.