Are you a Lamp or a Lantern?

[JasonKiesau]

With all the perceived freedoms we have, I feel our greatest freedom . . . and the one people seem to give up the most is our freedom of choice.
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I know pessimist, glass half empty people, and random pointless hecklers will disagree and argue with me, but regardless of our environments or situations we find ourselves in we have the ability to choose how we will internally and externally react at that time. We can get mad and stressed or we can remain calm. We can make assumptions or we can ask questions. We can feel sorry for ourselves or we can try to figure out why we’re in the situation we’re in. We can be close minded or we can learn.

One thing I really try to be conscious of, both personally and when I observe others is how people treat one another. We all have the ability to provide value to others we come in contact with, but many people either don’t recognize this or they simply don’t care. To each their own I suppose . . .

I like to use an analogy of a lamp and a lantern.

Let’s start with the lamp.

Lamps are valuable as they shine light wherever they stand. Lamps help people see clearer and allow them to move forward confidently even in the darkest places.

But . . . a Lamp’s impact is limited. They stand in one place and do not move. They stay in one position therefore only have one perspective. An individual has to come to them. Many times they are only valuable if you are below them and stand under their light. As shown in this picture they aren’t much different than other lamps trying to do the same thing. In fact, lamps are hardwired to perform in certain ways and turn on and off with little effort.

What about the lantern?

Though they claim to serve the same purpose, a lantern’s opportunity to impact the world around it is much greater which makes it more valuable.

For starters a lantern is mobile. Where it goes their light benefits anyone around it. It isn’t designed to stand in one place, it can and will go where ever light is needed. It can be hung high or sit low which gives it the ability to provide light from different perspectives. A lantern is designed to be by your side rather than above you, it’s handle is it’s invitation. Most importantly a lantern is a fire burning for the sole purpose of helping others find their way.

What would you rather be?

Take a look around. It doesn’t take too long to recognize that many people are looking for the light . . . they are searching for it and every single one of us has the ability to give them a little.

The only thing we have to do is choose to light our fire from within and allow it to shine.