One of my most surreal memories came from the age of 15. It was a cold and quiet Friday night. The street lights were off and the neighbourhood was painted pitch black. I was chatting on the driveway with a few friends and a mentor of ours – six in total. Suddenly, our mentor told us to stop.

Look up, he said.

We didn’t hear him at first. A few of us were laughing at how we couldn’t see each other. A little boy was complaining at how he was cold. Yet, our mentor insisted.

Look up.

When we craned our necks to look upward, all six voices fell silent. The sky was breathtaking. It was one of the most spectacular starry nights I had ever seen. Millions and millions of stars lit up the dark canvas like candles in the dark. The night, which seemed so dark and mysterious, was graced with pockets of light from thousands of light years away. We stood there enchanted for a good 10 seconds or so.

What my mentor said next I’ll never forget.

The world can be incredibly dark. This darkness can be scary; at times it might even be suffocating. It might threaten to engulf you whole.

But look at the stars. Just one star produces enough light to vanquish all the darkness. And if you have many stars, suddenly the world looks dazzling. But it all starts with that one star.

We are all stars. Whenever the darkness feels like too much, remember that you can do something about it. If you see no light in your world, be the light yourself. Shine.

Yet, it’s not so easy to shine. Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate; our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. Us being small does not serve the world. There is nothing impressive in shrinking into insignificance.

To shine is a challenge to be different. To be a light in times where darkness prevails. And who knows? Perhaps liberating our own fear gives permission for others to do the same.

“For there is always light,
if only we’re brave enough to see it.
If only we’re brave enough to be it.” –
– Amanda Gorman, The Hill We Climb