The Star

Once there was a star that dwelled in the heavens. The skies were her glory and her realm in which to reign. She shone brightly, illuminating the darkness and providing light and life to all in her proximity.

She was beautiful and she was radiant. The other stars, brilliant in their own ways, admired her greatly for her own unique and wondrous beauty. She, in turn, admired the other stars. None was jealous of another, and all lived together in harmony and splendor. Their lights shone greatly about them and they were blessings to all.

One day, the star was sent to Earth and into the world. She forgot her time in the heavens and she forgot her light. She looked at the other beings in the Earth and they seemed to her to be much more beautiful than she was. She looked at herself and she did not like what she saw.

At first, she tried to improve herself. She did more of this and did less of that. She bounced frequently from one attempt at self-help to another, but nothing improved her self-image. The problem was, though she did not know it, that she missed the light that she had had as a star, and nothing else would satisfy that longing to shine once again.

Yet, she could not make herself shine by her own words or deeds, and to her others still seemed more radiant, more beautiful. The more she tried to improve herself, the more she felt unworthy and dark. She grew tired of hating herself and she began to feel anger at those around her who seemed so much better than her.

How dare they make her feel ugly and worthless? How dare they put her down and oppress her so? Never mind that they had no thought of doing that. They, too, were stars who were simply trying to find again the light that they had lost.

Yet, in their pain and darkness, they lashed out at those around them, blaming them for things that were not capable of being responsible for. Each star sought to find his or her own light by banding together with those with whom they thought they shared similar characteristics. They would come together based on what they liked to do, how they looked, or where they came from.

They formed groups based on these characteristics, but they still did not find their lights. These groups started hating other groups, blaming them for their problems, for the emptiness they felt inside where the light should have been.

When she joined one of the groups, she felt happy for a time. Finally there were people here who understood her and helped her feel like she mattered and like she was doing what she was supposed to do. Yet, this happiness did not last. Soon, she was back to feeling low and worthless.

She discussed this with the other members of her group, and they commiserated and bolstered her for a time, but it did not last. She sought peace in another way. Other members of her group told her that she felt this way because of another group that did not understand, accept, or tolerate them.

“Yeah!” she growled. “How dare they!”

“Let’s riot! Let’s protest! Let’s rage!”

“We have to change them! We must convince them that they’re wrong about us! We are awesome! They are hatemongering  --–ists!”

So she followed them out into the places in the world and she expressed her anger in ways she had not before thought possible. She broke and smashed and tore and destroyed until that which was outside mirrored the turmoil in her own heart.

And as she looked around at what she had wrought, she saw that the darkness within had made its way out, and she was still not appeased, still not impressed with who she was. If anything, she was less happy than before, and she despaired at ever finding the peace and joy that she sought.

She left the group and went off alone, walking by herself and looking up at the sky. Gazing at the stars, she longed to go to them and escape the world that she lived in and all that she had become.

Gently, gently, one whispered to her heart. Its light shone brightly and she was blessed by it. As the light filled the emptiness inside of her, she remembered who she was and what she was called to.

Every bit of pain, darkness, and self-loathing disappeared until at last she again shone as the beautiful and radiant star that she had always been. As she returned to the others and looked at the darkness around her, she knew she had to share what she had found with them and she wondered how to do it.

She walked past the group she had once been a part of and the other groups that had formed against them. They were broken and they were breaking things, and she knew that to confront them would only cause more destruction. So she shone and she shines still, hoping that the light that she emits will stoke the light in others, reminding them that they, too were once stars in the heavens illuminating the darkness in radiance and splendor and that they have no need of fear or hatred because one star’s light can never diminish that of another.