Whistling in the light

A different forum

I have another blog for my gripes, grumbles, complaints and observations about the unbearable darkness of being in this world of woe. The title of this blog, "Whistling in the Light" deals with other things that have occasionally intruded into my "gripes, grumbles, complaints" etc., on the other site.

Of course, "Whistling in the Light" is a play on "whistling in the dark"—as A V van Stekelenburg put it,

"... whistling, seems to be a natural and universal way for humans to cope with a situation of worrying loneliness. Hearing his own sound reassures a person that he is alive and intact (Ostwald 1959:143). “Whistling in the dark” is a well-known phenomenon in the Western world."

Facing our darkest fears—walking alone and frightened in the dark—by whistling a cheery tune in momentary rejection (denial?) of them is a common coping mechanism. And even if not actually whistling, simply pretending that there are no monsters—or even just pretending that we are not afraid of the monsters we know are there—waiting in the dark to leap upon us and rend us to pieces is a form of whistling in the dark.

But I want to talk about whistling in the light. Not denial of our helplessness against the monsters inhabiting our modern world, but a celebration of the fact that we do not face these monsters alone and in the dark—or at least, we do not have to.

"...I will never leave you nor forsake you..." (Heb 13:5).

So, on to "Whistling in the Light."