Date: 04/07/2026
All Rights Reserved by the Author
“It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.” — Chinese Proverb
In a remote village, one elderly man still lit a lantern outside his home every evening.
Electric lights had arrived years earlier.
The custom was no longer necessary.
Yet he continued.
When asked why, he smiled and said, “Someone returning late should know that a light is waiting.”
The lantern had become more than a source of illumination.
It symbolized welcome.
It represented care without expectation.
Communities flourish when people keep small traditions alive.
A familiar greeting.
An open gate.
A light in the distance.
These simple gestures assure others that they belong.
The world changes rapidly, but human beings still seek the same comforts—kindness, recognition, and a place where someone waits.
Perhaps each of us can become a lantern for another person.
Not by shining brightly, but by shining faithfully.
Rajat Chandra Sarmah
Guwahati, Assam, India
email: rajatchandrasarmah@gmail.com
youtube: conversewithasmile
musingofrajat.wordpress.com 