Chiaroscuro

Chiaroscuro (Italian for light - dark) is a term in art for a contrast between light and dark. A more obscure (!) definition is the quality of being veiled or partly in shadow.

We have a tendency to either focus too much on, or to attempt to deny, the darker parts of our selves. When we dwell on the shadows, we can even become quite down on ourselves. By the same token, if we try to ignore the darker aspects of ourselves, they have a way of rearing up to remind us of their existence.

Perhaps there is another way. If we borrow from the artist's way the concept of chiaroscuro, we can begin to see that the interplay of light and dark in our selves and our lives can create a beauty of its own. If we look only at one or the other, instead of keeping them both in our sights, we lose an essential perspective. If we look at the contrast of light and dark in relation to each other, we can begin to appreciate the worth of all of our experiences.