They were a poor couple. But they possessed an extraordinary curiosity about science and a remarkable willingness to experiment- far beyond what ordinary couples might have had. They had dedicated their time, their wealth and even their very lives to scientific achievements. They were even willing to do manual labour to raise money for their scientific experiments. Even the money they earned in this way was spent on building a laboratory and purchasing raw materials for their experiments.
Once, after conducting an experiment that ended in complete failure, they went to bed in disappointment. The reason was that all the liquid had evaporated. They could not find an answer to the question of what they should do next. After thinking about many things, they eventually fell asleep.
They awoke on seeing an unusual light in the laboratory. Their first fear was that the laboratory had caught fire. But the very next moment, they realized that the laboratory was not burning; rather, the liquid that had evaporated had begun to glow on its own in the surrounding darkness. For them, this was the success of their experiments. Everyone must know that this is the story of Marie Curie and Pierre Curie and their discovery of radium.
Some darkness is necessary to fill life with light.
For it is only when there is darkness that we become aware of light entering our lives. It is only in darkness that light exists- or, rather, only in darkness can we recognize the presence of light. It is true that there is not always light in our lives, even though light is what we desire. Every one of us has either gone through or is going through, different kinds of darkness in life. At such times, we tend to believe that light will never enter our lives again. Most people remain weighed down and anxious under the burden of such thoughts.
This experience of the Curies is often cited to share and inspire the idea that one should not withdraw in despair, but should keep trying again and again. That is certainly true in itself. Yet, beyond that, this incident also teaches us that light can enter through darkness and that it is in darkness that we are able to see the light.
Therefore, it is not enough merely to light a lamp so that we do not curse the darkness; we must also wait for the light that may unexpectedly appear even in the midst of darkness. Often, our lives are full of wonders. Many times, it is from the very point at which we think everything has come to an end that we begin our lives anew.
We have also heard the story of a king who, driven into a cave for the sake of saving his life because of the impact of his defeats and his fear of his enemies, regained new energy after seeing a spider weaving its web. He returned to the battlefield and fought with greater strength than before.
Light does not need much space to enter- especially when darkness has enveloped everything. Therefore, let us wait for the light, without cursing the darkness, with the hope that there will be light even in the deepest darkness.
Regards
Prof Antoney P Joseph
