The 40 Watt Lightbulb Analogy


The 40 watt lightbulb analogy, what is it? Well, it’s actually something I’ve written about before, but not for many years. What has prompted me to revive this concept is the state of the world and where we as a race appear to be heading (not that old chestnut again, yawn!) When I first read about this analogy, probably around 12 years ago, it made a lot of sense; but, it is probably even more relevant today. At the time, there was a lot of crazy things going on in the world and you just wouldn’t have thought that things could get any crazier; how wrong can you be? To quote Neal Donald Walsch, our species seems to be going to Hell in a handcart. There is untold suffering going on in our world, and it isn’t just our species that is suffering, it’s also the animal kingdom and our very planet, Mother Earth. The craziest thing is that most, if not all of the terror, is being inflicted by humans.

Right, let’s get back to the actual analogy.

Imagine you had a storeroom, lit only by a 40W bulb. For years you were happy with this rather dim light, doing its best, but struggling to light up the space. Then suddenly, one day, you decide to brighten the place up and you change the 40W bulb for a 100W bulb. You flick the switch for the first time, and to your horror, you now see that the storeroom is filthy; it’s covered in dust and cobwebs. The reality is, that the dust and cobwebs were always there, it’s just that within the light of a 40W bulb they could not be seen. The 100W bulb hasn’t by some miracle created a mess, it’s simply highlighted the mess that was already there. And so, it is the same with what is happening now.

All of this crazy stuff has always been going on. Humans have been inflicting pain and suffering on humans since the beginning of time. The reason it seems so much more prominent these days is because our species is evolving…fast, it would seem. The light of Consciousness is awakening within humankind. Of course, there has always been ignorance, and I’m sure there always will be. But, the level of consciousness within our species is being raised; even as I type. A big difference I have noticed since I was growing up is that back then, you were told “this is how it is and there is no other way” and people just accepted this. A good example is religion. Of course, I can only speak from my own experience, but at school, we were indoctrinated in a particular way. When you became old enough to think for yourself, you either carried on with what you were told or you rejected it. Back then, it wasn’t easy for younger people to “seek” and there didn’t seem to be any alternative. Nowadays, people in the main do not accept this, and we have given birth to “The Seeker.”

I am of the view that some religions have shot themselves in the foot. So many different factions and even different holy books within one religion, all the factions interpreting their scriptures differently and all claiming to be the only truth. People are just not having it anymore and are seeking out there own pathway.

Because the general level of awareness is gradually rising, in other words, we are getting closer and closer to experiencing our true nature, we are noticing more and more all the horrors that exist in the world. Because our true nature is that of Love, these horrors affect the way we feel in a negative way, because they are the polar opposite to who we really are. Things are not helped by the mass media that seems to delight in sensationalising negatives. I personally believe that our world is full of wonder and beauty, and there are lots of positive things happening all over. Unfortunately, this is not newsworthy.

The 100W bulb (light of Consciousness) has replaced the 40W bulb (ignorance) in so many people now, worldwide. Also, if you consider relativity and the fact that our planet is a living, breathing paradox, I think it is safe to say that we are going in the right direction.