What is man?
Man is light. Man was created as light. But not to light himself up and be the center.
The first thing God made was light, and it was good.
"And God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light." (Genesis 1:3)
Man was made in his image, and an image has no light of its own. It carries what it is given. That is why man is a lightbearer. I do not own the light. I carry it.
That is why everything comes down to the intention behind a person's actions. The more truthfully a person lives, the more they light up.
It is why we can read in someone's outward expression how much light or darkness they carry. Because light does not lie. You cannot evade it. And you cannot hide behind a lie that you are the light when it does not shine through you.
That is why people who carry darkness but insist they do not, get caught in the lie. Everyone can see when the light is shining and when it is not. Truth has a specific expression.
It is felt before it can be explained. The soul feels the light. It does not think it.
Light is meant to be seen. That is not the problem. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. The question is what the light points to. A light that only works on the one carrying it is a mirror.
The standard applies to everyone. Including the one who points to it.
You do not need to believe in God to see the difference between a person who shines and a person who performs. Even the one who calls God a fantasy demands authenticity from others and is hurt by lies.
But the light comes from somewhere.
Light does not wrap women up or away, and it does not place man above woman. On the contrary, it unfolds them both as equals. Male and female he created them in his image (Genesis 1:27), and both were given the chance to shine so brightly that it is impossible not to see it.
Behind every true light lies a faith in the one who gives it.
It shows over time.
Tradition calls him Lucifer, the light-bringer. He wanted the light for himself, and then it went dark.
Christ said: You are the light of the world. So that others can see the Father.
Whoever takes the light for himself goes out.