Be the Sun, Not a Flare

On Illumination

And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

—Genesis 1:3-4

Above: Lead, kindly Light.

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Many mistake intensity for power.

A flare is spectacular.

It arrives loud, climbs fast, lights up the whole sky for a short while…

and then it’s gone.

Single-use brilliance.

Disposable glory.

A light you can’t live by.

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The sun is different.

The sun doesn’t announce itself.

It just shows up—again and again and again—

burning steadily at the center of its own galaxy.

It doesn’t chase attention.

It creates gravity.

It gives light without asking to be seen.

Heat without needing applause.

Hope without bargaining for it.

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A flare wants witnesses.

The sun makes witnesses possible.

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So be the sun.

Build a life that can hold your brightness.

A body that can survive your ambition.

A rhythm that can sustain your gifts.

Show up.

Burn clean.

Become dependable.

Light the darkness.

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And yes—eventually, even the sun collapses in on itself.

But hey, that happens to the best of us.

Until then, we have work to do:

Provide light.

Give off heat.

Offer hope.

Not once.

Not dramatically.

But day after day, armed with the quiet confidence of something meant to do good and last a while.

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Per my about page, White Noise is a work of experimentation. I view it as a sort of thinking aloud, a stress testing of my nascent ideas. Through it, I hope to sharpen my opinions against the whetstone of other people’s feedback, commentary, and input.

If you want to discuss any of the ideas or musings mentioned above or have any books, papers, or links that you think would be interesting to share on a future edition of White Noise, please reach out to me by replying to this email or following me on X.

With sincere gratitude,

Tom