The politics of light

Light is often treated as something sentimental at Christmas. That is a mistake.

Light is not decoration. It is understanding, care, energy and life itself.

In this final talk in my Christmas series on light, I draw together the ideas explored over the past few days to argue that light is a public good — one that modern economics routinely ignores. When societies withdraw energy, time and care from people and institutions, decay follows. Austerity is not efficiency. It is the systematic removal of light from systems that need constant maintenance to survive.

I explain why ignorance is dangerous, why confusion benefits power, and why economic myths persist when they are left deliberately in the dark. I also explore how modern capitalism steals light in subtler ways: through long hours, artificial rhythms, permanent urgency, and the denial of rest, daylight and recovery, all of which damage health, wellbeing and social cohesion.

This is not a religious argument. It is a reflection rooted in economics, care and the shared insights of many wisdom traditions that recognise vulnerability, dependence and mutual responsibility. Light appears where people care for one another, and choosing care is choosing light.

This talk asks a simple but urgent question: will we design our economy and our society to keep the lights on, or will we continue to accept neglect, exhaustion and decay as normal?