Visitors Of The Dark

An operations analyst in Mumbai was devastated when she was diagnosed with stage‑three breast cancer. Overwhelmed by fear and anxiety, she attended a counselling session where she poured out her heart: What if the disease was terminal? What if life came to a sudden halt?

Instead of offering reassurance or comforting words, the counsellor gave her an unexpected suggestion—to face the truth and accept uncertainty. The counsellor advised her to visit places associated with death. A few days later, she travelled to Bhuj, revisiting the scars of the 2001 earthquake that claimed more than twenty thousand lives in a matter of seconds.

I am not sure whether the trip helped her face the truth better, but a growing number of people are engaging in what travel experts call ‘dark tourism’. This involves visiting places where death, tragedy, and human suffering have occurred, helping people reflect, learn, and work through deep emotions.

Often, it is only when we are suddenly faced with disaster that difficult questions about the meaning and purpose of life emerge. Human beings are finite and fragile. We know little beyond the present moment, and many questions about life remain unanswered.

When confronted with such helplessness, the disciples, much like us, admitted their ignorance to their teacher, Jesus Christ. His answer was simple yet profound: “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”

He is the Way—without a connection to God our Creator, a person remains in darkness. Christ opened that way for humanity.

He is the Truth—through His wisdom, Christ sheds light on life’s hardest questions: Why is life uncertain? Why do evil and injustice exist? Why is there so much suffering? What is the purpose of life and all our labour? Is there life after death? Is there a God? If God is good, why is the world as it is today?

He is the Life—the source of true life, offering meaning and purpose.

We do not need to wait for misfortune to strike before seeking answers to life’s deeper questions. A well‑known saint from the fourth century once said, “O God, our hearts are restless until they rest in You.”