I saw also that there was an ocean of darkness and death, but an

In the luminous vision of George Fox, founder of the Religious Society of Friends — the Quakers — there resounds a truth that belongs to the eternal heart of humanity: “I saw also that there was an ocean of darkness and death, but an infinite ocean of light and love, which flowed over the ocean of darkness.” These words were not penned in comfort, nor spoken from ease, but from the soul of a man who had wrestled with despair and emerged into revelation. They are the utterance of one who had stood at the brink of the abyss and seen beyond it — who had looked upon the world’s suffering and found not despair, but divine triumph.

In the seventeenth century, England was a land torn by religious division, war, and persecution. It was an age when men claimed to know God, yet slew one another in His name. Into this tempest came George Fox, a man who sought truth not in the temples of stone, but in the silence of the soul. He wandered the fields and forests in anguish, seeking peace. And it was in this silence that he received his vision — the vision of two oceans: one of darkness and death, and one of light and love. In that moment, he saw that though evil may seem vast, the goodness of God is greater still, flowing endlessly over it, consuming and redeeming all.

The ocean of darkness is the realm of fear, hatred, cruelty, and ignorance that rises in every age, in every heart. It is the shadow that devours empires, corrupts faith, and drives humankind into suffering. Fox had seen this darkness firsthand — in the hypocrisy of religion, in the violence of war, and in the despair that haunted his own spirit. Yet, he did not stop there. For beyond that sea of sorrow, he beheld a mightier ocean — one without shore or end — an infinite ocean of light and love, flowing over and through the darkness, transforming it into life. This, he understood, was the true nature of God: not wrath, not judgment, but boundless compassion that conquers despair not by force, but by illumination.

History has often revealed this same truth through the deeds of the faithful and the brave. Consider Nelson Mandela, who spent twenty-seven years imprisoned under a regime of cruelty and injustice. He had every reason to hate, to sink into the ocean of darkness. Yet when he emerged, he chose forgiveness over vengeance, reconciliation over rage. In him, the ocean of light flowed over the darkness of oppression, turning bitterness into peace. Through his love, a nation once divided by hatred began to heal. Thus, the vision of George Fox lived again — proof that the light, though unseen for a time, is always stronger than the darkness that surrounds it.

The wisdom of Fox also speaks to the inner life. For the battle between light and darkness is not only waged among nations, but within each human heart. Every soul knows the tide of despair — those moments when fear or grief rises like a storm, drowning out joy and meaning. But to remember the vision of the infinite ocean is to remember that no shadow is absolute, no night eternal. Within each of us flows the same current of divine love that can overcome every darkness. Hope, forgiveness, and faith are the waves of that eternal sea. When we let them move within us, we become part of that great tide that redeems the world.

Fox’s vision also teaches humility and patience. The light does not always destroy the darkness in an instant; it covers it, transforms it, and slowly brings forth life from its depths. Just as dawn dispels the night not with violence but with gentleness, so too does divine love conquer evil through persistence, through quiet acts of courage and compassion. Every kindness, every word of truth, every act of mercy is a ray of that infinite light breaking over the darkened sea of the world.

Therefore, let this vision be a guide for all who hear it. When you look upon the world and see its wars, its greed, its cruelty — do not lose faith. When you look within yourself and see doubt, weakness, or pain — do not despair. Remember the ocean of light and love, ever flowing, ever victorious. Become a channel for it in your own life: speak words that heal, create beauty that uplifts, forgive even when it wounds you to do so. For in so doing, you add one more drop of light to the divine sea that conquers darkness.

Thus, the teaching of George Fox endures through the centuries: the world will always know darkness, but the light is deeper, stronger, infinite. And if you carry that light within you — if you let it guide your thoughts, your art, your compassion — then you, too, will be part of that sacred ocean that redeems the world. For love is the eternal current, and in its flow, every darkness is eventually overcome, every death reborn into life.