Once upon a time a saintly monk called Pachomius wanted to know the meaning of life and, every day, he meditated on the Word of God and the writings of wise people to discover the secret.
One night God fulfilled his wish and sent him a dream. Pachomius saw that the world was like a huge, dark cave. In it all the people were wandering round, bumping into each other, sometimes getting hurt or hurting others. They got more and more sad and depressed because they could not find the way out.
Then, suddenly, someone lit a light. It was only a small light, but there is no darkness so black that it cannot be conquered by even the tiniest light. A way out can always be found if you have a light, everyone thought and they all began to follow the person with the light.
At first they crowded forward, blocking each other's way. Then they tried to form a line, single file, but they were so many and the cave so dark and the light so tiny that it could hardly be seen.
In the end someone came up with the perfect solution, everyone held hands!
Hold hands with your neighbours and hold on tight because the light is small and the darkness seems to be growing blacker!