Ultimately, Paz’s candle is a metaphor for how we might choose to live. To “light one candle for the common day” is to approach ordinary routines with intentional generosity, creativity, or attentiveness. Rather than waiting for extraordinary circumstances, we can let our speech, work, or presence be a steady source of illumination for others. When repeated across many lives, such choices can make the metaphor literal: neighborhoods become more welcoming, institutions more humane, and the mundane world a little less dark. In this way, the glow of the streets begins with the decision to light a single, modest flame. [...]
