The nature of a tunnel is two open ends. If a tunnel only had one open end, it'd be a giant test tube on its side that you can drive into. Tunnels are open ended though. Therefore the saying the light at the end of the tunnel, when used as motivation, is redundant. Unless that person is ignorant of tunnels and doesn't know how they work. If you are using the phrase 'the light at the end of the tunnel' to simply start a conversation about the actually light at that particular tunnel's end, then by all means- go ahead. But the light at the end of the tunnel is a hackney cliche and really, we get it.
A question you might be asking is, "what if it is night time when I leave the tunnel?" Don't be cute.
No the tunnel metaphor holds ground. In life we often don't know what is around us. We have blinders on, and we move forward, we push forward, until we see it all. And that all is supposed to be 'the light'. Light is a vague enough term for it to seem poetic with resonance. But is light what we really want. We want what the light is shining on. Be it (to use driving metaphors) a clear road ahead, a 13 car pile-up, or another tunnel. So my fault with the phrase "the light at the end of the tunnel" is pretty personal. Personal in that I know a tunnel ends and the light doesn't concern me. I am a "The end at the end of the tunnel"- type guy. Nothing fancy, just a life.
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