Underneath the Path of Totality
I drove as far north as I could in the time I had to get to the Path of Totality. I was maybe 15 or 20 miles below it, i.e., Cleveland, TN. A colleague gave me a pair of glasses, so I could watch it, and that was fun. Slowly it got darker and darker, but not completely; about late dusk. It was cool but I hate to say that I was not awe-inspired. Some people report life-changing religious experiences. I just enjoyed it. I didn't get stuck in traffic, either, or pay any money.
It struck me that fear is largely from lack of understanding. Our ancestors did not understand the orbits fully and feared the eclipse, making up myths for it. We know it is a sign of our ordered universe, and as such that lack of randomness should elicit spiritual feelings in us.
How much of our fear does come from lack of understanding? Not lack of knowledge, per se, because I don't know what might or will happen tomorrow but I still get up and face the day. But our understanding is limited in most ways, and our fears often come from that limitation.
It struck me that fear is largely from lack of understanding. Our ancestors did not understand the orbits fully and feared the eclipse, making up myths for it. We know it is a sign of our ordered universe, and as such that lack of randomness should elicit spiritual feelings in us.
How much of our fear does come from lack of understanding? Not lack of knowledge, per se, because I don't know what might or will happen tomorrow but I still get up and face the day. But our understanding is limited in most ways, and our fears often come from that limitation.
Comments