My teacher smiled and the rest of the class was followed by him reminiscing of how beautiful the sky looks back at his village.
Since decades, the night sky has been a muse for poets, writers and philosophers. Humans have looked up at the stars in awe, questioning their existence and finding a relationship within the stars and the galaxies above. The wonderment of the pristine night sky has ensured that we remember our true place in the universe.
Stargazing has helped me untangle so many of my life problems and has eased my 'writers block' several times. Sadly, living in a metropolitan city, I could never watch the night sky in its whole glory. Light pollution has deprived me and millions of people from the celestial treat up in the sky.
Image courtesy: Google Images
In most cities similar to mine, the sky is virtually empty of stars. Not only it mirrors our fear of the dark, it also leaves behind an orange haze, normally called the skyglow. This is artificially created due to the excess and unwanted lights been directed towards the sky. Light pollution is the result of poor lighting design which throws light up in the sky wherein it should illuminate the ground where it is truly needed. I can't stress enough on how much this has irked not only me but to everyone who has loved the night sky truly.
Skyglow at night (Google Images)
Our nights are vanishing.
Humans have a large well-maintained record for being greedy. As much we have accomplished over the years, we strive for more, to be and maintain at the top of the food chain. Darkness is mystifying, it's scary because of the unknown and the invention of white lights flooding and washing away the stars to create an eternal day eliminated this fear. The willful turning off and on the night by a mere flicking of the switch made us believe that we have mastered the universe.
But have we?
It's high time we act the intelligent species that we have evolved into. Humanity is about empathy. We need to stop being selfish and maintain the harmonious relationship between nature and us. We need to open our window to the universe.
We need to turn off the lights and bring back our stars!
Related post- Stargazing:Diamonds in the sky
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