Yeah, I watched the solar eclipse. We only got 58%, and it never got dark outside. But it was still awe-inspiring; a numinous experience - great word, that. I've used it before, and I'll use it again, because it is one of those words that describes a specific experience exactly.
I had to wonder what it must have been like for the ancients to experience an eclipse. No news service warned them in advance, or told them not to look at it. If it was total, the day would become night and return to day. In those breathtaking moments, they had no idea what was happening. How could they not perceive it as a message from their Gods?
How wonderful it is to live in a time when we have a more complex understanding of reality, right? To the educated mind science actually magnifies the complexity of the universe. I'm pretty sure some might think that complexity divine. Who knows? Not me. Outside of direct experience, it's all just words and wonder.
Magical thinking is a basic human reaction. In our innocence, this is how we are delivered to the world. However, the ability to think and reason are what separate us from animals. So, I was shocked to discover there are still people in these United States who thought it was The Rapture last Tuesday. Geez O Pete! I despair.
Despair is the perfect word for those who try to spread fear. I was incredulous when I first read some of those ridiculous statements. I was unable to see the eclipse this time. We were blanketed with clouds. I did see five turkey vultures though. And I was fortunate enough to clearly see the total eclipse in 2017. It was magnificent.
ReplyDeleteFive turkey vultures are something to see.
DeleteThere is a stone age site in a place called Loughcrew in Ireland with stone carvings depicting a solar eclipse that must have taken place more than 3000 years BC. I would not underestimate the astronomy knowledge of ancient times. While there certainly was much superstition just as today, there were also people who carefully recorded and calculated what they observed in the sky. Science is as ancient as humankind. The most amazing observation for me during a total solar eclipse in the 1990s was how the birds all settled and went quiet only to explode in a racket as soon as the sunlight came back.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sabine.
DeleteI'm glad I got to watch. We were 94% coverage but it didn't get dark - just less bright!
ReplyDeleteAmazing.
DeleteI happened to be outside when the darkness descended. It wasn't total but quite noticeable. And eerily quiet.
ReplyDeleteI was not shocked to hear of the conspiracy theories; the frantic warnings to stock up, the utter...well, ick of folks' refusal or inability to embrace the facts of life.
Ick is a great word.
DeleteI'm sure an eclipse must have been terrifying to the ancients -- just like a comet or any other extra-terrestrial event. Glad you could see at least a portion of it!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Steve. It was a thrill to see what I saw of it.
Delete"To the educated mind science actually magnifies the complexity of the universe." Actually scientists are trying to simplify the world, make it more understandable. And one of their tools - the one that puts off non-scientists big time - is by rendering reality in mathematics. Yes! Dry old math. Sometimes the equations can read like a Hank Janson story. Of whom you are too young to know.
ReplyDeleteI'm grateful for your interest in my recent short story and I've left a big chunk in the comment section. It may be of interest.
I can't think of anything more complex than mathematics.
DeleteWe drove a little north and got to about 98% total. Even with all the scientific explanations, I still felt like a pre-historic human looking up with awe and wonder.
ReplyDeleteOne of the funniest things I saw on-line was the suggestion to get some blow-up dolls, fill them with helium, and send them up for the rapture. I can't even imagine the internet reaction . . .
No sign of the eclipse here in Northern Ireland - it was too cloudy. Yes, there must have been so many things the ancients found totally incomprehensible. Not that we understand things that much better now!
ReplyDeleteHa! Good point.
DeleteSorry to use your blog as a messaging sub-station again but I've only just noticed the comment you left ten days ago on my post L'après-midi d'un invalid. In it you asked a big big question. This have tried to answer.
ReplyDeleteDelightful, this post put a smile on my face! Yes, there is wonder - and also idiots!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you liked it.
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