Eclipse 2017

Not so long ago, we lived in rural, pastoral villages dotting the fertile lands between great city-states. Once in awhile, we were caught between their feuding kings and the wars they waged over land, resources, and matters of wounded pride. Their armies would steal our crops and burn our villages as payment for the starvation they brought. We lived in the light which fed our crops which fed our children. We lived in the light which fed the trees which built our homes and warmed our hearths. We lived in the light with our families, three generations to a home. We lived in the light which allowed us to see wolves and serpents before they could strike. We lived in the light and we feared the darkness. When the Sun disappeared behind the moon, we trembled with fear for we lived in the light.

Today, we live within nation-states packed into cities one atop another. We live among strangers. We leave our children and elders in their care. We fight battles with one another for land, jobs, water, and all else we need to live. The wars we wage with one another are endless conflicts for subjective fairness, justice, and equality. The wars we fight with other nation-states provide background noise to our more immediate struggles. The predators are us, our neighbors, our institutions, and those who kill for the blessings of a capricious God in the hope of attaining paradise. We live in darkness now. When the Sun disappears behind the moon, we trembled with excitement, and we rush to stand in awe of the fading light because we live in darkness now and we curse the light. We live in darkness now and we curse the light.