Seeing Things In A Different Light

Say what you will but I think the sunrises and sunsets in Autumn are the most stunning of the year. There is something about the play of light on the land that gives the dawn of a new day a kind of golden hue, like a soft, inviting greeting to the day. When sunset comes round, the light explodes into color until it slips softly down beyond the horizon in blankets of purple and gold, a fitting end to a glorious day. We forget all of the worries and harried thoughts to bask in the last notes of Mother Nature's symphony for the day, at least for those few moments.

It's amazing what effect the presence or absence of light has on us as humans. As the days grow shorter and the hours of darkness lengthen, we hear of more cases of SAD or Seasonal Affective Disorder. People become reclusive, depressed, lonely and suffer from loss of energy. Getting out of bed in the morning is a challenge. Yet take the same people and fill their days with light, and their whole outlook changes. They have more energy, are more light-hearted, and look forward to the day.

Our ancestors let the light of the seasons dictate their day. They lived by the circadian rhythm of the 24 hours. They rose with the light and ended their day when the sun went down. They did not stay up to watch the Late, Late Show, or rise at 5 to go to the gym or commute to work in the dark. They respected the laws of nature and figured Mother Nature knew what she was doing. After all, the animals and trees had been doing it successfully for thousands of years before we came along. She must be doing something right.

I think we would be doing ourselves a great favor if we started living by the laws of nature more and the laws of mankind less. We would be able to see the world in a different light, and that just might make all the difference in the way we treated each other and the world. Maybe our differences would fade with the sunsets, and our common threads glow in the morning light. If it works for the animal kingdom, it just might work for us as well. At least it's worth a try.

And so it is.