Darkness and Light

Photo: John Murphy CC BY-SA 2.0

Next Monday, August 21st, many of us will get the chance to observe the solar eclipse. (If you enter your zip code at this Vox site you can find out what to expect in your area; I’ll witness 92% occlusion at 10:20 am from my home in West Seattle.) I know many of you who are traveling to Oregon to be in the “Path of Totality.”

Wendell Berry said, “The earth is what we all have in common.” To that I would add the sun, the moon, and the stars. When my kids were away at college I comforted myself with the idea that we all still looked at the same night sky.

There’s no disputing the divisions and violence in our world today. But I’d like to encourage everyone to take the time to experience this rare look into the workings of the clock of the universe—an uncommonly collective opportunity.

For those of you outside the path of the eclipse, or stuck indoors, or under cloudy skies, you can still be a part of the experience and watch events unfold on the Internet (of course you can)....