CxD #278: Solar Eclipse š„ļø + Purple š£
Above you can see the local effects of the solar eclipse on the CxD neighborhood: friends and neighbors hanging out together in the middle of the street, in the middle of the day, and automatic house lights turning on as the sun disappeared.
We were all interuppting our habitual way of seeing by changing our habitual way of being (together).
Because of the heavy cloud cover, I caught 1.3 secondsā worth of the moon and the sun performing their cosmic dance which was not enough to hypnotize meā in the sense of creating a flow state with undivided attention.
Tim Urban had a much more focused expereience and wrote a profound reflection:
Imagine a world where there was always cloud cover, and one day every few years, in certain places, the sky cleared at night, and you could see stars for the first time in your life. It would be a totally surreal experience, something that reminded you that you donāt live in a big world but on the edge of a tiny rock in vast outer space. It would show you the truth about reality.
We see stars all the time, so weāre well-acquainted with our reality living in outer space (even if itās easy to forget during the day). But when I looked up at the sky during the total eclipse, it was the first time I had experienced another, totally different way to see with my eyes that I lived in outer space. I saw one sphere positioned in front of another sphere, with two other spheresāVenus and Jupiterāfloating nearby. More than ever before, it felt obvious that I was standing on the edge of a fifth sphere. For the first time in my life, I was looking at the Solar System.
I looked around. It was dark. At 2pm. There was a 360Ā° sunset along the entire horizonāanother first. By a minute in, there was a chorus of chirping crickets that hadnāt been there before. Birds were flying around overhead that hadnāt been there before. The cows continued being cows but I assume they were super confused.
The entire refleciton is truly wonder-full, which you can read here:
https://waitbutwhy.com/2024/04/eclipse.html
Another cosmic reality to consider: is it too soon for you to start wearing purple?
Warning
~Jenny Joseph
When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesnāt go, and doesnāt suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say weāve no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when Iām tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick flowers in other peopleās gardens
And learn to spit.
You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickle for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.
But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.
But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.