Lights Beneath Us

Flying home from Michigan. Had wonderful trip!!

There is free Wi-Fi on AirTran and I thought I would  share what I am seeing while up in the air.

We are just now passing over Philadelphia. As I look at all the lights down there, I am imagining what it looked like 100 years ago, or 200 years ago, or times before we had electricity. If you flew over 200 years ago, would you be able to see the lights in houses or gas lights on the streets or would it just be pitch black earth down below?

It is remarkable how much the world has changed in such a short period of time. It is also remarkable that this change occurred because of an invention from one man, Thomas Edison. Is this what he imagined the world would be like? I am looking down at solid lights as far as I can see up and down the east coast. A solid blanket of glowing orange and yellows with a few whites mixed in. It is really beautiful in it’s modern, technological-advanced sort of way. But is this what Mr. Edison had in mind when he invented that one light bulb?

I have heard that some people say that we are sending too much light out into space. They call it light pollution. But why is this a bad thing? Can this soft warm glow really be considered pollution? I understand the argument that it is a waste of energy. That the lights should be focused on the ground or where they would benefit people and that shining them out into the sky is a waste.

But is it? Maybe it isn’t. Maybe it is more along the lines of letting the universe know that we are home. Letting any visitors from afar know that this planet is occupied. If you want to come visit, that is fine but otherwise, this planet is taken. We have called dibs and you need to find some other world to populate, thank you very much.

Of course, maybe these thoughts are all a product of being tired, drinking a gin & tonic and feeling a little discombobulated from traveling. Or maybe it is taking advantage of an opportunity to share with those on the ground how beautiful the earth is from the air on a cold winters night. Oh well. These are the thoughts roaming around my head tonight and I felt compelled to share them with the world.