Likin' the Spiritual, but NOT the Religious? discussion

One of the things that really piqued my interest in this chapter is the idea that the light come sometimes hamper us. If you really think about it, when are the time that the light is just too much for your eyes? When does it obscure what you really need to see?

Oncoming traffic, trying to sleep(ambient light) noonday glare if taking pictures. Sometimes when I'm being human the light gets in my way by exposing my humanness

Oncoming traffic makes me think about how "bright" headlights are such a hindrance to oncoming traffic. I think there's a sermon there somewhere. :-)

I hadn't really thought about this. I read the book and was in a discussion group but somehow this escaped me. So, I'm grateful for the reminder. It causes me to think about how the "bright lights" of success can often cause us to believe the myth that we are in control of everything in our lives. It is in the darkness of failure that we often discover what we are made of. Well, at least that is true for me.

Besides headlights of oncoming traffic, early in the morning when the sun is just past the horizon and evening when the sun is almost to the horizon. When the sun is close to eye level. Now that I think about it, those are periods of transition. There is something in those moments, I think.

Yes, I agree wholeheartedly. It all has something to do about transitions, which makes me think about the transitions from light to dark, from nighttime to morning, from day to night.

It doesn't sound strange to me at all. I have a sense that some of us gravitate toward darkness and nighttime and others toward light and daylight. Still, regardless of where we find our rhythm we can certainly learn from the other point of view. For example, I am a morning person, waiting on the sunrise, looking forward to the light, but I have found, since reading this book, that by growing more comfortable with the nighttime and darkness I have a greater appreciation for both.

I think these reflections are very true. Artificial light has changed how we function. In the book, Barbara Brown Taylor reflects on that. The only experience I have of being away from artificial light was on a recent camping trip. It's so disorienting, but also something about the natural rhythms of light and dark seem right.

I think she mentioned that our ancestors lack of light was maybe less of a hinderance to them than our abundance of light is an advantage for us.

Yes, I think this is all true. I have to say that having read this chapter I turned off the projection on my clock on my bedside table, and dimmed the display and I have actually been sleeping better with that one little change. Amazing!