Darkness affinity

As the seasons change around the world, in all places but equator, the nights are getting longer and then shorter again. Every year. Light and darkness mark the time passing. In some places the difference is small, and somewhere it is significant. I grew up aroud 51st parallel. During winter solstice the sun rises at 8 AM and sets at 4 PM. And even though the day is not that short, retrospectively, I feel as we were afraid of darkness. The streetlights were bright like myriad of small suns. As if we were afraid that darkness can prevail and swallow light forever. Foolish we were.

The only thing we saw in that burning light was darkness. The blazing lights cast the darkest shadows. Dreadful. Darkness never looked so dark as when it was rendered by sharp edge of streetlight.

And so I was coming home in the evening, few paces through darkness and few through light. Again and again. Dreary. However at that time, I thought it is normal.

Now I live around 56th parallel and in the darkest day, the sun rises little later and sets little sooner than I was used to. The approach to darkness is, however, completly different.

Here in the north, people embrace darkness. It is not an enemy we have to fend off. It is natural phenomenon. Darkness comes and leaves when it is supposed to. And so my winter mornings and evenings are soft now. The streetlights are dim. They do not fight darkness, they merely touch its edges. Gentle handshake of two entities that can coexist beside each other. And because the light is not that bright, the darkness does not need to be so murky.

Cheers