Our fantastic civilization has fallen out of touch with…
““Our fantastic civilization has fallen out of touch with many aspects of nature, and with none more completely than with night. Primitive folk, gathered at a cave mouth round a fire, do not fear night; they fear, rather, the energies and creatures to whom night gives power; we of the age of the machines, having delivered ourselves of nocturnal enemies, now have a dislike of night itself. With lights and ever more lights, we drive the holiness and beauty of night back to the forests and the sea; the little villages, the crossroads even, will have none of it. Are modern folk, perhaps, afraid of night? Do they fear that vast serenity, the mystery of infinite space, the austerity of stars? Having made themselves at home in a civilization obsessed with power, which explains its whole world in terms of energy, do they fear at night for their dull acquiescence and the pattern of their beliefs? Be the answer what it will, to-day's civilization is full of people who have not the slightest notion of the character or the poetry of night, who have never even seen night. Yet to live thus, to know only artificial night, is as absurd and evil as to know only artificial day.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
The passage laments modern humanity’s disconnection from night’s natural mystery, fearing its darkness and the unknown.
In simple terms: We’ve lost touch with night’s beauty and mystery.
Key Takeaway
Re‑connect with natural darkness.
Themes
nature
modernity
fear
beauty
Mood
reflective
melancholic
Type
observational
philosophical
When to use this quote
- urban living
- light pollution
- nighttime contemplation
- stargazing
Key Concepts
environmentalism
philosophy
Questions to Reflect On
- How does artificial light affect your perception of night?
- What can you do to experience true night?
A Different Perspective
Night can also be unsafe and cause anxiety.