About light and dark

So drawn to the sparkle, the luminance...so unsure and suspicious of the dark. Is it because of what may lurk in the shadows? Because human sight all but ceases when the lights go out?

Or does it?

*mind wander*

At the Grand Canyon in 2006, a park ranger gathered us after dinner on the stone patio that overlooks the north rim. All the lights were turned out and as soon as our eyes grew a bit accustomed to the dark, he used a laser pointer and taught us about the stars of the northern hemisphere. It was the strangest optical illusion: as he pointed, it seemed as if the laser traveled the entire distance between us and the constellations, illuminating the very stars themselves.

After the talk, a small group of us peeled off to continue the evening's program and set out for a twenty minute walk on the rim of the canyon...in pitch dark...headlamps, flashlights off. In fact, turning one on could cause someone's death as they would be blinded and might walk off the edge, we were told. That sealed it for me. I stayed behind. I'm adventurous, not nuts. It was remarkable though, that in the complete absence of light, we could see quite well, even on a moonless night.

Light and dark...they need each other. Without light, dark is less dramatic and moody. Without dark, light is washed out and loses its punch; true for photography and painting but not for life. Someone told me once that the reason we have to have bad days is so we can fully appreciate the good ones. What? No. I don't need bad ones to enjoy and appreciate the good ones. That makes no sense.