Have Wonder and Terror Gone Out of Style?

In class, we have discussed the 19th century discoveries of deep time and deep space, largely the result of astronomical discovery and geological discovery.  In the Victorian Era, as geologists analyzed the earth, they began to realize that the visible striations within rock were layers of sediment that must have been laid out over thousands -- if not millions -- of years.  Furthermore, in addition to realizing that stars and objects in the night sky were very, very far (millions of miles) away, astronomers began to believe that each of these objects (nebulae, planets, etc.) seemed to represent a different step in the cosmic process of the creation of space objects, realizing all of these objects had an inconceivably long history. Together, these observations helped provoke Victorian culture to fear and admire the natural world.  Indeed, if one was inspired by these discoveries, experiencing the 'magic' of scientific discovery was not out of one's reach -- in the 19th century, the realms of astronomy and geology had been widely accessible -- all a layperson had to do was look up into the night sky or find a cliff-side to examine.  These pervasive discoveries proved so important to mankind that they threatened the foundations of established religion.  In light of all the new knowledge, Victorian Era Europeans struggled with how to reconcile fossil findings with discoveries in the book of Genesis.  They also struggled with reconciling the possibility of alien life with God’s seemingly exclusive mention of the earth in His Bible.  People began to wonder if God was watching over other worlds too.

A border between two geological ages.  I believe the greensand is on the  left and the chalk on the right.

Geologic formations on the Jurassic Coast.  All of these reveal massive geologic forces at work.

Today, sometimes I wonder if we’ve lost a sense of awe.  The night sky -- an important reason for the wonder and terror of Victorian culture -- is not widely accessible anymore. Nowadays, in most places, especially modernized ones, humans don’t see the complete night sky anymore.  While looking for the social effects of this starless phenomenon, I read an interesting article this morning that talked about all the objectively detrimental issues that come with light pollution: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2627884/.  Some mentioned are the effects on wildlife, but also… surprisingly… an increased risk of cancer!  I couldn’t believe that at first.

One of the most disturbing statements the article mentions is the following:  “Indeed, when a 1994 earthquake knocked out the power in Los Angeles, many anxious residents called local emergency centers to report seeing a strange “giant, silvery cloud” in the dark sky. What they were really seeing—for the first time—was the Milky Way, long obliterated by the urban sky glow.”  What statement could describe our modern, starless condition better?  Looking at my own situation, I think the first time I’ve ever seen the full night sky with the Milky Way was watching an episode of Survivor (the show was being shot in the middle of the Pacific).  I faintly remember stargazing on a farm when I was younger, but I certainly don’t remember the Milky Way being there.  It’s been so long since I’ve stargazed that it almost seems as if it is a dream.

Another telling figure:  “According to “The First World Atlas of the Artificial Night Sky Brightness,” a report on global light pollution published in volume 328, issue 3 (2001) of the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, two-thirds of the U.S. population and more than one-half of the European population have already lost the ability to see the Milky Way with the naked eye. Moreover, 63% of the world population and 99% of the population of the European Union and the United States (excluding Alaska and Hawaii) live in areas where the night sky is brighter than the threshold for light-polluted status set by the International Astronomical Union.”

I wonder what sort of effects the lack of the night sky has had on society and culture – do we focus more on ourselves now because we’re not being reminded of our minute size in comparison to the vastness of the universe?  I also noticed something pretty weird when searching this morning for ‘stargazing’ on Google Scholar – all the articles that came up referred to stargazing as either a derogatory word meaning to become distracted with unrealistic dreams, or it referred to concern with the lives of celebrities.  In the context of this finding, it may be that we have become more self-centered – forgetting the vast beauty of nature, we worship celebrities, and in societal consensus, choose to burn lots of fossil fuels to create awe-inspiring areas such as Las Vegas or Times Square.

Things that I am in awe of today  (of course, I can’t say the night sky, because I haven’t seen it in person…

All the pictures above are of the clifftop along Chesil Beach, Burton Bradstock, UK, on the Jurassic Coast.

Beautiful, humongous cliffsides, trees, meadows, and beaches
Large crowds (like the one yesterday in London)
Huge team productions like movies (aren't you in awe when all the credits roll for a movie?)
The ancient history of a fossil
The humongous human population
Grocery stores, with so many products housed inside (and this is only one of thousands or millions worldwide!)
Electricity and the internet
Flying on an airplane
Spaceships and the idea of life on other planets
Epidemic diseases (but not to the degree of the Victorians, obviously.  We have far superior sanitation and health measures)

So, in light of my list, I’m left wondering -- how do my forms of wonder and terror mold my perception of the world?