Time to turn off the lights

If you've never experienced the Milky Way on a truly dark (ie: new moon) night, I highly recommend taking a camping trip.

It's amazing, and the longer you lie there and wait, the more of it you'll see.

It will put into perspective just how little we are in our galaxy. (And that's just one galaxy!)

I vacation once a year on the shore of Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The closest larger light source is Thunder Bay, several dozens of miles across the lake. The depth and richness of the sky (vague allusion to Vinge, yes) are wonderful. The stars, the galaxies (with the help of a friendly ranger and his telescope). Watching satellites cast their slow arcs overhead.

I think such sights, like the science fiction alluded to, remind us of our potential. Current circumstances get some needed contextualization.

And the peace of the moment reminds me of where we come from. Not from a realm of endless distraction, but from a realm of endless engagement.