Driven by Light

Petroleum may drive our engines but our consciousness is driven by light. - Clark Strand, NYTimes

"When the people of my small mountain town got their first dose of electrical lighting in late 1924, “they were appalled by the brightness and crudity of the resulting illumination,” wrote local historian Alf Evers. As Christmas approached, a protest was staged on the village green denouncing the evils of modern light. “Old people swore that reading or living by so fierce a light was impossible.” Besides which, it was a matter of pride : “Every flaw in their household furnishings was shown up.” That much light invited comparisons. It threw everything in sharp relief. It was an advertisement for the new, the rich, and the beautiful— a verdict against the old, the ordinary, and the poor."

-- Clark Strand, Waking up to the Dark