Sometimes when I’m driving at night on the highway, it’s hard to see clearly on a clear night. I believe this is not inherently due to the darkness of nighttime, but to the brightness of the headlights on cars nowadays. I don’t know for sure, cause I try not to pay attention to advertisements and commercials, but I think that lately car companies have a “brighter is better” approach that they try to sell us on when it comes to headlights. To me, considering the basics I know about the human eye and how vision works, this doesn’t make any sense.
I will sum up briefly and simply what I’ve learned about dark adaptation. Basically, fully functioning human eyes are amazing and complex and can adapt to seeing in a wide range of lighting situations. This adaptation from seeing well in bright lighting to seeing well in dim lighting happens gradually over the course of about 20-30 minutes (about the time that the change in lighting during twilight lasts). I was really aware of experiencing this for the first time when going on a night hike through the woods on a 7th grade overnight class trip. We were specifically told not to bring flashlights, and to trust that we would be able to see in the darkness in time. And soon enough, the “absolute darkness” took on shape and form, and details emerged right before our eyes as they adapted to the dark! But this wonderful dark adaptation that our eyes work up to attaining can be ruined immediately with the presence of a bright light. Exposing our eyes to a bright light, and then trying to have the same level of vision as previously when our eyes were adapted to the dim lighting, is impossible; the bright light has basically resulted in temporary blindness.
Basically, brighter headlights are great for the individuals who have them, but so detrimental to everyone else coming their way. If we all relied more on dark adaptation and tried to consider each other, the answer would be dimmer, not brighter, headlights. But doesn’t it sometimes seem that once the precedent is set, the only way for you to survive is to continually try to outshine everyone else? And this way of thinking can be found in so many different areas of life as well- how quickly this escalation can occur! Lately, I have really been feeling the sorrow of a culture where everyone seems to be trying to outshine each other. I am blessed to be a part of this community, and to explore counteracting the “brighter is better” mindset together.
Author Archive for Kristen
I’ve been trying to work through living intentionally in relationship
and community with other people and with God. The idea that we are all
different parts of a body with various gifts and talents made whole in
Christ, is beautiful, humbling, and it also takes the pressure off of
feeling like I alone have to do and be everything.
Yet something about this can cause a flight reflex, especially as the
introvert and very independent person that I am. There is the desire,
at times, to not have to interact. There can also be this resistance
to taking ownership of the whole body and to being just one small part
of a larger picture. The dangers of not feeling valuable or of seeing
other parts of the body as not so valuable are there as well.
But a real body needs all of it’s parts to be whole and healthy. And
the perspective that I want to have is one that embraces being part of
one body. I’ve been feeling encouraged and comforted by the fact that
the parts of the body do not function at all on their own, but that
together, with each other’s support, there is life!
One image that’s been in my mind for the last couple of days is of a
bird’s nest being built out of broken twigs, on a branch of the tree
that the twigs came from. I imagine the branch saying to the twigs,
“Welcome back. You belong to me. We are still one tree.”
And I’ve also been picturing a boat setting sail in search of
something more or running from something that’s hard to face. Upon
departure, I can just hear the water saying “Remember, wherever you
go, you’ll need me to keep afloat.”
It reminds me of how the prodigal son did not forfeit being his
father’s son by leaving his family and squandering their money, then
returning in hopes of being given a servant’s job. Instead, his father
let him go and make his own decisions, then welcomed him back with
open arms as if saying, “No matter what you do, I love you, and your
place in this family will not change.”
The concept of being one part out of many in one body can be
overwhelming sometimes. But I imagine God, the father, allowing me,
the child, the room to make mistakes, and all the time accepting me
and welcoming me back with open arms, saying, “No matter what - if
you are broken, or if you try to run away, I love you and I will offer
you support. You are a part of the body of Christ, and that will not
change.”
Can we, in our family/neighborhood/work/friend/cell/church/house
communities offer this same spirit of belonging, support, love, and
grace to each other?
Let’s try.