About halfway between the autumnal equinox and the winter solstice, we receive a series of reminders that all live is ultimately dependent on the Sun. We surround ourselves with examples of triumph over nature all the time -- phones, lights, chemistry, and more.
■ But then the calendar reaches that tipping point where we’re closer to the dead of winter than the even spacing of light and dark, and it’s usually compounded by the shifting of the clocks back to standard time. Internal biorhythms are thrown off and outdoor activities are adjusted. Even work indoors changes as satisfying outdoor sunlight erodes and electric lights must be turned on more often.
■ It’s probably good for us to be reminded that we are still not fully the masters of nature that we tend to imagine we are. There are real constraints on what we do, as well as subtle effects we cannot overrule. What we try to adapt and how we try to do it are choices.
■ So is adopting a sense of humility more broadly, acknowledging that we may be the highest of the apex predators, capable of stopping any other animal on the planet as long as we can use our tools and work in groups, but we’re still helpless about feeling sleepier when there’s less light around.