This is the thirty first article in a series I am writing for the JEANS section of 'The Nation'. The series is for children. Adults consider yourselves warned...you might re-discover a child within you! Scroll down for other articles in this series.
During the day there's light all around. At night, lights are spots that twinkle in the distance. We are talking about faraway lights and not those in your living room or bedroom. If you looked out of your window, perhaps beyond the houses of your neighbors, you will find faraway light. They are white or yellow dots that disturb the darkness, aren't they?
If you happen to live on the top of a hill or are visiting friends in such a place or staying in a hill top hotel, and if your view is not interrupted by trees or hills, you'll see these light-dots.
If it is dark enough you will not know where those lights are located, unless of course they come in a line, in which case they are probably streetlights. But consider lights that randomly dot the faraway landscape. Have you ever wondered about the lives of those who are are bathed in such light? Is there some child doing homework or is some family having dinner? Is it a garden light that you see and if so what kind of flowers or ferns decorate it, have you wondered?
Is it a guardroom light which keeps a security person company while the household that he protects is fast asleep? Is it a light that someone forgot to switch off before he or she left a room or went to bed? Are they all ‘necessary lights’ or are they ‘wasted lights’?
There’s a lot that such lights can make you think about. Quite apart from wondering about what the lights are there for, what purposes they serve and if they are really necessary, faraway lights can make you think of other things.
They are candles. You can see them that way if you want to. What kind of candles, are they, you can ask yourself. Were they lit to dispel darkness or were they lit before some deity or perhaps in memory of someone? You can think of them as birthday candles and if so you can imagine what kind of cake they decorate!
They are fireflies, aren’t they? Strange fireflies for they don’t blink as often as your regular firefly does – just a few times during a night or not at all, at least not until dawn.
Maybe they are glowworms. Lots of them. Maybe they’ve come out to feed. Maybe they want to say ‘hey, we also exist, come take note of the fact!’
Faraway lights are interesting things. In fact everything that is ‘faraway’ is interesting. Maybe we don’t look too far ahead to appreciate the many ways they can make us imagine so many things.
Who knows, perhaps there’s a little boy or girl far away who has just seen the light in your house and is wondering if there’s a little boy or girl sitting by a window of a house wondering about a little boy or girl in a faraway house.
Light are fascinating things, aren’t they? Think about it. But don’t forget to switch off unnecessary lights. When there are too many lights you can’t enjoy the darkness and that little boy or girl far away will not be able to think of fireflies or glowworms or candles!
Other articles in this series
It is cool to slosh around
You can compose your own music
Pebbles are amazing things
You can fly if you want to
The happiest days of our lives
So what do you want to do with the rain?
1 comments:
Really nice thinking....
I have wondered like this, but not about lights coming from bulb or candles. I was wandering about stars. I was wondering that, at the very same moment what might going on there ! If it is a planet there might be lot of activities. Perhaps there might be a person like me. Exactly a same person like me. He also might watching at stars at very same moment and he might seeing my planet and thinking about me. can't it be ? Interesting. isn't it ?
// In fact everything that is ‘faraway’ is interesting. //
1000% agree.
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