TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE “CONFESSION”
8/21/2017
By Rev. Dr. Larry Delano Coleman
I was a witness to the great solar eclipse, earlier today.
I nakedly-eyeballed it, while seated alone on my deck.
Having heard the incessant media hype about the dire necessity of wearing specially-approved, solar glasses, from every direction, I remained skeptical.
Frankly, I had already decided to ride-out this epic solar conjunction, “bareback,” as my older brother, “Buddy”—Elvis Jr.--used to say in another particular context.
I looked. I saw it. I did not lose my eyesight, praise be to God—who gives eyesight and sunlight to me, you and others—for, I had not been as utterly risqué about my personal visual prophylaxis as my written bareback “confession” may imply.
During the months, weeks, days, hours, leading up to this great cosmic event, I had read. In reading, I thereby informed myself about the nature of solar eclipses: ancient, medieval, modern; African, American, Asian, Indian, European. In my studies, which were casual and gradual, I had not read of any massive blindness besetting, befalling, bedeviling, any class of people, anywhere, at any time. These billions of viewers, surely, had viewed untold prior solar eclipses, without specially-approved glasses, without alternative contrivances, and without injury.
I smiled.
Later, more convincingly and more recently, Benjamin Franklin, a Founding Father, scientist, ephemeris (almanac) author, diplomat, describes his being surprised by a solar eclipse, while on the deck of a ship, with other passengers. They had all viewed it, without specially-approved solar glasses in the eighteenth century. (Do not know whether Ben Franklin had invented bifocals as yet or not.)
I smiled again.
Then, I happened to hear a female astrophysicist on National Public Radio say, just the other day, that it would be “perfectly safe” to view the eclipse if it was “in totality;” but when the moon moved, out of totality, we should quickly cover up!
So, basically, one must not look directly into a blazing sun. Duh! Right! Who can?
Now, I am laughing out loud!
Monday, August 21, 2017
SOLAR "CONFESSION"
TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE “CONFESSION”
8/21/2017
By Rev. Dr. Larry Delano Coleman
I was a witness to the great solar eclipse, earlier today.
I nakedly-eyeballed it, while seated alone on my deck.
Having heard the incessant media hype about the dire necessity of wearing specially-approved, solar glasses, from every direction, I remained skeptical.
Frankly, I had already decided to ride-out this epic solar conjunction, “bareback,” as my older brother, “Buddy”—Elvis Jr.--used to say in another particular context.
I looked. I saw it. I did not lose my eyesight, praise be to God—who gives eyesight and sunlight to me, you and others—for, I had not been as utterly risqué about my personal visual prophylaxis as my written bareback “confession” may imply.
During the months, weeks, days, hours, leading up to this great cosmic event, I had read. In reading, I thereby informed myself about the nature of solar eclipses: ancient, medieval, modern; African, American, Asian, Indian, European. In my studies, which were casual and gradual, I had not read of any massive blindness besetting, befalling, bedeviling, any class of people, anywhere, at any time. These billions of viewers, surely, had viewed untold prior solar eclipses, without specially-approved glasses, without alternative contrivances, and without injury.
I smiled.
Later, more convincingly and more recently, Benjamin Franklin, a Founding Father, scientist, ephemeris (almanac) author, diplomat, describes his being surprised by a solar eclipse, while on the deck of a ship, with other passengers. They had all viewed it, without specially-approved solar glasses in the eighteenth century. (Do not know whether Ben Franklin had invented bifocals as yet or not.)
I smiled again.
Then, I happened to hear a female astrophysicist on National Public Radio say, just the other day, that it would be “perfectly safe” to view the eclipse if it was “in totality;” but when the moon moved, out of totality, we should quickly cover up!
So, basically, one must not look directly into a blazing sun. Duh! Right! Who can?
Now, I am laughing out loud!
