Ok, I did it. I looked up directly into the sun during the eclipse. I could use the excuse that I didn't have glasses. But I would have done it anyway.
Eventually I asked a random stranger if I could borrow his eclipse glasses and he obliged. "Wow! Amazing!!" I immediately shouted. It was a huge difference. I saw the crescent sun! I had no idea the sun was that eclipsed, because it wasn't that dark. Amazing.
The best part of the eclipse was sharing he moment with all the office workers on K street. It felt like a big moment. It was a big moment. Thousands gathered on sidewalks and rooftops across Washington, DC. A vision and feeling of unity so desperately sought in these depressing times of failing politics and declining social cohesion.
Yes, that's really the first thing I thought as I looked up. We need moments like these. Offline, off media, off print, in real life where concepts and ideals yield to passion and experiential community. Is that a thing? Well, it is now.
I liked the eclipse. I liked seeing people exclaim with glee, like I did. They came together to nerd out with completely uninformed theories about astrophysics. And felt a lot better about their day.
Good for you...sadly we missed the whole thing as we were only focussed on driving home! Many of my friends reacted as you did only in different places...good for you for putting it in words!
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