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Darkness is often defined as the absence of light, and seen as something to fear, to avoid and chase away as much as possible. Candles, lamps, any number of things are created and hoarded to try and keep the darkness at bay. But... by avoiding the darkness, by fearing it, these people never learn to see the beauty concealed in the shadows, the peace and shelter in the darkness.

The dark is quiet, it surrounds you and fills you. It sinks into your very bones until you are one with it, and it is as much a part of you. It wraps itself around you like a lover’s embrace, dimming your view of the world and others until it is your only companion. It’s a companion you can never fully trust, however, as even the most peaceful of nights can shelter the assassin’s blade, the stillest shadows hide the things that which would devour you.

No, darkness is never trustworthy. It can love you, and fill you, and protect and shelter you, but it is not and never will be loyal. Darkness has many lovers, and offers the blessing and curse of its presence to al of them equally. It will keep your secrets, your hidden actions and concealed passions, your lovers’ trysts and your thieving hands, and will never tell, will never burn the truth like the hostile, honest, yet ‘trustworthy’ light.

Darkness is everything that light is not. And with its poetic beauty and concealing embrace, darkness is truly magnificent.

Entry

Darkness is not a thing to fear, is something that should be enter willing. Embraced with every cell of your body and let to taint one’s very soul. Darkness will warm you to your very bones, even when the air is too cold to even breathe. It will wrap around your spirit and mind, and corrode at the very walls you have built around them, setting them completely free. Every single part of you. It will make you face your deepest fears, but it will not leave you to do it alone. It will help you face your enemies, by making you stronger than them. It will let you hide between itself, when those full of envy and hate are chasing you. Darkness will dissolve your hatred, and leave nothing but calm behind, you will never be blinded in your rage. It will make you perfect, because that was darkness is. Perfection. And you shall become darkness itself. Raise above those who fears darkness and lure them in so they may understand, if anything at all, this one single thing: Darkness is truly magnificent

Humans are primarily diurnal creatures, dwelling and functioning in the light of day. So accustomed to this are we that, to overcome the limit of daylight, we have invested countless means to illuminate the nighttime hours, most famously the light bulb. Though the light bulb as we know it was not invented until 1879, work on the device began nearly thirty years earlier ("Light Bulb History"). Prior to this, daily life continued into the cloak of night with the aid of fire, specifically in the form of candles and lanterns. The "first recorded sighting of a lantern demonstration in England occurred in 1666," though there is evidence suggesting that the item was first developed in the 1650s to the credit of the Dutch scientist Christian Huygens ("Lantern History").

Man's obsession with light begins, perhaps, with his innate fear of darkness. Known as nyctophobia from the Greek "nyx" (night) and "phobos" (fear) in its most extreme incarnations, the fear is commonly developed in early childhood. Studies indicate that "90% of all children have at least one specific fear and a fear of the darkness or the night is very common" ("Nyctophobia: Its Origins and Development"). However, even disregarding phobias altogether, humans have what seems to be a genetic predisposition to experiencing anxiety in relation to darkness. Not unlike the genetic fear of spiders, snakes, and other potentially deadly items, a fear of darkness can be credited to the fact that an absence of light can prove a danger to one's safety. Wild animals are known to hunt their prey in the night, a problem which persists in recent years, though current victims are more often livestock (Pfannenstiel).

The danger of nightfall does not stop at the step of a chicken coop, however. Robberies are nearly exclusively a nighttime crime, "increasing after 8:00 PM and subsiding after 3:00 AM in most areas." Robberies are most common in winter due to the extended darkness. 8.3% of robberies occur in establishments that remain open throughout or late into the night (McGoey). Bearing this in mind, there is indeed legitimate cause to fear the dark, but the threat of darkness is not merely psychological. There are also medical concerns associated with darkness, specifically the idea that dark or dim lighting is harmful to one's eyesight (Edmonds).

In light of all the overwhelming evidence against it, one may feel inclined to argue that darkness is not only undesirable but also a formless villain against humanity. This, however, is both untrue and a slanderous attack against night's true nature. The fact stands that darkness is truly magnificent (Tenebrae), and there is much to be said in its favor.

To begin the argument in favor of darkness, it can be said that the claims of its harm to vision are, in fact, false. The eyes adjust to low lighting in a variety of ways, beginning with the rod and cone cells of the retina producing more light-sensitive chemicals which detect light in a way that the brain can interpret it. The muscles of the iris relax to allow the pupil to enlarge, which collects the available light from the environment. The nerve cells of the retina adjust so that they will be able to control more deftly the shape of the lens and focus on an image. This creates more work for the eyes, and, as any muscle, they eventually tire out. Furthermore, the eyes can dry out from a decrease in blinking in such activities as reading, causing uncomfortable dryness. However, these symptoms are temporary and are alleviated with time, causing no permanent damage to the eye (Edmonds.)

In response to concerns of the likelihood of crime during nighttime hours, one can rest assured that the crime rate is decreasing, having dropped 6.5% from last year in the United States, with robbery having declined a dramatic 15.5% ("FBI: Crime rates down"). Philadelphia has the highest rates of robbery as of this past summer with a mere 12% of all crime categorized as robberies (Dang).

Though darkness in any quantity does no harm to one's visions, in large amounts light will do just the opposite. Viewing the sun's light directly has even been known to cause blindness when done in excess. Combining this with sun burn and the possibility that it will result in skin cancer, phototoxic reactions, photoallergy, and other light-related diseases and disorders (Habif), it is almost surprising that there is not more aversion to light than to darkness amidst the human population. Photophobia is also a common occurrence, though where nyctophobia causes only psychological discomfort, photophobia has the capacity to cause severe eye pain even in low light ("Photophobia").

Darkness also has many positive emotional connotations. For many, nightfall signifies the end of a long day and the opportunity for rest. For the approximately 3% of the work force that is employed in evening and night shifts ("The Ever-Changing Nocturnal Work Force"), evening is the beginning of a new, productive day. Because humans are diurnal creatures, the darkness that accompanies nighttime is often integral to slumber. Who can argue that, after fitfully attempting to fall asleep for any length of time, the warm embrace of darkness after the lamp is extinguished is not a welcome sensation?

Darkness, of course, also has its more practical purposes. Its inky envelope is ideal for concealing an unwanted truth, "[hiding] whatever you don't want to be seen." It also serves as an excellent medium for surprise campaigns in tactical situations such as military assaults (Tenebrae). Should one wish to engage in an activity unseen, either due to embarrassment or necessity, night is the perfect cover. It is also attested by many that darkness provides the perfect catalyst for both introspection and relaxation. The benefits are veritably endless.

Are you ready to come to the dark side?

Works Cited

Dang, Mike. "When you're most likely to get robbed." Bundle.com. 2011.

Edmonds, Molly. "Does reading in dim light really hurt your eyes?" Health.howstuffworks.com.

"FBI: Crime rates down." Wjhg.com. 2011.

Habif, Thomas P. Clinical Dermatology. 2010.

"Lantern History." Heard.supanet.com.

"Light Bulb History." Ideafinder.com. 2007.

McGoey, Chris E. "Robbery Facts: Violent Crime Against Persons." Crimedoctor.com. 2011.

"Nyctophobia: Its Origins and Development." Healthguideinfo.com. 2010.

Pfannenstiel, Robert. "Nocturnal Predators and Their Impact on Lepidopteran Eggs in Annual Crops: What We don't See Does Help Us." International Symposium on Biological Control of Arthropods. 2005.

"Photophobia." NLM.NIH.gov. 2011.

Tenebrae, Centurion. Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World. 2008.