Comment by Hilliard_Ohiooo
1 day ago
It's not that big a deal for MOST people. I was on navy ships transiting the Pacific it's as dark as it can get on deck and sure, it's magical and spectacular (especially the NUMBER OF SHOOTING STARS!) but even in the middle of the ocean 99% of my fellow sailors could not have given less of a shit. I'd sit out there for hours and they all though I was a weirdo for it. So, while amazing, most people don't understand or care to understand the enormity of what's going on around them.
Most people didn't care about dark skys in the first place and still don't.
> Most people didn't care about dark skys in the first place and still don't.
Most people were never given the opportunity to care.
Very true, but isn't that exactly what the parent is suggesting? That even a ship full of sailors given the opportunity to care, very few do?
Or are you suggesting that by the time they are in the Navy, it's after the age where one might be most easily encouraged to care?
Mostly the latter.
There's another aspect to it, though — parent was in a navy ship, surrounded by sailors. That's a very specific population, in a very specific situation, and it's not necessarily true that that's the right crowd or situation to care (though it baffles me how a sailor at sea might look up at the stars without being in awe of the thought "damn, my predecessors navigated based on those")
Had s similar experience in the saharah desert.. I love all things space and have a teleclscooe I use regularly but seeing it in person and just laying down and watching for hours was another experience.
I would argue that probably not looking up all the time at night with predators around was an evolutionary trait though! (Semi joking)
There are a lot of Muggles in the world.
In parts of The Netherlands is simple never gets dark due to light pollution. It feels like it is always dawn. Pretty bad for your sleep cycle.
Some pictures: https://milieufederatie.nl/nieuws/6-op-de-10-nederlanders-wi...
Depends how far back we go for "first place". Stars are an interesting intersection of social sciences, hard sciences, and even some woo for a very long time. We must consider their interaction between religion, astronomy and astrology going as far back at least as history lets us.