Paul Simon wrote "The Sound of Silence" in 1964, yet its enigmatic lyrics feel strangely relevant today. And the opening line, “Hello darkness, my old friend,” has been echoing in my mind ever since we turned back the clocks last weekend.
I’ll admit, I don’t love early darkness. Still, I take comfort in knowing that our planet’s tilt is what makes life as we know it possible.
If Earth were not tilted on its axis, there would be no seasons. The polar regions would be locked in bitter cold, while the equator would be so intensely hot that it would be nearly uninhabitable. Only a narrow band of temperate weather might exist.
Even there, life would be very different. Without seasons, there would be no autumn leaves, or for that matter, no fruit trees or nut trees, no crops to harvest and no agriculture at all. And without agriculture, humans could never have produced a reliable food surplus.
That surplus made cities possible, along with complex societies, specialized labor, inventions and the fine arts that define civilization itself. It’s humbling to think how much our world and our fine arts have resulted on something as simple as a tilt.
Without it, we might not be here at all. Or if we were, this latitude would be a harsh and barren place to live.
So yes — hello darkness, my old friend.
