Daily Photo—Pretty Pollution

Obviously, no pollution is good, but can pollution ever be pretty? In the case of light pollution, maybe? This is a photo of a water feature at night here at the complex I live in. By day, it’s a dull gray and is very often not working. One night back in December, we ventured out, and we found it both working and illuminated like so. It was magical. Many a selfie was taken with this as the backdrop by my 12 year old. 

Seriously though, Light pollution is becoming a very real problem for the United Arab Emirates with all the modernization that is occurring so fast and furiously. By night from the sky, this place looks like a 100 watt bulb Christmas tree all lit up. Aside from the obvious energy concerns of lighting big cities up at night, perhaps there is a also an accompanying spiritual loss? We humans miss out on so much that is numinous, which used to come along with a dark evening. Have you ever been out camping or for a walk on a full moonlit evening? Night like these, my thoughts often turn to the days when people had no electric light and might have waited all month for that bright evening to work the fields, travel by foot, or to have a celebration. I think this is why ancient civilizations worshipped the moon as they did, and perhaps why native Americans had different names for each full moon of the year. Just kind of thinking out loud, as usual.

Magical Water Wall Landcape Feature at Al Muneera by night.

Exact Same Water Wall Feature By Day. Drab, huh?

Dubai at night. Abu Dhabi looks pretty much the same.

#PollutionintheUAE #AbuDhabi #PollutioninDubai #PollutioninAbuDhabi #Lightpollution #AlMuneera