LOOKING AT OUR WORLD IN THE SAME WAY MANY HAVE SEEN IT BEFORE US

We as humans have been on our planet for a comparatively few years. In the beginning and up until more recent centuries we knew little of the physical world around us. We explained it to ourselves and to others with myths that related to our own lives. Michael Sims has described many of these myths and observations in his latest book, “Apollo’s Fire”,  by taking us through a complete day cycle showing us how these chroniclers looked at the ancient rhythm. Michael Sims is at once a poet, scientist, historian and mythologist in this work. From dawn to noon to dusk and deep night we sail. He explains the colors of the sunrise, the characteristics of the shadow, the mysteries of twilight. He takes us to Galileo watching the sun, Edgar Allan Poe figuring out why the night sky is dark instead of glowing with the light of the stars.

There are hundreds of references and stories like Henry David Thoreau, who wrote: “Every sunset which I witness inspires me with the desire to go to a West as distant and as that into which the sun goes down. He appears to migrate westward daily and tempt us to follow him.” Or woody Allen, who wrote in one of his books: “I saw a red and yellow sunset and thought, How magnificent I am. Of course, I thought that yesterday, too, and it rained.”

What a delightful way to show us our world minute by minute, hour by hour, through each phase of our beautiful world. You will never look at the beauty around you in the same way again.