Dark Ages

Why were they called the Dark Ages? You might say it was because people were ignorant about a lot of important things; but people today are ignorant about a lot of important things as well. Maybe it is more likely it was dark because we were suddenly more isolated. You were part of a world empire; now the empire is disintegrated and you are merely part of a town. You lived in the city; now you live in the country without a car. You had internet and a cell phone; now you have to walk to town for news. That is darkness of the Dark Age kind. What remains to be seen is whether we have turned the lights up too bright, whether a new Dark Age might not be good for us. When the power goes out and you have no choice but to get out the candles and play cards, the whole time you wish the power would just come on again already; but when the power does come back on, for only an instant you are aware that for a little while there in that close, dark room you all had something local, human, and special, and you have lost it. Yes, it would be a good deal more serious than that, and if it doesn't appeal to you then don't think about it too much; but it may be that you were born for such a time as this, when the empire is disintegrated, and the power goes out.
(via BlackBerry)