We Need The Sun

Day 37 of writing every day.

Every now and then I see articles that get recommended or pop up telling readers about the importance and benefits of getting enough sunlight, and then comments flooding the post by people sharing their own experiences agreeing with the ideas—possibly backed by scientific sources—presented in the article.

Modern economies use electricity to power everything and electric sources of light were one of the earliest uses for the energy electricity provides. But not all light is equal.

The sun is what humans and many life forms on earth rely on to grow and thrive since the beginnings of life on Earth. Without it the Earth would be frozen. The sun’s rays are damaging at the same time and life as we know it wouldn’t survive without the protection provided by the Earth’s magnetic field.

Even with the protection our planet provides us, it is still too dangerous to remain exposed to all day every day. Our skin produces melanin that darkens it and protects our cells from getting damaged. We wear protection in the form of clothes. At the same time we also need to be exposed to the sun to produce vitamin D needed for healthy bones and to get seratonin, a chemical that boosts our mood.

Electric light sources draw on electricity that is just energy converted from other forms of energy, such as combustion reactions from burning gas and gasoline or the turbines of dams and wind farms. Solar panels convert the energy of sunlight into electrical energy that humans have learned to apply for many more uses than pure sunlight.

However, electrical light sources only provide visible light whose main purpose is to make seeing in places that would otherwise be dark as a result of it being night or just a place where the sun doesn’t shine. We don’t get any of the benefits of sunshine from standard light bulbs, most of which are designed to use electricity efficiently to radiate cool, bright lights for hundreds of hours nowadays.

It’s only specially designed light sources that emanate radiation at certain wavelengths that can mimic some effects of getting exposed to some sunlight.

The want for more time exposed to the sun is probably being driven by working indoors in an office with windows where the blinds must always be closed. I get essentially zero exposure to the sun during work hours unless I go out for lunch. I’ve mentioned this fact of my work life before.

I don’t think I’d trade the sun for artificial light if given the chance, and I hope to be in a happier situation in the near future.

Thanks for reading!