Life Lessons You Can Learn From A Solar Eclipse

There are many things you can learn about a solar eclipse, such as what causes them to occur, how often they occur, and how to observe them while following proper safety precautions. But what can you learn from this cosmic phenomenon?

In honor of 2024’s eclipse across North America, let’s explore several somewhat scientific “life lessons” from a solar eclipse.

6 Life Lessons From A Solar Eclipse

1. Small things can keep you from seeing the light. For a brief moment during a solar eclipse, the moon blocks the sun though it’s much smaller. Similarly, small things in life can appear bigger than they should. Without putting them into perspective, they can entirely block out the good things.
2. The closer things are, the bigger they appear. Similarly, the closer you are to a problem, the bigger it appears. Therefore take a moment to detach yourself from your problems–make them less personal, observe them at a distance, and see them as an independent observer. This can help you see the problems you’re facing from a more realistic point of view.
3. Precious moments can be fleeting. Eclipses don’t happen very often–especially total eclipses. It’s a wonder that something so rare is also so fleeting, lasting only a few minutes. As a rare and fleeting cosmic event, it’s natural to want to embrace every minute. Let that serve as a reminder to also embrace those precious moments in life that occur each day.
4. Challenging moments will pass. During an eclipse, darkness comes suddenly. Within minutes, there’s light again. In life, we will have trying moments that bring about periods of darkness. They may not last a few minutes but a few days or a few weeks. Whatever the duration, it shall pass. Just hold on.
5. Strength can be found through challenging times. Following an eclipse, the sun begins to reveal itself again. When it does, be sure to have protective glasses on because that light is very concentrated and intense. Similarly, your strength and resilience are most revealed after challenging times.
6. We are all one and we are quite small. Viewing any major cosmic event like an eclipse that millions of people can also see is a reminder that we are all united as one human race on this planet. Meanwhile, it reminds us how small we are relative to the universe.