The chance to choose the stars
"Is it my own brokenness that has brought me here? I am happy at Engeye, but I have a scaffolding of modernity by my side: protein bars, a reading lamp, safe drinking water. I don't want to live the way the villagers live. But I don't really want to live the way I do either....
"Perhaps the minor anarchy of mistakes and small miracles we create is the sanest response to an impossible problem....
"I've found that I'm not the only visitor who has sometimes wished Engeye wouldn't get electricity. I so love the darkness, warm and blanketing under the generous stars. I want the unbroken view, the soft nights, the simple days. I've thought, For their sake, don't let them lose the stars. But not long ago, my neighborhood in Portland had blackout. After the first shock, the reminder of how many things I do that require power, I thought about those stars. I haven't lived with twelve hours of darkness for every twelve hours of light, every day, with only the waxing and waning of the moon for relief. Of course they should have electricity - and dentists and protein and shoes that fit. They should have everything I've always had, and the chance to choose the stars if they prefer."
- Sallie Tisdale, Harper's, July
"Perhaps the minor anarchy of mistakes and small miracles we create is the sanest response to an impossible problem....
"I've found that I'm not the only visitor who has sometimes wished Engeye wouldn't get electricity. I so love the darkness, warm and blanketing under the generous stars. I want the unbroken view, the soft nights, the simple days. I've thought, For their sake, don't let them lose the stars. But not long ago, my neighborhood in Portland had blackout. After the first shock, the reminder of how many things I do that require power, I thought about those stars. I haven't lived with twelve hours of darkness for every twelve hours of light, every day, with only the waxing and waning of the moon for relief. Of course they should have electricity - and dentists and protein and shoes that fit. They should have everything I've always had, and the chance to choose the stars if they prefer."
- Sallie Tisdale, Harper's, July