Dark of the moon

‘Dark of the Moon' is the title of the latest book I've just begun. Darkness in our modern society seems to reek of danger, evil, and the attending fear associated with them. This is a recent development. Darkness did not always bring on the emotion of fear. Night time required a special awareness that was honed by experience and intelligence and it was a form of understanding the surroundings in order to survive.
I contend that our forebearers did not fear the dark until others came along to encourage the fear. Maybe it was out of concern for survival of others but for conniving souls who thought of control the nurturing of fear was an inspiration. Evolving in the near equatorial areas is most likely for the beginning of human life forms and at the center latitudes day and night - light and dark hours - are nearly equal. Each individual on its own would seek safe places to sleep or rest as well as safe areas in which to forage for food.
But surviving on one's own would mean attentiveness at all hours. Guarding one's life could not stop at sundown which meant quick reaction to unusual signs in the area. Not sleeplessness, simply awareness. But most of all an ability to discern the nature of the unusual signs. The sharpness of hearing would probably alert an animal more quickly than any other sense, although a tremor of a heavy weight on my tree would alert me to an intruder very quickly. Odor might alert me to a real foe or a harmless cousin but I would have to see - actually identify by sight - the depth of a real disturbance.
Human vision can be attuned to see in many degrees of darkness. In my neighborhood there are street lights, porch lights, and backyard security lights that leave few shadows in my back yard. Even in the dark of the moon there is enough light for me to change sprinklers. In the depths of Oregon's national forest I tested my ability to see without those amenities. I could easily walk down a road where I experienced wonder of stars which would have been as amazing to early humans as to me. Navigating a steep hillside among large trees was not difficult.
My question is this: In our impatience to brighten our lives do we neglect our challenging our eyesight? The eye consists of muscles. The pupil enlarges or contracts as needed to let in the available light for us to see. I exercise my eyes as much as my stomach, back, arms, and legs.
Naomi Sherer