A stark difference in perspective

Just so you know, many, many millennia from now, any life that is left on Earth will be roasted to a smoldering oblivion by a dying sun.

How that fact makes you feel largely depends on how old you are.

Two weeks ago, as the SOLE Hour was wrapping up at Park Ridge Library as the children were presenting what they learned, I cracked wise that this was one of the darkest sessions I’d ever experience, but, if you were paying attention, you’d see how off base my observation was.

A dry waterless earth after it's been scorched by the sun

The question for the group was “What will happen to people when the sun is gone?” and if that seems a bit simple of a question (you know, like, you just wrote it at the top of the post, Steven), these kids would beg to differ.

From that one question children researched the life stages of the sun.

They found theories on which planets still could survive--there was a bit of a dispute of whether it would be Mercury or Mars, though I suppose it could be both...or neither.

There was discussion on theories of multiple universes.

Timelines were created.

Artistic representations of a post-sun Earth were drawn with bonus "fun facts."

But back to that original point. This topic didn’t inspire fear or sadness. If anything there were a lot more laughs and awe inspired wows in spite of what, to my adult perspective, were dire predictions.

Why? I don’t know. The children in these SOLE Hours are always finding new ways to amaze the adults. And themselves. The why I’m sure will be answered. As a matter of fact I’ll bet it has been already. Maybe a SOLE of my own to find out after publishing this? Maybe the needing everything explained correctly is more of my adult perspective. The kids were perfectly happy with being amazed, and not at all feeling “dark” about the amazing topic.

There’s a lesson in there for we adults, don’t you think?