Daylight: The Light We Should Live In (ePub)

Human history is punctuated with important discoveries that bring about significant societal change. One of the most significant benchmarks so far has been our harnessing of electricity, bringing with it the widespread use of electric light. Everyone can appreciate the benefits electric light has provided: we are no longer yoked to the sun's progress across the sky. But what few realize is that this unyoking comes at a cost. Unfettered exposure to electric light and removal from the natural cycles of light and dark are taking a grim toll on human health, impacting people of every age and stage of life. The damage can be undone, but only if people heed the warning and make the necessary changes.

I have been blessed with a long and successful career as an accomplished artist and painter, specializing in portraiture. Like my father, Bjorn Egeli, I have painted portraits of the elite, and received many awards and accolades. My artistic training began in early childhood, and as I continued my education, I learned to understand and appreciate the impact of light in a way that few people can. This is the story of my quest to understand how the exposure to artificial light and the absence of natural light are changing human health.

Through years of investigation, I eventually not only confirmed this link but discovered a way to reverse these effects at the early stages. My experiments and prototypes, which were validated by professionals in the field, confirmed my hypotheses. Electric light use is directly linked to the onset of myopia, and there are steps we can take to avoid or reverse these consequences.

Through my investigations into the development of myopia, I made several other felicitous discoveries about light's impact on our bodies. There is much more to the story of light and health than just a creeping epidemic of near-sightedness. After covering my personal history and the substantial story of my investigations into light and myopia, the book goes on to reveal the impact our obsession with artificial daylight has had upon human development and health. I expand on my additional discoveries in more detail, addressing the influence of electricity on climate change, sex, obesity, and cancer.

This book describes my intellectual journey through research, investigation, and thought experiments, to show how I arrived at each conclusion. There are references documented for scientific studies and articles that support my own observations, with opportunities for the reader to do additional reading. Exposure to artificial light has changed the speed at which our bodies develop and has impacted our hormonal balance. But, by far, the most sinister result of our conversion to artificial daylight has been a surge in cancers-especially reproductive cancers. While an increase in myopia is disturbing and undesirable, the loss caused by these light-induced cancers is heart-breaking. It is no exaggeration to say that this is information that must be shared.

Modern innovations and the choices we make are changing not just the world, but our bodies and minds. Studies have uncovered connections between nighttime light and negative health consequences, especially cancer. But, perhaps it takes the vision of an artist to paint a picture so vivid, it can no longer be ignored.