Today, I am thankful for those who choose to lean in and receive enlightenment.
The third week of June in the Northern Hemisphere is the time when the Earth has its maximal inward tilt to the sun. Now, this might frighten you to know, but the Sun never actually moves. Rather, as the Earth rotates around the Sun, it tilts on its axis, thereby allowing the poles of the Earth to ‘lean in’ to the Sun. In June, the Northern Pole wobbles towards the Sun, resulting in the furthest distance of the sun from the Equator and the entire Southern Hemisphere. Hence, north of the Equator, the year’s longest 24-hour period with daylight is maintained, including continuous daylight for the entire day in certain northernmost regions of the globe – the North Pole.
This planetary phenomenon is marked with celebratory festivals, ritualistic holidays, and the occasional cry of an ensuing Armageddon. Nevertheless, each year, we all survive, ensuring that the next year’s Summer Solstice will once again occur sometime between June 20 and 22. Around the globe, the world’s inhabitants celebrate Summer Solstice with the Dragon Boat Festival in various parts of Eastern Asia, the Juhannus festival in Finland, and the Jani celebration in Latvia, just to name a few. Furthermore, this celestial celebration also marks World Music Day, International Surfing Day, and, International Yoga Day. So, namaste to you all! Turn on the Beach Boys, grab your surfboard, and head for the beach (after you’ve first stood on your head for 3 minutes)!
This celebration reminds me that sometimes it takes time to create greatness and/or achieve enlightenment. Supposedly, in the ancient times, twenty years would transpire before the Great Pyramids at Giza were fully erected. More than a dozen years also passed before the first bicycles and pedestrians made their way across the Brooklyn Bridge. Even today, immense structures take time to build. Take, for instance, the Sagrada Familia basilica in Barcelona. Started in 1882 under the watchful eye of architect Francisco de Paula del Villar, the cathedral still remains unfinished. Nevertheless, the project’s managers hope to complete the towering edifice by 2026, exactly 100 years after del Villar’s death.
Even great nations take time to lean into greatness. When the Constitutional Convention convened in May 1787 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to draft a new form of government, the delegates under the supervision of its Convention President, George Washington, would debate the entire summer. Finally, on September 17, 1787, the Committee endorsed the ‘final’ US Constitution. However, the document still required ratification by two thirds of the original states (9 of 13) to be fully enacted. Although 5 states immediately endorsed it, others held out because they feared the document failed to protect basic political rights and liberties to individuals. After an agreement was reached that amendments to the Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights, would be added once fully ratified, 3 other states leaned in and endorsed its approval. By now, an entire winter and spring had passed. Finally, on this day (June 20) in 1788, the state of New Hampshire would become the ninth state to ratify the document. Interestingly, Rhode Island became the last of the 13 states to sign, only finally agree to lean in and sign the document in May 1790, under some threats that the smallest state would lose its commercial ties to the other twelve states if a signature was not forthcoming. Today, this American charter remains the world’s oldest written constitution still in operation.
So, in a week we celebrate the most light in the Northern Hemisphere, take a moment to show gratitude for those who leaned in to drive forth the American Enlightenment movement. Sometimes, you need patience and perseverance to become fully enlightened.
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