Date Written: 13 January 2022
My Age: 18
What if the Moon were Made out of Diamonds
Essay:
If the moon were made out of diamonds, the entire history of the Earth would be changed. Neither human life nor any life would be as it is today. The newfound glistening of the moon’s light, casting upon Earth the rays of light captured from the giant fireball that is the Sun, as a result of the reflective diamonds, would deeply affect humanity in both philosophical and historical senses
Philosophical:
Composed of diamonds, the surface of the moon would be highly reflective. The diamonds, acting as prisms, would cast upon Earth a kaleidoscope of sparkle and hue. The moon’s unparalleled brilliance would be considered heavenly, far more interesting than the singular ball of light that was the sun. To early humans, the moon would thus be of higher religious power. Its glitter would cast rays of light onto the towns that, if not for the moon's reflective surface, would be in the dark. The beauty of such a celestial body would appear to early humans as “heaven.” The moon would represent a higher realm. This idea of the moon being on a separate spiritual plane would be exacerbated by early human’s inability to reach the moon, making it merely a dream. The moon would be a place where people wanted to go—to view, to touch, to capture the sparkle—but could never reach. Hence, much like our current conception of heaven, the moon would be a beacon of lavashing light and color and would symbolize a place where man cannot reach until they themselves attain a higher mental state.
Moreover, this reflective surface would eliminate what we know as night. Even when the sun sets, the moon will be present, reflecting all the sun’s rays onto Earth. No longer will humans cry their lonesome melancholies at twilight, nor will lovers rejoice in their newfound devotion under the stars of the night. The tales of friends' betrayal and those once loved told in the solitude of night with its inherent private and reflective spirit could not exist. The secrets held by night would be no more.
Historical:
If the night were to no longer exist, then Christopher Columbus would never have sailed the seas. Without the dark of night, the stars would be too dim to be visible, as if kneeling to the majesty of the moon. In this world, there would be no use for astronomers, as there would be no celestial objects to view, besides the sun and moon. Ever since the Middle Ages, astronomy has been the basis for all expansion. Astronomy is what pointed humans in the right direction. Through the stars, we navigated the oceans and crossed deserts. The original map lay not on paper but rather in the heavens, and without it, human globalization would have occurred much later than it did– if at all.
In a world in which diamonds constituted the moon’s surface, society and culture would be further rooted in staying in place rather than expanding. The history that has made humans who they are, which has created a globalized, technological society, would be nonexistent. Without the stars, humans would still be in the neolithic era: societies separated by water that remained untraversed. Without the night sky, our curiosity of what is beyond, our craving for knowing more, reaching more, getting more would be gone by the wayside; what makes humans different from other animals would be diminished. If the moon were made out of diamonds, our innate need to probe and explore would be left unfulfilled.