Sky Swap (NJ6)


Blue is a pleasant color and, evidently, I am not the only one who thinks it, too. In fact, a survey study conducted by sociologist Philip Cohen at the University of Maryland concluded that blue is most people’s favorite color. Luckily for me and these favorite color friends, I believe it is the color that we are exposed to most. After all, the sky alone fills nearly half of our vision when we are outdoors.  Right now, I am staring at the pale blue sky lit above my head. Fluffy, deformed clouds dot the atmosphere but barely cover the vast canvas behind them. On clear days, the blue appears to continue forever. In addition to blue skies, humans surround themselves with more blues: lakes, rivers, waterfalls, and oceans. We gravitate toward blue and I cannot help but think that an underlying programing exists in our being that causes us to enjoy the color. Maybe the fact that it is one of the colors we are exposed to most makes it our favorite, but I argue that we are compelled to enjoy its beauty by something deeper and harder to explain.

I actually wrote the previous paragraph above a few hours ago before taking a break. Now, the blue sky has faded and cannot be seen. In its place is a wall of grey clouds that drip rain droplets onto Earth’s surface. The shift in weather makes me think of Rachel Carson’s passage “The Marginal World.” Even her title suggests the blurred boundaries and transiency of our planet. Just like the shore has a “dual nature” based on its tides, the sky expresses a multifaceted disposition that can have distinct moods at specific times. Despite the fact that I like the blue skies better than the rainy clouds, the nature is constantly changing, reminding us to enjoy the weather of the present because you never know when it will be back.

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