While
researching the subject of solar energy, I came across the curious concept of
‘right to light’ laws:
“For at least two
thousand years, people have attempted to assign solar rights in a fair and
efficient manner. Ancient Romans protected the right to solar heat and light
through prescriptive easements, government allocations, and court decrees.
Ancient Greeks protected solar rights through rigid land planning schemes that
oriented streets and buildings to take advantage of light and passive solar
heat. More recent rules − such as the so-called “ancient lights” rule
established in medieval England or the permit system currently used by Japan −
have continued to refine the concept of solar rights. Each regime has
recognized that sunlight, in reaching any one parcel, may travel across
multiple parcels, and its route may vary throughout the day and from day to
day. By necessity, then, the creation of solar rights implicates the rights of
neighbors, both immediate and further afield.” http://128.197.26.4/law/central/jd/organizations/journals/bulr/documents/BRONIN.pdf
Many
ancient cultures, knowing the value of natural light, made laws protecting
people’s right to light. You were not allowed to build your house in front of
someone’s window, blocking their light.
In
my search for illumination, I sometimes, unintentionally, block other people’s
light. Writing and talking out loud enable me to process my thoughts. However,
if in my pursuit of personal development, I hinder another person’s growth—then
I’ve blocked their light. I have a right to build high-reaching towers on the
space that I own, but not at the expense of others. My desire for enlightenment
must not impede anyone else’s edification.
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