health
March 3, 2026
‘All you need is a chair and a view’: could daily ‘dusking’ make us healthier and happier?
An old Dutch ritual of going outside to watch the coming of night – or dusking – is having a revival across Europe. Fans of the practice say it’s a great way to disconnect from screens and find peace
TL;DR
- Dusking is an old Dutch ritual of watching the end of the day and the coming of night, recently revived by poet Marjolijn van Heemstra.
- The practice involves focusing on a single point as it fades into darkness, acting as a form of meditation and a conversation with the outside world.
- Van Heemstra promotes dusking as an antidote to the "real fad" of modern life, characterized by estrangement from the world and an "attention crisis" driven by screen use.
- Light pollution is highlighted as a significant environmental and health issue, affecting humans, wildlife, and ecosystems.
- Efforts to combat light pollution include the designation of "dark sky places" and initiatives like the Dark Skies festival in the North York Moors.
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