The autumnal equinox provides a moment for reflecting on the nature of change and our individual responses to seasonal transformations.

Standardized tests have trained us to believe that for every question there is a right answer—or at least a best answer. In the process we've learned to laugh when someone else's real-life responses to the issues at hand seem naive or simplistic. We no longer bother asking follow-up questions. We rarely make an attempt to see things from a different perspective. We don't even seem to care about what the other person intended. We just focus on spinning any alternate point of view into a joke.

When I lead tours of the night sky, I like to ask participants "Can you name the closest star to the earth?" Common answers include Sirius and Alpha Centauri, but in reality the nearest star to the earth is much, much closer. That star is our sun.