Driving in a Total Solar Eclipse Is the Experience of a Lifetime

That just goes to show that no matter how technologically-developed we get, the Universe still sees us as nothing more than ants. It's a good thing eclipses happen so rarely because we might have gotten depressed if we were reminded more often of how profoundly insignificant we are.

There's your happy thought for the day - no need to thank me. But apart from its psychological side, a total solar eclipse is a beautiful event in itself. Sadly, it's not one you can gaze at freely as the full five minutes of it would make you go blind, but there are countless ways you could have enjoyed it in perfect safety. Some of which provided by car manufacturers themselves, like this protective film that can be applied over a Volvo XC60's glass roof.

However, the clip below doesn't focus on the actual image of the Moon standing in front of the Sun as if the people on Earth were trying to take a picture and our satellite decided it was time for a bit of photobombing. Instead, it shows you the eerie serenity on the streets of Columbia, South Carolina at 2:42 P.M. on a Monday afternoon.

Even though it's filmed with a dash cam (or possibly a mounted phone), you can still hear the uproar of the crowds that had gathered outside to witness the event as darkness began to descend. There's no need to get philosophical here, but you can't help the feeling that the world would be a better place if, somehow, this state of mind the people briefly got during the eclipse (no hate, no worries) could be shared by everyone on the planet, at all times.

Yeah, sorry I went all hippie on you there, but just by watching the video, it feels like one of those extremely rare magical moments.