Last night was very foggy in the valley. I got to drive around in the very thick fog to run some errands and it got me thinking about the “mists of darkness” that Lehi saw in his dream. (see 1 Nephi 8) I noticed that the fog did not seem dark itself, it just muted all the lights so that my field of vision was extremely short (sometimes less than 100 feet to even see a light). The thought struck me that the “mists of darkness” might be just like this fog. They need not be dark themselves so long as they impeded the lights from outside them from penetrating to those within the mist.
In fact, within the fog (especially while walking) it did not seem dark at all. Again I suspect that this is like the mists that caused so many in Lehi’s dream to lose their way. It may not be that they felt that they were in the dark at all. Without an eternal perspective (which the fog would impede) everything within the fog seems just fine, even if there is reduced visibility.
As I was driving home I started lookinng to see how close I would have to get to the temple before I would have any glimpse of its very bright lights. The answer was surprising. I caught no glimpse of the temple until I crossed Davis Blvd. (about a mile west of the temple). When I crossed that street I not only got a hint of light from the temple, but I saw it across that mile with great clarity because the fog ended abruptly at that street. 10 feet back I could see nothing, but once I passed that boundary of the fog I could see everything. I guess those who stick to their goal even through the mists while they cannot see are safe if they do not forget their goal because of the lack of long-distance sight. Once they pass the msits they see clearly again.