by Bengal Hotdog

Created on: May 02, 2009

The Sun performs its spectacular display of death and rebirth every twenty-four hours. There is something phenomenal about a sky filled with warm, rich colours, clouds highlighted to show off their glowing silver lining, and a once blinding light reduced to a glowing disc and sinking slowly out of sight.

The Sun is the source of life on our planet, and each night that light dies, leaving us with the hope that it will rise again in the morning. When watching this powerful, unstoppable light sink below the horizon and disappear from sight, it is not difficult to think of the human spirit as that very light.

Many cultures and religions have worshipped the Sun and from that symbolic act of setting and rising, have come to believe in the reincarnation or rebirth of the soul.

Other cultures have many other takes on a similar concept, seeing the rebirth of the soul in a new world as the sun rising on a new day.

For the non-religious, sunsets still have a magical feeling to them. They bring out a humble feeling of being human, and a reminder that the human spirit is just one tiny part of a much bigger picture.

For couples, watching the Sun setting on a beach is romantic; as the water reflects the stunning colours and a couple are engulfed in feelings of warm luxurious beauty. It can be a powerful, refreshing experience, for both young couples and those who have been together for many years.

Taking a moment to appreciate that beautiful sunset can have the power to remind a troubled couple of that tender affection that may have fallen in the backseat to life, but which brought them together in the beginning. It reminds the human spirit of the need for love and warmth, reassurance and support.

One watches the glowing clouds and streaks of blues and reds and can only appreciate the beauty of the paradise we live in. The Sun is untouchable, undamaged by the destructive nature of mankind, and will rise and set again and again until its own lifespan comes to an end. And when that happens, our planet will be extinguished along with it.

It is humbling for the human spirit to know that there is a whole universe out there over which we have no influence. The Sun is a reminder that we are on a tiny, lonely planet, and our existence and that of every living species on Earth depends on that very light rising again in the morning.

It is a sign of endings with the promise of new beginnings, and death with the hope of rebirth.

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