sunsets and the big picture

What is it about sunsets that grab us? Is it purely the artistic visual aspect, or is there something more, something emotional or spiritual? I have no answer for that myself - it just makes me curious. (And if you have an answer, or some thoughts, I'd love to hear them as well!)

I saw a couple of spectacular sunsets during my BC trip, and was able to capture them fairly well with my awesome new pink camera. (hehehe) For me I think it's the colors, the way the clouds fire up, and the deep intensity of the purples, oranges and yellows. I love nature, I love looking at it and capturing what I can of it. It's fascinating to me how it all works too, and to step back and allow yourself to see the big picture.

When I stand and look at a mountain, it reminds me of how very small I am. And to see that same mountain from the air, looking down on it, makes the big picture even grander - and me even smaller! I don't know about you, but I tend to get so caught up in my day to day life that I forget that big picture, and see everything in small sizes - everything except my problems and worries, that is. But when I stop and think about it, and really look around me, it doesn't take long to realize that my problems, my life, my worries, are entirely insignificant in the grand scheme of things! I am one tiny person, living on a tiny planet, in a little solar system in a galaxy that is just one in millions in the universe! How does that put things in perspective for you?

When I look at a sunset, it gives me an inkling of the bigger picture. I know how it works - or the jist of it at least. I know that it's not really the sun going down, it's the earth that's turning away from the sun (and around the sun), and that the sun is really this hugely ginormous ball of gas that is extremely far away from the earth. That also puts it in perspective for me. The colors are absolutely breathtaking, and it's quite a show, but it's more than that in the bigger picture. And to me that makes it even more breathtaking. This universe is a beautiful thing - and I'm only seeing a very very very small piece of it!

Flying definitely gives me this sense of the big picture - in a small plane, or in a commercial jet. I always go for the window seat, because I love to see the land from that high in the air. On my last flight, from Calgary to London ON, it was pretty clear the whole way, very few clouds, so I was able to see a lot from the air, including the fabulous sunset. Seeing it from the air gives you an even better picture of the vastness - you can see for miles - hundreds of miles even! You see the lights from numerous cities, and lakes and mountains. It really lays it out for you, and it always makes me think of the bigger picture.

I've watched a couple Star Trek series and some other sci-fi shows, as well as reading a lot of sci-fi, and the idea of space travel fascinates me. I hope to see it within my lifetime, and I would certainly jump at the chance to see space, or even the moon, up close and personal! I believe there is other life out there, other planets, other systems even with more than one planet. And while the thought of making first contact with another species is a bit frightening, it is also extremely exhilerating, and I really hope I get to see the day when it happens! It is a pretty big piece of this big picture - or at least a pretty big thing for our minds to take in. And perhaps the majority of humanity isn't ready for it, and isn't likely to be any time soon. But then again, perhaps we will never be really ready for it, and it will just have to be sprung on us!