Another day, another sunset

Every day this big, bright, beautiful star disappears below the horizon, signifying the end of another day. Depending on the weather, it is a wondrous sight with various colors filling the sky, providing an opportunity to reflect on the day and appreciate the wonders of nature and this world around us.  How many of us take the time to stop and look at this extraordinary occurrence?

A couple years ago I read a book by Viktor Frankl, an Austrian psychiatrist, extentialist and also a Holocaust survivor, titled "Man's Search For Meaning".  In this book he writes about his experiences during the Holocaust and his time spent struggling for survival in deplorable conditions and being transported to various concentration camps. One night he and a group of other prisoners stop to look at the sun setting and this is what he describes, "Standing outside we saw sinister clouds glowing in the west, and the whole sky alive with clouds of ever-changing shapes and colors, from steel blue to blood red. The desolate grey mud huts provided a sharp contrast, while the puddles on the muddy ground reflected the glowing sky. Then, after minutes of moving silence, one prisoner said to another, 'How beautiful the world could be'!" Although these people experienced so much hatred, genocide, destruction, cruelty and lack of basic human resources, at this moment, they looked to the sunset and realized how very beautiful the world could be.

From now on, I will try to make the conscious decision to look at the sunset and be reminded of this quote.  At the end of the day, it will help me to put my day's events into perspective.  It will be an opportunity for not only self-reflection, but a time to realize how beautiful this world is and to pause and savor one of nature's spectacular moments.