The celestial artwork

I watched the Sun slowly descending towards the horizon in a brilliantly blended yellow, orange and red sky. It was like an artwork masterpiece that no canvas had ever seen. The white star cut through this sea of colours, probably draping itself on its way down as it slowly morphed into a brilliant pinkish-red ball. Was it an act of defiance and reluctance to go below the horizon? In the moments that followed and as the dusk settled in, the beautiful pale tint of the orange sky changed into its lilac after-glow colors. Another earth day came to a graceful end, ready to embrace the darkness of night.

Lilac sky during sunset

Photography of an evening Sky

This beautifully choreographed dance and drama has been happening every day for billions of years, yet something about the Sun coming up or going down the horizon is awe-inspiring. Few sights on earth can compare to these magical moments. If you have doubts, ask those poets, artists and photographers who try to make a living by capturing these spectacular celestial shows.

The Orchestrator

Even as the Sun stole all the limelight, the earth toiled away silently, spinning about its axis with an air of indifference. The Sun may be the show’s star on the east and western horizon daily, but the earth knows that it is the orchestrator of this show. After all, it is the earth’s horizon that moved, causing this grand illusion of the rising and setting of the Sun, for the past 4.5 billion years.

But as the cloak of darkness engulfed the sky, the significance of the show I had just witnessed dawned on me. I was also amazed at the parallel this celestial drama shared with our lives. Was the Sun stealing the show or showcasing the earth’s hard work? The earth spins all day and all night. But only when its horizon goes past the Sun does its movement gets noticed. So, the Sun may not be stealing the thunder from the earth as I thought, but paying tribute to its selfless hard work, which otherwise goes unnoticed.

We toil away daily, hoping for that elusive success. But, while hard work is essential, more is needed to guarantee success.

We need a Purpose. We need our Sun.

We need a purpose that keeps us going without enslaving us to it. This delicate balance between hard work and Purpose makes life magical. One without the other is meaningless. Sun only uses the horizon twice daily to show off and showcase. Any more or any less exposure will mean no life on earth. At the same time, the show stops when the globe stops spinning. Both need each other to survive and thrive. 

Even if you don’t see your Purpose yet, keep doing your thing. But know that your hard work creates beautiful magic at the right moment somewhere on a distant horizon. Some important purpose comes full circle thanks to your tireless spinning. You will find that Sun soon even if you don’t see it now.