Sunsets and the Morbid Nature of Man

“Do you like Sunrise or Sunset?”

“Riding off into the Sunset”

“Watching the sun go down together, hand in hand, a romantic image, isn’t it?

Even I agree, a sunset is a beautiful event, yet at the end of the day, a sunset is death, and in my mind manages to perfectly capture our association and fascination, with death.

Death is a taboo, something that many people either choose not to talk about, or actively avoid. It is something inevitable, we all know it is coming, and for some, that knowledge is too intimidating for us to contemplate.

So many of us waste out lives, flitting out time away on things that ultimately hold a status in our minds and in our lives that they do not deserve. We find excuses to not do things, to not meet a friend for drinks, or tell ourselves we are too busy to take a stroll and look at the stars on evening. We pass the time in any way we can, obsessing over the small things, arguing and bickering, ranting or bitching, carrying grudges, when each day that passes brings us all one step closer to the inevitable.

We don’t like to talk about death, because death is serious, and talking about might somehow bring it forth, cause us to expire either before our time, or at least acknowledge that’s its presence is constantly lurking over out shoulders. Yet, we stand and wait to watch the sun setting, its blood orange glow cast on the horizon. We waste out own lives, yet we stand on ceremony over the death of a day. What is there in life more unique than a single day in our existence.

We should stand and applaud the sunrise, and celebrate the end for the things we have accomplished, not mourn the things we wished we had done. Whether we obsess over death, or keep it hidden from every aspect of our lives, avoid it at all costs, it remains a constant. Get rid of the elephant in the room and live life with no regrets. Ensure that you sunset isn’t spent mourning the things you wish you had done, but smiling over the things you did. The trouble you caused, the experiences you had and the memories you cherished.