Some people think I am being facetious with a title like that. They wonder, 'Since when do you need some tricks to enjoy looking at something that is breathtakingly beautiful?"
But the person saying that is unlikely to be a long-term traveler.
And what do they mean by "beautiful" anyway? They mean it's redder than usual. By that reasoning you could take a photo of a mediocre sunset, stick it into photo-editing software, and blast the shit out of it with fake redness.
What good would that do for a long-termer? But we still want to enjoy a fine sunset.
I have found something that helps me. There is something about listening to a song sung by Jimmy Buffet (album = Beach House on the Moon). I can't give you a link on You Tube but there is a version of it done by the song's writer.
Sunset is an angel weeping
Holding out a bloody sword
No matter how I squint I cannot Make out
what it's pointing toward.
Sometimes you feel like you've lived too long
Days drip slowly on the page
You catch yourself
Pacing the cage...
The impact of a sunset does not come from how red it is. It comes from combining a fine visual image with something else, be it the right piece of music or a powerful personal memory, especially one involving danger or suffering -- or at least, uncertainty.
It is thinking of what to combine the sunset with, that really matters. You feel a little thrill when you get it right. Otherwise it is just another photo cliche'.
But honestly, wouldn't the song be better if the second line said "holding forth a bloody sword!"
And I take purdy pichers of sunsets, too! Even if they aren't red.
Comments