The Beauty of a Sunset

I live in North Dakota.

I have my whole life (aside from a year I lived in Germany).

There's not much to look at in North Dakota. You've seen one field you've seen 'em all.

But one thing North Dakota has going for it is its sunsets.

They're beautiful. They're awesome, in the archaic sense of the word.

The sky is painted by a thousand brushstrokes of pink and purple and hundreds of other colors that fall in between.

I suspect most people don't pay it any attention. It's as if someone held up a brand new masterpiece in front of you day after day. After a while most people just push it aside to carry on with their lives.

That's sad.

I would rather be awed by something I get to see all the time than bored by it. We all need to take time to appreciate the beauty around us.

It's there if you look.

The more places you can find beauty the more joy you’ll have, and the more content you'll be in your day to day life.

Look for beauty in the day to day.

That means video games too.

What got me thinking about all this was the Overlord DLC in Mass Effect 2. There is a point when you're driving around in a little hover tank when the tank's computer says: "Geographic conditions indicate an aesthetically pleasing view nearby. Organic life forms may wish to take note."

I took note all right. It was a great view.

I figured the artist, or artists as the case may be, probably didn't just want people zooming by and not looking at their wonderful work. And why shouldn't they? They put in a lot of good work into making the world of the game look wonderful.

Take the time to actually appreciate it.

When I play games I take time to look at the far away, not just what’s up close. It's often what's off in the distance that is the most beautiful and artistic.

Distant backdrops.

Mountains.

Sunsets.

An artist had to create these scenes, and what makes these more beautiful than just a portrait is that they are dynamic, not just static and unmoving. Often you can see it change over time, and I feel that that makes them better than any painting could ever be.

I find the sunsets in Red Dead Redemption to be particularly wonderful.

Just think of how much work must have been put into making that sunset. Incredible. 

Look for beauty in everything you encounter.

Enjoy your game.

Enjoy your life.