Project sunset
This year, I picked up a new habit or a hobby, whatever you want to call it. I started collecting sunsets or skyscapes. Every day, at the golden hour in the evening, I would sneak in a work break, arm myself with my phone and head to my terrace. The building I stayed in had its own visual obstructions in the form of other high-rise residences and unfinished concrete structures. But fortunately, there were certain vista points where the sun was observable at its gentle hour. I would go, diligently, every single day to observe and capture what the sky offered me. Soon, my phone was filled with snapshots that have become sacred treasures in my heart. Watching sunsets is a very cathartic experience. There is something that is so captivating about the alluring display of colours and clouds — it is the epitome of fleeting beauty.
The evening horizon is a constantly shifting tapestry. Every time I sat there and gingerly watched the sky, I was showered with perspectives, profound truths, and of course, spectacular panoramas. This little project sunset made me realise that life is essentially a non-zero-sum game. Those of you familiar with behavioural economics would be familiar with the concept of zero-sum game. Essentially, a zero-sum game is when one “player” gains something at the expense of another “player” losing something while a non-zero-sum game is when gains and losses can be made by all “players” without it affecting anyone else. Having an upbringing in a densely populated, developing country meant I was fed with the value that life is a zero-sum game along with every meal. Misguided by this little notion, I have engaged in behaviours that served no one, especially the self. But the more I moved away from such passé values, the more I observed and realised that life is essentially a non-zero-sum game.
One of the easiest ways to know if something is true at a cosmic level is to see if the pattern presents itself in nature. And nature is hard evidence to the non-zero-sum effect. As I sat under the banyan tree on a fine weekday afternoon, I realised that my intake of air does not diminish the availability of it to another life form. I realised that everybody can sit under the banyan tree and tune their hearts to the cosmic order without it affecting anyone else. Human evolution is also like that. And that day, I submitted my misguided, passé value at the root of this huge banyan tree in the middle of the park and walked back home with my renewed self. This humble submission had a ripple effect, and I could visibly experience and observe how I attracted people and interactions that were essentially non-zero-sum and how it was the non-zero-sum friends that I was deeply connected to.
Another evening, as I was strolling on the terrace, I stopped in my tracks and spotted a breathtakingly beautiful double rainbow in the sky. It was so stunning that I turned around to search for someone to share the moment with. Fortunately, I found an old lady pacing the terrace. I caught hold of her and made her privy to this spectacular phenomenon while it lasted. Two random strangers were huddled together in silence, jaws agape, being witness to something so sublime and alluring. It really was one of the most magical experiences. To express my gratitude for the stunning vistas, I began sharing pictures of dramatic skyscapes from my quotidian terrace trips. In a couple of weeks, my phone was flooded with remarkable pictures of the sky from people across the globe. And one random day, I woke up to an image of a magnificent sunbow in my phone, something I had never seen or known before. I had tears in my eyes. Project sunset had come a full circle.
The truly beautiful things in life are absolutely free and available in abundance.
