How to Read “Many worship the rising sun, but none worship the setting sun”
Debi ogamu mono wa attemo, iribi ogamu mono nashi
Meaning of “Many worship the rising sun, but none worship the setting sun”
This proverb shows a harsh reality of human society. When someone has power and success, many people gather around them. But when that person loses influence and declines, everyone disappears.
People naturally flock to those with power or success. Some seek help, others want benefits, and some just want to follow the strong. The reasons vary, but the crowd never stops while that person shines.
However, once their momentum starts to fade, people leave like a retreating tide.
This proverb points out how easily human relationships change during rises and falls. It reveals the practical side of human nature. While it carries a critical tone, it calmly observes this as an unavoidable aspect of human society.
Origin and Etymology
No clear written records explain the origin of this proverb. However, the structure of the phrase offers interesting insights.
“Debi” refers to the rising morning sun. “Iribi” means the setting evening sun. The Japanese have worshipped the sun as sacred since ancient times.
The morning sun especially symbolized hope, announcing a new day’s beginning. Many people joined their hands to worship it. The evening sun marked the day’s end. Though beautiful, people rarely worshipped it.
This pattern of human behavior toward natural phenomena became a metaphor for human society’s essence. When powerful people or successful individuals have momentum, many gather and bow to them. This mirrors people worshipping the morning sun.
But when their power fades and they lose influence, they become like the setting sun that no one looks back at.
By using the universal phenomenon of the sun’s movement that everyone witnesses, this proverb successfully conveys society’s harsh reality in a clear and memorable way.
Interesting Facts
The custom of worshipping the morning sun exists not only in Japan but in many cultures worldwide. The moment the sun rises from the east has captured people’s hearts since ancient times. It represents the mystical transformation from darkness to light.
For the evening sun, cultures developed appreciation for its beauty. However, religious worship of it never became as common as for the morning sun. This asymmetry strengthens the persuasiveness of this proverb.
Interestingly, expressions comparing the rise and fall of powerful people to the sun’s movement exist in other cultures too. Reading life lessons from the sun’s movement represents universal wisdom that transcends cultures.
Usage Examples
- That president was so beloved, but after retirement nobody visits him. “Many worship the rising sun, but none worship the setting sun” is truly well said.
- At the peak of popularity everyone flattered me, but now nobody contacts me. “Many worship the rising sun, but none worship the setting sun,” indeed.
Universal Wisdom
This proverb has been passed down because it sharply captures human nature’s essence. We rationally understand we should value equality and loyalty. Yet on an emotional and instinctive level, we tend to be drawn to the strong and distance ourselves from the weak.
Why do people behave this way? It stems from rational judgment rooted in survival instinct. Getting close to people or organizations with momentum increases our chances of receiving benefits.
Continuing to associate with someone in decline can become a risk for ourselves. This cold calculation isn’t conscious. Rather, it’s a survival strategy that works unconsciously in humans.
But this is precisely why the proverb holds deep meaning. By knowing this human tendency, we gain two important lessons.
First, don’t overestimate your popularity and support when you’re thriving. Second, notice your own heart’s movement to abandon declining people. Then consciously choose whether to uphold loyalty and compassion anyway.
Our ancestors saw through this unavoidable human nature. Yet they didn’t simply criticize it. Instead, they passed it down as wisdom to future generations.
When AI Hears This
Many people worship the rising sun but few worship the setting sun. This actually relates to fundamental laws of the universe. According to the second law of thermodynamics, entropy—disorder—always increases over time.
Milk mixed into coffee blends but never separates again. This “arrow of time” moves in only one direction.
The human brain follows the same physical laws. We can store the past as memory, but we can only predict the future. The past has high information content and is definite. The future has low information content and is uncertain.
This asymmetry is crucial. The rising sun symbolizes a state of high information entropy—”we don’t know what will happen.” The setting sun represents low information entropy—”the results are already in.”
In information theory, higher uncertainty means greater information value. Rolling dice before seeing the result excites us. After the result appears, interest fades. Humans value the rising sun because our brains judge that “uncertainty about the future is worth investing in.”
This is rational as a survival strategy. We cannot change the past, but we can intervene in the future.
In other words, we worship the rising sun not merely from culture or custom. It results from our brains being optimized for the physical law that time flows irreversibly.
Lessons for Today
This proverb teaches modern people the importance of developing eyes to discern “true value” in human relationships.
If you’re currently surrounded by many people and going through a smooth period, look calmly at how many real friends and supporters exist in that crowd.
At the same time, accept your current success with humility. Prepare for difficult times that may come someday. Carefully nurture sincere human relationships.
Conversely, if you’re witnessing someone’s decline, observe your own heart’s movement. The feeling of wanting to distance yourself is natural. But can you still extend a helping hand?
That choice determines your depth as a human being.
Most importantly, have your own axis that doesn’t depend too much on others’ evaluations or support. Both the rising sun and setting sun continue to shine regardless of whether people worship them or not.
If you can live the same way, believing in your own value without being swayed by others’ reactions, wouldn’t that be true strength?
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