Thanks Adam! Another thought provoking article that helps us reflect on who we are and who we might become should we choose. I was particularly struck by how easily I could summon my own “awe” moments when I took the time to do so. It made me ask why more of us allow these definitive impressions to run as undercurrents to our daily lives rather than grounding the choices we make in our personal and professional journeys?
Could it be that in a world of media culture, the opportunity of the awe experience has been reduced to an Instagram post; likes, reposts and Pinterest dream boards. The digital generation (and even a few of us old folk) are perpetually exposed to thousands of images of the most beautiful beaches, the grandest mountain ranges, the wildest creatures and of course, the ubiquitous sunrise/sunset combo. We share our collective awe with the ease and efficiency of the social network but I believe, in the process, we build “awe apathy”. The world captured in the lens of our cell phone camera is so quickly forgotten or, once posted to make it real, lost in the never ending feed of the digital age.
How do we reclaim the wonder, the humility, the humanity, the awe of feeling a small piece of a universal whole? Do we need to travel to exotic locales or seek out unspoilt wilderness? That might help as both offer a journey of discovery that disengages us from our everyday patterns however, perhaps the more practical journey is closer to home. Gratitude for the little things, appreciated by our senses, like a butterfly’s flight, the chorus of waves or the intricate beauty of a maple leaf.
When we strive for the “awe moment”, like the perfect Instagram shot, we are subscribing to the danger of the momentous. The scramble for the next big thing, the next perfect photo, the next peak summited; humanity has been engrained with the need to constantly search for more. The enlightened achievement of the state of awe might instead allow us to live in harmony with less, and to find more in the moment to surprise, humble, amaze, inspire and ground us.
I reflect sitting by the ocean, looking into the craggy waters of a sandstone tidepool. At first, there appears to be little but the seaweed and rocks. But as we quiet and open ourselves to the wonder - the water comes alive. The small becomes infinite as our eyes adjust to the tiny crabs scurrying around, bullheads darting between cover, anemones extending their tentacles in search of nourishment. We see colour and life unfold before us and as if held by a spell, we find that magic so often hidden in plain view. Awe is everywhere, just waiting to be discovered. Sometimes we just need a reminder.
Thank you Adam for another deep and inspiring article. I am very curious to learn more about accommodation as I am currently learning about Emotional Memory Reconsolidation (and its critical five hours reconsolidation window) and wonder if it's related to what you are describing here, i.e. that after an awe moment, if we "return" to our interrupt driven world, we do not actually accommodate/integrate/reconsolidate our memory and may not benefit as much as we could from the awe inspiring, ego deconstructing moment we just lived. Which points to the benefits and power of extended time in Nature such as hikes, backpacking trips, retreats and vision quests, for example.
I really appreciated this issue, Adam. Your words, combined with the thoughtful responses of Anne-Marie and Noah, really moved me today. Noah articulated well the collecting of awe moments that have, in my opinion, created the "awe apathy" that we see in society. The personal experience of the awe moment and the ability to reach the accommodation is truly what's key in having, what could be, a transformative experience that could then be shared with colleagues, friends, employees and neighbors. I don't mean shared in the sense of snap, click and send. I mean share in the sense of the meaning and purpose you extract out of a moment and how you apply that through decision making, relationship building and even basic communication. This also has made me think about today's political environment and the common ground of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness that transcend party lines and should connect us all versus acts that drive a wedge between us. I think of appreciation, gratitude, respect and of course, love that should be tenets of leadership. I don't think it's difficult to see the impact of what could be versus what it should be. In light of that, I think the message of starting with yourself and figuring out how to harness, build and share is great place to start. Again, thanks Adam for the good food for thought.
Thanks Adam! Another thought provoking article that helps us reflect on who we are and who we might become should we choose. I was particularly struck by how easily I could summon my own “awe” moments when I took the time to do so. It made me ask why more of us allow these definitive impressions to run as undercurrents to our daily lives rather than grounding the choices we make in our personal and professional journeys?
Could it be that in a world of media culture, the opportunity of the awe experience has been reduced to an Instagram post; likes, reposts and Pinterest dream boards. The digital generation (and even a few of us old folk) are perpetually exposed to thousands of images of the most beautiful beaches, the grandest mountain ranges, the wildest creatures and of course, the ubiquitous sunrise/sunset combo. We share our collective awe with the ease and efficiency of the social network but I believe, in the process, we build “awe apathy”. The world captured in the lens of our cell phone camera is so quickly forgotten or, once posted to make it real, lost in the never ending feed of the digital age.
How do we reclaim the wonder, the humility, the humanity, the awe of feeling a small piece of a universal whole? Do we need to travel to exotic locales or seek out unspoilt wilderness? That might help as both offer a journey of discovery that disengages us from our everyday patterns however, perhaps the more practical journey is closer to home. Gratitude for the little things, appreciated by our senses, like a butterfly’s flight, the chorus of waves or the intricate beauty of a maple leaf.
When we strive for the “awe moment”, like the perfect Instagram shot, we are subscribing to the danger of the momentous. The scramble for the next big thing, the next perfect photo, the next peak summited; humanity has been engrained with the need to constantly search for more. The enlightened achievement of the state of awe might instead allow us to live in harmony with less, and to find more in the moment to surprise, humble, amaze, inspire and ground us.
I reflect sitting by the ocean, looking into the craggy waters of a sandstone tidepool. At first, there appears to be little but the seaweed and rocks. But as we quiet and open ourselves to the wonder - the water comes alive. The small becomes infinite as our eyes adjust to the tiny crabs scurrying around, bullheads darting between cover, anemones extending their tentacles in search of nourishment. We see colour and life unfold before us and as if held by a spell, we find that magic so often hidden in plain view. Awe is everywhere, just waiting to be discovered. Sometimes we just need a reminder.
Thank you Adam for another deep and inspiring article. I am very curious to learn more about accommodation as I am currently learning about Emotional Memory Reconsolidation (and its critical five hours reconsolidation window) and wonder if it's related to what you are describing here, i.e. that after an awe moment, if we "return" to our interrupt driven world, we do not actually accommodate/integrate/reconsolidate our memory and may not benefit as much as we could from the awe inspiring, ego deconstructing moment we just lived. Which points to the benefits and power of extended time in Nature such as hikes, backpacking trips, retreats and vision quests, for example.
I really appreciated this issue, Adam. Your words, combined with the thoughtful responses of Anne-Marie and Noah, really moved me today. Noah articulated well the collecting of awe moments that have, in my opinion, created the "awe apathy" that we see in society. The personal experience of the awe moment and the ability to reach the accommodation is truly what's key in having, what could be, a transformative experience that could then be shared with colleagues, friends, employees and neighbors. I don't mean shared in the sense of snap, click and send. I mean share in the sense of the meaning and purpose you extract out of a moment and how you apply that through decision making, relationship building and even basic communication. This also has made me think about today's political environment and the common ground of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness that transcend party lines and should connect us all versus acts that drive a wedge between us. I think of appreciation, gratitude, respect and of course, love that should be tenets of leadership. I don't think it's difficult to see the impact of what could be versus what it should be. In light of that, I think the message of starting with yourself and figuring out how to harness, build and share is great place to start. Again, thanks Adam for the good food for thought.