The total solar eclipse had arrived. I ran outside to take a look and was amazed when I opened the front door. My neighborhood was suddenly dark, in the middle of the day, without a single cloud in the sky. The birds had all become silent. There were no cars or people outside. Time seemed frozen and there was a chilling doomsday atmosphere to the entire scene.
My mood changed when I put on my solar eclipse glasses and looked up. I watched as the sun’s rays wrapped around a pitch-black circle that seemed to punch a hole through infinity. It was great.
I was reminded of the awe I felt when I looked at the moon through my telescope, saw the craters on the edges and then saw the impossibly vast space beyond.
At times like this I feel infinitely small and insignificant, but I can’t help but be inspired by the power and beauty of the world around us. What a remarkable rarity to live against all odds in such an inhospitable universe. Yet you and I are here.
This is the true value of awe, which can be sought in varying degrees for our own benefit. So how can we find it easier?
Find awe if we can
By definition, awe means “an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, fear, etc., caused by that which is great, sublime, extremely powerful, or the like.”
There are many different ways you can achieve these feelings of awe, and they don’t require you to see God or see a triple rainbow.
Scientists have done a lot of research into how awe can affect us on a physiological level. A study led by psychologist Dr. Maria Monroy of the University of California Berkley found that the experience of awe can reduce feelings of stress, improve cardiovascular health and promote overall well-being. A quick way to find this is to take conscious walks in nature.
For example, I was recently taking a walk to clear my head of stress about personal problems. As I turned the corner from some trees, I saw a few squirrels scurrying around, apparently bickering over something. When they broke up, I saw something very unusual:
An albino squirrel. It is believed that the chance of an albino squirrel being born is 1 in 100,000. And the chances of someone reaching adulthood are even rarer.
I felt so inspired, as if some grand and serendipitous moment had visited me, reminding me, “Everything will be okay.” If this squirrel can make it. You can do that too.”
And it was funny because the squirrel, who I named Casper, would often stay in the tree, like normal squirrels do, because they blend in with the tree. But he didn’t seem to realize that it stood out so brightly, which made it easy to take photos. to take.
According to neuroscientist Dr. Arthur C. Brooks, walking through nature without expectations allows you to be present and appreciate the subtleties around you. If you throw away your blasting music and stop playing on your phone, and just walk and listen, the world can come alive, as I saw firsthand.
And the great thing is that with practice you can begin to appreciate these small miracles on a greater scale.
It is also an exercise in selflessness. For me, it feels like I get so caught up in my own world and thoughts that it blinds me to the incredible things happening around me. It’s refreshing to put my focus elsewhere.
Other channels of awe
If nature isn’t your thing, consider exploring museums. From a study by Dr. Donghwy An found that when participants were exposed to aesthetically pleasing art, they felt inspired and their mood improved.
Their general orientation became more positive. In fact, it boosted creativity by promoting divergent and flexible thinking, which makes sense since creativity is putting together known things into new ideas.
For me, looking at art, especially historical art, takes me through time – wondering how artists managed to create such compelling work without modern equipment, knowledge or guidance, and which artists today struggle to replicate . I can look back and see the long hours they spent as children being tutored, in a building with little temperature control, fiddling with old school equipment and easels in a world that felt very different. Their work lives on as a testament to their passion and commitment, which in itself is awe-inspiring and brings me closer to their humanity.
But this only really happens when I slow down and take a moment to think about what I’m looking at and think through the backstory, looking for subtleties in the use of color and texture, and what I was trying to say. It’s curiosity that drives me as much as the pursuit of awe, which often feels like I’m connecting to something much bigger than myself.
One exercise is to think about the feelings of awe you have already experienced in your life where you felt truly speechless. Can you remember the earliest example?
Mine came aboard a medium sized boat during a school trip in Chesapeake Bay. We went whale watching to see sperm whales. The waters were icy and stormy that day, causing most students to become seasick and stay in the boat, trying to keep their lunch in their stomachs. For some reason I don’t get motion sick easily so I stayed out on the huge deck, with gusts of icy air and splashing water.
It was cloudy and gray, and it couldn’t have been an uglier day. We didn’t see anything for hours. And then, finally, just before our ship turned around to sail back, we saw a mother and her calf up ahead. We got closer, and my buddy and I leaned over and saw the mother’s huge rolling back coming over the swirling water right next to the boat. Green and gray barnacles protruded from her back. At first she held her body between our boat and her calf, showing her motherly protection, but eventually she relaxed.
And then, I’ll never forget it, she went under the water and came back up, shooting water and air up from her blowhole, hitting my buddy and me. We immediately looked at each other and laughed: the whale had bad breath! It was the embodiment of seafood breath. But we loved it. Here before us sat an ancient species, which had a large and gentle eye, which looked at us every time it emerged, seemingly undisturbed by our presence. I felt strangely connected to this being who lived such a different life from my own.
This was definitely a great introduction to awe. But I encourage you to go out into the world and pursue smaller moments, which can be just as inspiring, adding texture and color to everyday life. They will still have the benefits of reducing stress and anxiety, and even help improve creativity.
A walk through nature, without electronics or music, and simply practicing mindfulness and looking for meaning can do wonders. Sometimes just looking at the night sky can do this.
And if you have children, please start educating them about this. The feeling of awe increases interest in science because it reminds us how little we actually know about the world around us. School budgets have been cut in recent years, so whale watching and exploring natural wonders like we did as children is less common. It’s up to us.
We live in a truly incredible world and much of it goes unnoticed, even when it’s right in front of us. Take a moment to appreciate the beauty of nature, art, science, or anything that inspires you in any way. There are no rules about what can and should inspire awe, but if you find it, enjoy that feeling and come back for more.
It is as Albert Einstein wrote: ‘The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer dwell in wonder and stand in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed.
I’m a former financial analyst turned writer from sunny Tampa, Florida. I started writing eight years ago and fell in love with the craft. My goal is to provide nonfiction, story-driven content to help us live better and maximize our potential.
