I’m shocked this article doesn’t have more likes or comments!
I feel I’ve recognized this in myself, a lack of awe, more often lately. I find the moments that I do experience awe are the moments when I fully allow myself to be genuine - not thinking any judgemental thoughts about myself or thinking about what others think. Allow yourself to bask in the sun beam in the parking lot and marvel at its warmth, drive a little slower down a neighborhood that’s lined with trees turning red and purple and orange in the fall, stop in the middle of your walk to watch a bird hop around for a solid three minutes - it’s the tiny moments of noticing the wondrousness of the everything around us that lets me experience that feeling of awe.
And also everything else you listed! Great article!
thank you so much! and i love your experiences of awe. it is always the tiniest moments, and they feel almost timeless when we're in them. thank you for your reminder <3
I've worked in schools across the US and am a parent. The single most concerning thing to me is the loss and lack of nurturing of awe in preschoolers. Preschoolers!! The very age when they are curious about everything and ask the most fascinating questions about science. It's not happening, especially in public education, and something needs to change.
thank you for adding this important perspective! i just read this morning (in The Nature Fix by Florence Williams) that preschools are now the fastest-growing market for psychiatric medications...which is staggering. one of the major hypotheses? the drastic reduction in unstructured, exploratory time. so many preschools are now rigidly scheduled, with barely any outdoor or open-ended play. and that’s exactly the kind of space where awe lives. it’s heartbreaking to know this, and it urgently needs to change.
this is an amazing and insightful read! this definitely ties into just living in the present and just being. i feel like with our modernized and structure-driven society now it's become harder to just let yourself and the exrernal world be as is.
my everyday life has been all about structure, planning, and details that i can't just sit and appreciate the spontaneity of life and flow with it
i totally feel this - i feel like we're taught (and conditioned) from a young age, throughout schooling too, that we need to constantly be doing, achieving, thinking about what's next, etc. in order to survive and succeed (and honestly, in our modern society, it does hold pretty true, which sucks). it takes so much to be able to realize this and then begin to pull away from that fast, structured world in a way that also doesn't feel like you're gonna end up falling behind.
Why is being a "cog" a bad thing? That feels to be an implied message of your piece
What are the benefits of not being in awe? (Long term survival benefits), and what do we lose (again, from a survival perspective) if we lose awe?
Are these questions answered in the book? (The next thing I'll do when I find the time is discuss the book with ChatGPT before going through it on my own, if at all. Do you recommend any better AI for such stuff?)
I do have a tendency to ask more questions than I can digest the answers of. I should work on that. That would be awesome
as for the book - i think it’s worth reading if this topic resonates (awe + its intersections with nature/culture/art/spirituality)! but you could definitely also start by chatting with gpt to decide if it’s worth the deeper dive.
also, asking more questions than you can digest? honestly, that’s kind of the best place to be! thanks for taking the time to read and comment! <3
i don’t think being a “cog” is inherently bad either. i was hoping that line would serve more as a strong invitation - what role are we playing in our lives? is it active or passive? and who chose it for us?
for me, it’s really about awareness. i’m not saying being a cog or not being one is inherently good or bad - it’s about becoming aware of the role we’re in and making sure we’re choosing it for ourselves, not just slipping into something we’ve been conditioned into.
are we consciously choosing how we engage with life, or are we drifting into roles that dull our capacity to feel, notice, or wonder? if someone chooses that path and it truly works for them, that’s completely valid. but i think a lot of people don’t even realize they’ve stopped noticing - and that’s where awe comes in!
as for your question about the survival benefits of not being in awe:
i think in certain contexts, not being in awe could offer short-term survival benefits. like, if you’re in a high-threat environment, staying hyper-focused, scanning for danger, keeping things predictable - that kind of narrowed attention can help you survive. awe, by contrast, expands awareness and softens the self - which might not be ideal when you need to be on guard or make fast, defensive decisions.
but long-term? the absence of awe has a cost. without it, we see more chronic stress, higher inflammation, less cognitive flexibility, more self-rumination - all things that, over time, can wear the system down. studies (like from dacher keltner and others) show awe reduces inflammation (lower interleukin-6 levels), improves vagal tone (linked to resilience + heart rate regulation), quiets the default mode network (associated w/ rumination + anxiety), and promotes prosocial behavior. so there are real survival benefits - not just emotional, but physiological.
TLDR: maybe awe isn’t always the most efficient tool for short-term survival. however, i would argue that it supports long-term survival + thriving for humans!
"After all, cogs in a machine do not marvel at the mystery of being alive." DAMN what a good sentence.
This is a beautiful essay! I hadn't thought about awe as being a biological necessity but it makes so much sense--and goes hand in hand with creativity. I'm starting to think that allowing myself to experience the fullness of my awe again (not feel silly or embarrassed about it like I used to) and let it feed my creative practice is one of the key things that helps me maintain my sanity.
thank you <3 you're point is so true! awe and creativity are so deeply linked. awe expands perception, loosens rigid thinking, and pulls us into a state of openness - exactly the conditions where creativity thrives :)
Thank you for this amazing post! I've noticed firsthand the effects of awe in my own life. Whenever I'm stressed and lost in my own problems, just taking a walk and experiencing the lovely nature in my area always makes me feel so much better. It's better than any anti-anxiety medication haha. I'm trying to actively train myself to take a step back and actually notice the beauty of the world and the mystery of being alive. It's so easy to just go about our days and miss the wonder of existing. God really has made an amazing world, it's a shame we don't appreciate it more often. Thanks again for your insights! I restacked. More people need to hear this :)
thank you for your comment <3 i feel this so deeply. it really is wild how nature can reset the nervous system in ways nothing else can. and yes, it’s so easy to forget - to slip into habit and miss the sheer strangeness of being alive. love that you’re actively choosing to notice it. that choice matters. it changes everything!
I’m shocked this article doesn’t have more likes or comments!
I feel I’ve recognized this in myself, a lack of awe, more often lately. I find the moments that I do experience awe are the moments when I fully allow myself to be genuine - not thinking any judgemental thoughts about myself or thinking about what others think. Allow yourself to bask in the sun beam in the parking lot and marvel at its warmth, drive a little slower down a neighborhood that’s lined with trees turning red and purple and orange in the fall, stop in the middle of your walk to watch a bird hop around for a solid three minutes - it’s the tiny moments of noticing the wondrousness of the everything around us that lets me experience that feeling of awe.
And also everything else you listed! Great article!
thank you so much! and i love your experiences of awe. it is always the tiniest moments, and they feel almost timeless when we're in them. thank you for your reminder <3
I've worked in schools across the US and am a parent. The single most concerning thing to me is the loss and lack of nurturing of awe in preschoolers. Preschoolers!! The very age when they are curious about everything and ask the most fascinating questions about science. It's not happening, especially in public education, and something needs to change.
thank you for adding this important perspective! i just read this morning (in The Nature Fix by Florence Williams) that preschools are now the fastest-growing market for psychiatric medications...which is staggering. one of the major hypotheses? the drastic reduction in unstructured, exploratory time. so many preschools are now rigidly scheduled, with barely any outdoor or open-ended play. and that’s exactly the kind of space where awe lives. it’s heartbreaking to know this, and it urgently needs to change.
this is an amazing and insightful read! this definitely ties into just living in the present and just being. i feel like with our modernized and structure-driven society now it's become harder to just let yourself and the exrernal world be as is.
my everyday life has been all about structure, planning, and details that i can't just sit and appreciate the spontaneity of life and flow with it
i totally feel this - i feel like we're taught (and conditioned) from a young age, throughout schooling too, that we need to constantly be doing, achieving, thinking about what's next, etc. in order to survive and succeed (and honestly, in our modern society, it does hold pretty true, which sucks). it takes so much to be able to realize this and then begin to pull away from that fast, structured world in a way that also doesn't feel like you're gonna end up falling behind.
Why is being a "cog" a bad thing? That feels to be an implied message of your piece
What are the benefits of not being in awe? (Long term survival benefits), and what do we lose (again, from a survival perspective) if we lose awe?
Are these questions answered in the book? (The next thing I'll do when I find the time is discuss the book with ChatGPT before going through it on my own, if at all. Do you recommend any better AI for such stuff?)
I do have a tendency to ask more questions than I can digest the answers of. I should work on that. That would be awesome
finally:
as for the book - i think it’s worth reading if this topic resonates (awe + its intersections with nature/culture/art/spirituality)! but you could definitely also start by chatting with gpt to decide if it’s worth the deeper dive.
also, asking more questions than you can digest? honestly, that’s kind of the best place to be! thanks for taking the time to read and comment! <3
i don’t think being a “cog” is inherently bad either. i was hoping that line would serve more as a strong invitation - what role are we playing in our lives? is it active or passive? and who chose it for us?
for me, it’s really about awareness. i’m not saying being a cog or not being one is inherently good or bad - it’s about becoming aware of the role we’re in and making sure we’re choosing it for ourselves, not just slipping into something we’ve been conditioned into.
are we consciously choosing how we engage with life, or are we drifting into roles that dull our capacity to feel, notice, or wonder? if someone chooses that path and it truly works for them, that’s completely valid. but i think a lot of people don’t even realize they’ve stopped noticing - and that’s where awe comes in!
as for your question about the survival benefits of not being in awe:
i think in certain contexts, not being in awe could offer short-term survival benefits. like, if you’re in a high-threat environment, staying hyper-focused, scanning for danger, keeping things predictable - that kind of narrowed attention can help you survive. awe, by contrast, expands awareness and softens the self - which might not be ideal when you need to be on guard or make fast, defensive decisions.
but long-term? the absence of awe has a cost. without it, we see more chronic stress, higher inflammation, less cognitive flexibility, more self-rumination - all things that, over time, can wear the system down. studies (like from dacher keltner and others) show awe reduces inflammation (lower interleukin-6 levels), improves vagal tone (linked to resilience + heart rate regulation), quiets the default mode network (associated w/ rumination + anxiety), and promotes prosocial behavior. so there are real survival benefits - not just emotional, but physiological.
TLDR: maybe awe isn’t always the most efficient tool for short-term survival. however, i would argue that it supports long-term survival + thriving for humans!
So so highly recommend reading Phosphorescence by Julia Baird if loved this article as much as I did
thank you for the recommendation! i'm about to finish my current read, and was literally just asking my friends for recs! perfect timing <3
"After all, cogs in a machine do not marvel at the mystery of being alive." DAMN what a good sentence.
This is a beautiful essay! I hadn't thought about awe as being a biological necessity but it makes so much sense--and goes hand in hand with creativity. I'm starting to think that allowing myself to experience the fullness of my awe again (not feel silly or embarrassed about it like I used to) and let it feed my creative practice is one of the key things that helps me maintain my sanity.
thank you <3 you're point is so true! awe and creativity are so deeply linked. awe expands perception, loosens rigid thinking, and pulls us into a state of openness - exactly the conditions where creativity thrives :)
How has this article not reached more people?
Thank you for this amazing post! I've noticed firsthand the effects of awe in my own life. Whenever I'm stressed and lost in my own problems, just taking a walk and experiencing the lovely nature in my area always makes me feel so much better. It's better than any anti-anxiety medication haha. I'm trying to actively train myself to take a step back and actually notice the beauty of the world and the mystery of being alive. It's so easy to just go about our days and miss the wonder of existing. God really has made an amazing world, it's a shame we don't appreciate it more often. Thanks again for your insights! I restacked. More people need to hear this :)
thank you for your comment <3 i feel this so deeply. it really is wild how nature can reset the nervous system in ways nothing else can. and yes, it’s so easy to forget - to slip into habit and miss the sheer strangeness of being alive. love that you’re actively choosing to notice it. that choice matters. it changes everything!