I have written on this topic before. In our culture, where do these things exist? Yes, some people are wowed by celebrities who are larger than life figures, belying the fact of who they really are. They project manufactured images, rarely tempered by humility, or representing authenticity.

Many people are attracted to glitz, even giddily so. The latest tech tool that beckons and promises. Super animated games of fantasy and violence. With artificial realities soon to become ubiquitous, we will be able to immerse ourselves deep into unnatural worlds. Why emerge?

Competing with this are the things of life that inspire without help. Of these, some rise to the level of remarkable or even greater than that. They are things that cause us to stop in our tracks, not wanting to move lest the moment be disrupted and vanish. They are things that are felt deep in our chests as a kind of longing, perhaps even affecting our very breaths. Do we know these things?

They are not commonplace and rarely arrive bidden. They just appear and we are struck, perhaps, speechless, searching for words that express what we see, feel and experience. Our desire is that these moments do not expire but last far longer than they do. They are so powerful they are imprinted indelibly in our memories and serve to ground us in the things that are most important in this life.

My words for these are often awe and wonder. I wonder how these things are possible or how they have so affected me. To me, the wonder is the mental process that tries to make sense of the thing, to place it into context, to recognize its meaning. “Really? That’s my son, my first born, fresh into this world?” “I know. I am looking at the rings of Saturn, clearly delineated, through a telescope in my backyard. How is that possible?”

But, then, there is the awe. To me, the awe is a visceral response to the thing that we see as remarkably wonderful. It is an act of reverence, of such deep appreciation that this is actually happening and I’m a part of it. I guess I would say that awe is a first cousin to joy. Both are transcendent as they connect us to something so great and profound that the meaning of our lives is set up in stark relief.

So, the first question is, do we have these experiences? If so, when and how? If not, why not? The second question is, what do we do with them when they arrive which, hopefully, they will from time to time.

I have had these experiences from time to time. While similar in nature, they arrive with different levels of intensity. As I implied above, they don’t arrive on schedule but appear as from around a corner: One moment not there, the next moment, Hello!

I don’t know about you but I have two very different responses when the wonder rises up to the level of awe and the awe rises up to the level of … well, I don’t know how to describe it.

One response is to be struck sort of dumb, lacking the desire and ability to speak. Just take it in and don’t move. The other is the opposite. I feel the need to shout in exuberance, to reach up towards something beyond my reach, stretching my mortal body to engage what I perceive to be beyond flesh and blood. This latter one can be perceived as perhaps a milder version of hysteria, hysteria being something akin to uncontrolled emotion … and uncontrolled emotion is not something you should regularly mess around with. So, what gives?

I think it’s in the realm of what it means to abandon something for something much greater. When our eyes are open to the majestic in a way that is immensely stirring, why do we repress our emotions? Perhaps I can admit to being on the dramatic side (full disclosure: I tear up easily, especially in certain movies). I tend to feel things strongly anyway … which is an interesting counterpoint to my tendency to a hyperactive mind.

Drawn into the depths of things where the only outlet is to let what lies deep express itself outwards as opposed to staying contained, rattling around as a caged energy inside a locked box (not conducive to mental health, by the way), in my case this oftentimes manifests as exuberance or heartache (which can be good) or tears or all of the above.

The contemplative, the mystic, the stoic might look at this differently and I’m really good with that. These postures are still going deep but their emotions are largely restrained and if they are still available to wonder and awe then that’s great. But to contemplate something that does not deal in the realm of wonder and awe is not something that strikes me as consistent with what I believe to be true. No offense intended for those who have every reason to disagree.

Back to culture and reality. First of all, do we position ourselves regularly to be struck by wonder and recognize it as awesome? I may be going out on a limb but I’d bet that such phenomenon are less available within they hyperlinked milieu that increasingly typifies our existence. As we cram more and more information into shorter bits of time and space, our ability to step outside in contemplation that allows for meaning to flourish gets reduced. No wonder (no pun intended) that artificial reality is such a draw and may become the overriding reality for many of us in the very near future. I believe we are hardwired to wonder and to be awestruck and most of us will seek it one way or another. As mentioned before, we’ll evaluate people (celebrities, athletes, politicians) into the role of superhuman and marvel at their prowess. What’s worth remarking upon, however, is that we then elevate their beliefs to the level of the sacred, while they may have little clue as to the true significance of things. In this sense, our wonder and awe are misdirected, at least in my judgment. We can marvel at good athletic or acting skills but let’s leave it at that. There is a difference to me, in the matter of degree, between sincere appreciation and the conscious experience of something that is transcendent to normal human phenomenon. And, I think that something delivers a level of meaning to our lives that is not just deep but reflects an echo of who we are in the very best sense of what it means to be human.

I readily admit that I lack the sophistication of a highly trained philosopher, psychologist or theologian so I’m sure these opinions are probably faulty in some respect. I also recognize I’m only touching the surface of things that deserve much more delineation not possible in this format. But, they are my thoughts as I contemplate the nature of my own experience and the experience of others with whom I am familiar. I’ll leave it there for now! Thanks for listening.