From Where I Sit

In his book, “Awe,” Dacher Keltner offers several definitions of awe: “Awe is the emotion we experience when we encounter vast mysteries we don’t understand.” “Awe is the feeling of being in the presence of something vast that transcends your current understanding of the world.” “Awe is about our relation to vast mysteries of life.” He then proceeds to share stories of transformative awe and digs into many different cultural archives of awe. Then he offers counsel on how to live a life filled with awe. Then he introduces us to what he calls ‘the wonders of life,’ contexts in which we might experience awe. 

Then he shares what he calls ‘the eight wonders of life.’ He contends that these are the contexts in which a person experiences the emotion of awe. We can be moved by moral beauty. We might encounter a collective effervescence for life. We might be inspired by natural beauty. We might be transported by music. We might be moved by visual designs created by persons - art, buildings, etc. We might be moved by stories of spiritual or religious awe. Stories of life and death may move us. Or we might be led to epiphanies where we suddenly understand essential truths of life, each is a context for awe. 

As I read, I began to remember my own stories  - encounters where and when I experienced awe. I’ll share three. 

When I stood for the first time at the south rim of the Grand Canyon, I gasped. I inhaled suddenly as if to breathe in a vast expanse, a mystery for which I had no words. I stood transfixed. I could see forever. I was in awe as saw the earth reveal what had taken millions of years to create. When I ventured down into the canyon, halfway to the river, twice, I was overwhelmed by how vast the canyon actually is. My vision of creation expanded and deepened. 

The Rhode Island Civic Chorale was warming up for our concert at the St. Ann’s Arts and Cultural Center in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. Sometimes called America’s Sistine Chapel, it is home to North America’s largest collections of frescos painted by Italian artist Guido Nincheri. There are more than forty stained glass windows created by French artists. The acoustics are superb beyond description. To sing with a large chorale there is a moving experience. For our warm-up Maestro Edward Markward did something very different. Instead of going through sections of our concert music, he led us in an exercise in tone and harmony using ‘oo,’ ‘ah,’ ‘o,’ ‘ee.’ He sounded a note on the piano and directed a section of the chorale to voice the note, tuning them until he was satisfied. While they continued, he directed another section to join, tuning them until both sections were in harmony. Eventually all four sections were voicing the note and in tune. Then he led us up and down the scales. The building came alive with the sound, enveloping us in an almost mystical, ethereal harmony. I could feel it in my body, a wordless chorus that took on a life of its own. The thought of it, all these years later, still makes my body quiver - awe! I don’t remember what we sang for our concert that evening, but I do remember the visceral, primal awe I experienced in joining my voice with many in wordless harmony. 

Holding my newborn children for the first time. So tiny! Bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh! Craig William Garland! Sarah Elizabeth Garland! In awe I held them at their beginnings, filled with possibilities, loved unconditionally. The awe continues. I still lack words to describe the awe I experienced. 

The more I read, I realized that I have been so richly blessed by so many experiences of awe. Further, I believe that every person, if they pay attention, lives in a context where awe can be experienced. Being aware, slowing down, paying attention, practicing gratitude - they all make it possible to be in awe of the astounding creation in which we live. This summer let me invite you to look around and see those little, or great, reminders that we live in an amazing world, vast and mysterious. They’ll give you a new perspective, they’ll nourish your spirit, they’ll give you a fresh motivation to keep on keeping on!