The Lure of Awe

Another sunset that evoked awe: After days of dreariness and high water, the sun peaked through at sunset with a sign of hope for brighter days.(Current River, Doniphan, KCs take-out)

There’s a particular sunset I still recall because of the awe I felt. That word AWE pops up frequently. This week I received a link to a NYT article by Christina Caron about British author Katherine May and the power of awe. A certain sentence stuck with me. May said, “It's about understanding the kind of slower work of processing all of those things that are itching at the back of your brain."

I understand trying to scratch an itch. It's March. Glance at my face and you'll see swollen watery eyes and a red nose that peeks out from behind the Kleenexed hand trying to keep it from running away. And do my ears ever itch! But I digress.

To battle down times when usual activities lose their appeal, May posted a reminder to take a walk. As she walked, she rediscovered "little things that filled her with wonder and awe.” We all have particular gifts of the senses that rejuvenate our spirits.

A day before reading the article, I listened to an NPR interview of psychologist/author Dacher Keltner. He wrote a book titled: “Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life.”

I'm going to read it AFTER I read "Stolen Focus (Why You Can't Pay Attention - nd How to Think Deeply Again." Its author Johann Hari began researching after a disturbing outing with a teenaged godson. The boy missed it all: the scenery, the experiences, the food, the interaction with a devoted godfather. When Hari mentioned it, the boy managed to pull himself out of a trance created by his screen to acknowledge that he knew something was not right, but he didn't know what exactly or how to fix it.

As journalist Hari delved into the science, he realized he himself had similar issues: checking his phone too often; being uncomfortable with it in a different room; panicking at the thought of a lost or broken device. Oldsters need to focus, too, and the same things that steal it from the younger generation are affecting us.

Awe also came up in the Hari interview. It’s a vital component of a healthy brain. I want to keep mine active and alert, yet I feel the tugs of addictive screen time stealing more of my attention. Siri and Alexa, take a hike after you turn off a few of my apps. I’m taking a hike, too… without access to screens.

(I wrote a column about the sunset mentioned above. Here’s the link if you want to revisit it. https://www.theprospectnews.com/blogs/closetohome/entry/72905 )