Why don’t we live in a constant state of astonishment? Is it because we are too smart? Or is it because we cloak the astonishing in familiarity to protect our own egos from falling into a state of incessant awe?
A video clip was circulating on YouTube a while back (now pulled offline due to copyright infringement) where a comedian pointed out how people get impatient when their cellphone doesn’t have a clear signal — ignoring the incredible fact that their conversation is being beamed into space and then back down again. He cited how people complain about delays on airport runways — when we should be shaking with amazement that we can fly like a bird.
Well, even if you take away all our technological wonders there is still enough to make us feel astonished every second of the day: Birds flying through the air, food digesting in our stomach, the sun rising each day…Why are we not living in awe about these things? How much richer our life would become if we would simply silently witness what was going on around us with deep concentration.Charles Robert Richet, a Nobel laureate in physiology, sums it up nicely in Our Sixth Sense…
It is assumed that the the phenomena which we now accept without surprise do not excite our astonishment because they are understood. But this is not the case. If they do not surprise us, it is not because they’re understood, it is because they are familiar; for if that which is not understood ought to surprise us, we should be surprised at everything – the fall of a stone thrown into the air, the acorn which becomes an oak, mercury which expands when it is heated, iron attracted by a magnet.
Alas, we need only to venture into our backyards to find endless examples of astonishing phenomena.P.S. I had planned the release of my first metaphysical fantasy novelette for New Year’s day. Unfortunately a load of work (including three all-nighters) didn’t allow me to get it out in time. But EsuM is nearly ready. Stay tuned.
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