Are we stuck living a life without curiosity, wonder or awe?
The Oxford dictionary defines wonder as a feeling of surprise mingled with admiration, caused by something beautiful, unexpected, unfamiliar, or inexplicable.
What makes the 7 wonders of the modern world a wonder? What makes the natural wonders or any of the wonders of the world wondrous?
Can you remember as a child how excited you became seeing a train go by or watching a cat chase a string or playing peek- a- boo? I remember it more from watching my children grow up than I personally remember, which is quite sad and to point, actually.
As we grow we learn from school, from our parents and from society what acceptable behavior is and what is considered inappropriate. As we know, this is mostly subjective; nonetheless, we fall in line. I do remember this being a challenge for me early on, and to this day I sometimes struggle with conformity.
Not too long ago, I was cleaning and discovered a few report cards from elementary school. I noticed one specific comment re-appearing throughout the reports. “Pam is stubborn.” I remember my mother reading them and attesting to their validity and then adding her own lecture for good measure. I felt like I had done something wrong and I felt misunderstood and alone.
I was and still am a very curious person. I always want to know why something or someone is the way they are or how this particular mechanism works or why I have to do what someone else is telling me to do, if I do not agree with it. I guess I can see how this type of attitude could be challenging for some teachers and parents.
I remember when my boys were young, watching certain parents persistently telling their sons to stop running, stop yelling, sit still, and don’t get dirty, go read a book. Meanwhile I was encouraging mine to go to a nearby swamp and look for frogs. They were climbing up and through the trees and falling in mud, playing in the rain and investigating fascinating bugs in our backyard. We play it so safe now that there is limited room for struggle, failure, discovery or teamwork. School yard games like King of the Hill, snowball wars and the like are not longer permitted for fear of someone getting hurt or someone, namely the school, being sued. We are taught to let go of wonder and exploration starting at a young age.
We are trained to stand in line and follow instruction. We are given technology and manufactured toys and tools to perform jobs and activities, that prevent us from learning the how and why of it all. This leads to a lack of appreciation for the creativity and expertise that went into its making. It leaves us with little need for thought or creativity of our own. Today a child is given a box with ready made parts and pieces of a model airplane or Lego set, to basically put together into ready made sections. The manufacturer might go as far as providing stickers to allow for some independent thought from the builder, but not much ingenuity is needed to put the complete project together. There was a time when you had to get creative if you wanted a cowboy Lego. You had to figure out how to make the hat and decide on what material to use. Now your cowboy hat and accessories are included. How does this encourage or motivate inspiration and creativity?
When things are done for us we lose out on our own opportunity for imagination, struggle, frustration and triumph. We lose out on curiosity, creativity and wonder. We stop growing. When something stops growing it is often considered ‘dead’. On the other hand, something is aroused, awakened, and stirred whenever we allow ourselves to wonder, imagine, question or to try new things.
After some time of following the beaten path in order to not disturb the peace, we grow to become mechanical and structured, and why wouldn’t we? We are programmed in the same way as a computer is programmed. How much flexibility and wonder do you see in a computer? I realize there are rules in life that need to be followed in order for some semblance of functionality and civility within society. But is it really a far-fetched dream to wish for balance between structure and chaos, in order to enliven our spirits again?
Complacency has the potential to become curiosity, the feeling of indifference can grow into passion and the mundane can turn into wonder, if we pay attention.
Waking up, going to work, coming home, maybe shopping, eating and going to bed. This is a routine I hear far too often from people who are feeling depressed or unhappy in life. The mundanities of everyday life have robbed them of their sense of joy and wonder, leading to an inability to thrive in life.
Rachel Carsen suggests a cure for this spiritual corrosion: “Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life.”
The fact is, we dwell among them physically, but somehow many of us have tuned them out emotionally and spiritually. We have instead become detached from earth’s beauties and mysteries in order to justify our comatose state, believing it to be a matter of survival.
Ralph Waldo Emerson once asked what we would do if the stars only came out once every thousand years. No one would sleep that night, of course. The world would become religious overnight. We would be ecstatic, delirious, made rapturous by the glory of God. Instead the stars come out every night, and we watch television. –Paul Hawken
How sad is the truth of this quote? How do we then regain our curiosity and wonder in this life?
Recently I had to be home for 14 days on self-quarantine due to travel outside of Canada during the Covid-19 pandemic. I had been on a 7 month stretch of not spending any time with myself. I started working at a new location that required a lot of extra time and attention and I ‘fell into work-mode’. We all have developed coping mechanisms that have gotten us through life thus far. Unfortunately, if we allow ourselves to become distracted or even detached from our inner self, we can easily windup falling back into these unhealthy patterns. Mine is an addiction to work. I have made much progress over the years and just when I thought I had it managed, it showed itself once again.
Being forced to be in my house, with no distractions or responsibilities woke me up.
A woke person will begin to once again notice the stars above and the beauty and mysteries around and within us. Henry Miller said, “The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself.”
Are you awake or caught up in the routine and treadmill of life? I encourage you, along with myself to make ourselves a promise. We have to be intentional about this. You may have to write a contract to yourself or put a wake-up call on your phone alarm with the words. “Wake up to Wonder!”
It is hard to step off the treadmill when it’s going and the faster its going the harder it is. So you have to turn it off in order to step off and focus elsewhere.
Breaking routines is not easy because your responsibilities are still there. I am wondering if you could insert wonder into your current routine. Maybe while you are driving, cleaning or working in your garden you could listen to something inspirational on headphones or Bluetooth. Maybe when you take your dogs for a walk you pay attention to the earth and sky around you and meditate on the air that is not polluting but invigorating and giving you life. Maybe while you are at work you can take a break and go outside for a short walk, or find a quiet place to pray or meditate even for 10 minutes.
Maybe instead of breaking up your day, it is easier for you to just take some time at the beginning or end of your day. Or maybe one day of the week you set aside to spend completely doing what ‘You’ want or what invigorates and inspires you.
Allowing curiosity, wonder and awe into your life enhances your sense of belonging, humility, spirituality and self-love. You become a more generous and loving person. Life becomes more enjoyable and meaningful. You will actually like being around yourself, and others will have a desire to be around you as well.
If this is something you long for in your life you have to be intentional about making it a reality for yourself. The ball is in your court and the world is open to your possibilities.
Cheers to you and I waking up to a Wonderful World today