Awe
 |
Description
Book Introduction
- A word from MD
-
The value we must reclaim, aweA masterpiece on wonder, following William James's "The Varieties of Religious Experience."
I recommend awe to modern people who are tired and indifferent to everything.
There are many opportunities to feel sacred, including art, nature, religion, and politics.
The moment you regain your sense of awe, the world looks beautiful.
Our lives also change beautifully.
July 2, 2024. Humanities PD Son Min-gyu
From the moments of birth and death to music and nature, collective enthusiasm and overcoming adversity.
Eight moments of wonder, uncovered over 20 years by Dacher Keltner, a pioneer in awe research.
Have you ever been awestruck by the grandeur of nature? Have you ever sung along with the audience at a concert, immersed in a collective excitement? Have you ever gazed upon a work of art and been enveloped in an inexplicable sense of wonder? In this most divided and fragmented time in human history, we desperately need awe.
Awe is the most essential emotion for opening our minds to reason, listening to great ideas and new insights, reducing immune system inflammation, and building strong bodies.
Awe is also the emotion that motivates us to share what we have with those around us, build strong networks of relationships, and take actions that benefit the nature and society around us.
Awe is also an emotion that transforms us and inspires the creative works of art, music, and religion.
This book is a realistic and nuanced guide to how we can establish awe as a vital force that sustains our lives, through the voice of Dacher Keltner, a UC Berkeley psychology professor who advised on the Inside Out series and a pioneer in awe research.
Eight moments of wonder, uncovered over 20 years by Dacher Keltner, a pioneer in awe research.
Have you ever been awestruck by the grandeur of nature? Have you ever sung along with the audience at a concert, immersed in a collective excitement? Have you ever gazed upon a work of art and been enveloped in an inexplicable sense of wonder? In this most divided and fragmented time in human history, we desperately need awe.
Awe is the most essential emotion for opening our minds to reason, listening to great ideas and new insights, reducing immune system inflammation, and building strong bodies.
Awe is also the emotion that motivates us to share what we have with those around us, build strong networks of relationships, and take actions that benefit the nature and society around us.
Awe is also an emotion that transforms us and inspires the creative works of art, music, and religion.
This book is a realistic and nuanced guide to how we can establish awe as a vital force that sustains our lives, through the voice of Dacher Keltner, a UC Berkeley psychology professor who advised on the Inside Out series and a pioneer in awe research.
- You can preview some of the book's contents.
Preview
index
Praise for this book
preface
Part 1: The Science of Awe
Chapter 1: Eight Wonders You'll Encounter in Life
Chapter 2: Inside Out of Awe
Chapter 3: We Evolved to Feel Awe
Part 2: People Whose Lives Were Changed by Awe
Chapter 4: Mental Beauty
Chapter 5: The Experience of Becoming One
Chapter 6: The Wonders of Nature
Part 3: Awe that Blossomed Culture
Chapter 7: Awe from Music
Chapter 8: Sacred Geometric Patterns
Chapter 9: The Awe of the Soul's Echoes
Part 4: Living a Life of Awe
Chapter 10: Life and Death
Chapter 11: The Joy of Sparkling Insight
Acknowledgements
Image source
main
preface
Part 1: The Science of Awe
Chapter 1: Eight Wonders You'll Encounter in Life
Chapter 2: Inside Out of Awe
Chapter 3: We Evolved to Feel Awe
Part 2: People Whose Lives Were Changed by Awe
Chapter 4: Mental Beauty
Chapter 5: The Experience of Becoming One
Chapter 6: The Wonders of Nature
Part 3: Awe that Blossomed Culture
Chapter 7: Awe from Music
Chapter 8: Sacred Geometric Patterns
Chapter 9: The Awe of the Soul's Echoes
Part 4: Living a Life of Awe
Chapter 10: Life and Death
Chapter 11: The Joy of Sparkling Insight
Acknowledgements
Image source
main
Detailed image
Into the book
The third wonder of life is one you might have easily guessed.
It's Mother Nature.
People often feel awe when they witness natural disasters such as earthquakes, thunderstorms, lightning, wildfires or forest fires, strong winds, and tsunamis.
One example is a scene where a flood swallows an entire village, as one Chinese participant described.
The night sky, with its countless starry patterns, was also an object of awe for many, inspiring ancient Greeks, Romans, and Mesoamericans to imagine their gods.
In today's world of severe light pollution, there is considerable concern that the opportunity to feel awe will gradually disappear as the stars in the night sky dim.
Other experiences that aroused awe in people included climbing mountains, looking down on valleys, walking among giant trees, running across vast sand dunes, and seeing the ocean for the first time.
One Mexican participant described it this way:
“It was the first time in my life that I saw the sea.
Even though I was still young, I felt the soft sea breeze with my whole body, listening to the sound of the waves and the wind.”
--- p.46~47
One day in Busan in 2010, while I was working in my lab, I received a call from Pete Docter, who had just won an Academy Award for the animated film "Up."
The question was whether I could give advice to the production team regarding their next project.
He then added that the main character is an eleven-year-old girl named Riley, and that they are five emotions in her mind.
The tentative name was "Inside Out."
Whenever I visited the Pixar campus, Pete would take me to a corner room where he and co-producer Ronnie Del Carmen would sit for hours immersed in the storyboards for "Inside Out" (a typical movie is made from 70,000 to 120,000 storyboards).
At the time, I prepared answers to technical questions like, "What are the characteristics of a jealous expression?" and "What color best conveys disgust?"
But the real question we wrestled with was how emotions work.
How do emotions shape our behavior? How do our emotions guide us to take certain actions?
--- p.68~69
It is often thought that awe is only for those who have the wealth to enjoy life and 'culture', but this notion is in fact wrong.
The reactions of the inmates prove this.
Recent empirical research findings also support this.
One study found that people with fewer assets reported feeling awe more frequently throughout the day and noticing more wonder in their everyday surroundings.
It's easy to assume that having more wealth would equate to more awe, as it would allow you to enjoy luxurious homes, expensive resorts reserved for VIPs, and high-end consumer goods.
But the reality is quite the opposite: wealth seems to devalue the awe we experience in everyday life, diminishing our ability to appreciate the spiritual beauty of others, the wonders of nature, and the sublimity of music and art.
The experience of awe does not depend on wealth.
Because it is a basic human need to feel awe in everyday life.
--- p.130
The study found three very interesting findings.
First, older participants reported feeling increasingly more awe-inspired as they continued to walk regularly.
You might have expected that as we frequently experience awe in the wonders of life, the power of those objects would gradually diminish.
This expected result is known as the law of hedonic adaptation, which states that the pleasure derived from a specific situation, such as buying an item, drinking a flavorful beer, or eating chocolate, becomes less intense as the number of times it is experienced increases.
But awe was not like that.
The more I experienced it, the deeper and more colorful my awe became.
Second, we found evidence to support Solnit's theory that self-concept expands to encompass the surrounding environment.
Compared to the control group, who were simply instructed to take a brisk walk, the awe walkers' photos tended to show the photographer themselves in a more distant and less prominent position, while the surroundings—the neighborhood they were walking in, a San Francisco street corner, trees, a sunset, children playing on a jungle gym—took center stage.
(Omitted) And finally, participants who developed positive emotions through the awe walk showed less anxiety and depression over time, felt happier than before, and smiled brightly.
--- p.174~176
One night, Spielberg's father woke his son and put him in the car.
The rich man arrived at the field, spread out a blanket and lay down.
A meteor shower swept across the sky.
Spielberg recalled moments of observing the light, the countless stars, the vast night sky, and the awe-inspiring patterns created by fleeting starlight, sometimes staring straight ahead, sometimes glancing at them from the edge of his vision.
This was the wonder of life that he wanted to convey to people through "ET" and "Encounters with the Unknown."
After finishing his meal and asking for the bill, he summed up in one word why he still enjoys movies and why he makes them for others.
“In awe, we are all equal.”
--- p.286
That night, watching my brother's life cycle come to an end, filled me with a profound sense of awe, but I was soon followed by a profound lack of awe.
I set out to find awe, to find a way to live again.
As I experienced the awe of life's eight wonders, I learned that there is more to our existence than what ends with our physical breath.
I learned that I could feel and hear Rolf's presence in the gentle breeze and the intense, warm sunlight; that my brother and I shared a shared awareness of an emotional space beyond what we normally see and hear; that the people we love, the companions we have lived with in awe, remain with us in even more enigmatic ways after they pass away, opening our eyes to a new wonder of life; and that all of this awareness can be found in the process of finding awe.
It's Mother Nature.
People often feel awe when they witness natural disasters such as earthquakes, thunderstorms, lightning, wildfires or forest fires, strong winds, and tsunamis.
One example is a scene where a flood swallows an entire village, as one Chinese participant described.
The night sky, with its countless starry patterns, was also an object of awe for many, inspiring ancient Greeks, Romans, and Mesoamericans to imagine their gods.
In today's world of severe light pollution, there is considerable concern that the opportunity to feel awe will gradually disappear as the stars in the night sky dim.
Other experiences that aroused awe in people included climbing mountains, looking down on valleys, walking among giant trees, running across vast sand dunes, and seeing the ocean for the first time.
One Mexican participant described it this way:
“It was the first time in my life that I saw the sea.
Even though I was still young, I felt the soft sea breeze with my whole body, listening to the sound of the waves and the wind.”
--- p.46~47
One day in Busan in 2010, while I was working in my lab, I received a call from Pete Docter, who had just won an Academy Award for the animated film "Up."
The question was whether I could give advice to the production team regarding their next project.
He then added that the main character is an eleven-year-old girl named Riley, and that they are five emotions in her mind.
The tentative name was "Inside Out."
Whenever I visited the Pixar campus, Pete would take me to a corner room where he and co-producer Ronnie Del Carmen would sit for hours immersed in the storyboards for "Inside Out" (a typical movie is made from 70,000 to 120,000 storyboards).
At the time, I prepared answers to technical questions like, "What are the characteristics of a jealous expression?" and "What color best conveys disgust?"
But the real question we wrestled with was how emotions work.
How do emotions shape our behavior? How do our emotions guide us to take certain actions?
--- p.68~69
It is often thought that awe is only for those who have the wealth to enjoy life and 'culture', but this notion is in fact wrong.
The reactions of the inmates prove this.
Recent empirical research findings also support this.
One study found that people with fewer assets reported feeling awe more frequently throughout the day and noticing more wonder in their everyday surroundings.
It's easy to assume that having more wealth would equate to more awe, as it would allow you to enjoy luxurious homes, expensive resorts reserved for VIPs, and high-end consumer goods.
But the reality is quite the opposite: wealth seems to devalue the awe we experience in everyday life, diminishing our ability to appreciate the spiritual beauty of others, the wonders of nature, and the sublimity of music and art.
The experience of awe does not depend on wealth.
Because it is a basic human need to feel awe in everyday life.
--- p.130
The study found three very interesting findings.
First, older participants reported feeling increasingly more awe-inspired as they continued to walk regularly.
You might have expected that as we frequently experience awe in the wonders of life, the power of those objects would gradually diminish.
This expected result is known as the law of hedonic adaptation, which states that the pleasure derived from a specific situation, such as buying an item, drinking a flavorful beer, or eating chocolate, becomes less intense as the number of times it is experienced increases.
But awe was not like that.
The more I experienced it, the deeper and more colorful my awe became.
Second, we found evidence to support Solnit's theory that self-concept expands to encompass the surrounding environment.
Compared to the control group, who were simply instructed to take a brisk walk, the awe walkers' photos tended to show the photographer themselves in a more distant and less prominent position, while the surroundings—the neighborhood they were walking in, a San Francisco street corner, trees, a sunset, children playing on a jungle gym—took center stage.
(Omitted) And finally, participants who developed positive emotions through the awe walk showed less anxiety and depression over time, felt happier than before, and smiled brightly.
--- p.174~176
One night, Spielberg's father woke his son and put him in the car.
The rich man arrived at the field, spread out a blanket and lay down.
A meteor shower swept across the sky.
Spielberg recalled moments of observing the light, the countless stars, the vast night sky, and the awe-inspiring patterns created by fleeting starlight, sometimes staring straight ahead, sometimes glancing at them from the edge of his vision.
This was the wonder of life that he wanted to convey to people through "ET" and "Encounters with the Unknown."
After finishing his meal and asking for the bill, he summed up in one word why he still enjoys movies and why he makes them for others.
“In awe, we are all equal.”
--- p.286
That night, watching my brother's life cycle come to an end, filled me with a profound sense of awe, but I was soon followed by a profound lack of awe.
I set out to find awe, to find a way to live again.
As I experienced the awe of life's eight wonders, I learned that there is more to our existence than what ends with our physical breath.
I learned that I could feel and hear Rolf's presence in the gentle breeze and the intense, warm sunlight; that my brother and I shared a shared awareness of an emotional space beyond what we normally see and hear; that the people we love, the companions we have lived with in awe, remain with us in even more enigmatic ways after they pass away, opening our eyes to a new wonder of life; and that all of this awareness can be found in the process of finding awe.
--- p.342~343
Publisher's Review
The one emotion that the Inside Out series and Soul advisor focused on was awe!
“Awe should occupy a greater proportion of our lives than it does now.
“He skillfully guides readers through a grand emotional experience.”
Recommended by Inside Out director Pete Docter
★★★ National Bestseller ★★★
★★★ Amazon's Best Books of 2023 ★★★
★★★ Recommended by Steven Pinker, Adam Grant, Rebecca Solnit, and Susan Cain ★★★
“You will face a great mystery that surpasses the world you knew.
When was the last time you felt awe?”
One day in January 2019, psychologist Dacher Keltner received a phone call.
She was my brother's wife.
“Can you please come here as quickly as possible?” The whole family had gathered to be with Daker Keltner and his brother Rolf, who had been his companion for 55 years, as he faced his final moments.
As he watched his brother pass away from colon cancer, these thoughts ran through Dakar Keltner's mind.
"What is Rolf thinking? How does he feel right now? What does death mean to his brother?" the voice in his mind said.
'I feel awe.'
Even just 20 years ago, there was no scientific study of this emotion, awe.
That is, until psychologist Dakar Keltner, along with Jonathan Haidt, wrote a paper explaining what awe is and how it affects our moral, spiritual, and aesthetic lives.
Since then, Dakar Keltner has been scientifically studying awe for over 15 years.
"Awe" is the culmination of that long journey.
Until a few decades ago, psychologists only studied emotions that were considered essential for human survival, such as fear and disgust.
But a revolutionary shift in thinking has taken place, and interest has turned to how we have evolved to meet our basic social needs.
We have survived so far because of our ability to collaborate, build community, and create a culture that reinforces a shared identity.
And all these actions are triggered and expanded by awe.
In this book, Dakar Keltner presents research findings on awe, a subject that has been shrouded in mystery for some time.
We explore how awe manifests itself in various societies, histories, and cultures, and in the lives of individuals, and how it transforms our brains and bodies.
And it reveals how, by cultivating experiences of awe in everyday life, we can appreciate the most humane aspects of human nature.
Eight wondrous moments that will make you feel truly alive
That moment will raise, sustain, and save your life, and the society we live in.
Have you ever been awestruck by the grandeur of nature? Have you ever felt the indescribable emotion of a child bursting into tears at birth? Have you ever been swept up in the collective excitement of a concert, singing along with the audience? Have you ever gazed upon a centuries-old work of art and been enveloped in an inexplicable sense of wonder? The only word that can describe these feelings is "awe."
Awe is the emotion we experience when we encounter something great and mysterious that we cannot understand.
But paradoxically, it is also an emotion that we can encounter anytime, anywhere in our daily lives.
We can each find awe in our own meaningful way.
And the more you experience awe, the closer you get to a happy and fulfilling life.
Decker Keltner describes the experience of awe as "meeting the eight wonders of life."
① Examples of others' courage, kindness, mental strength, or overcoming adversity (spiritual beauty) ② Experiences of becoming one with numerous people while moving in a group, such as in a military dance or sports stadium (collective enthusiasm) ③ Mother Nature ④ Music ⑤ Art and visual design ⑥ Spiritual and religious mystical experiences ⑦ Birth and death ⑧ Great insights or realizations.
Let us recall an experience that has passed through us among these eight moments of wonder.
When and where have you experienced awe? What emotions did you feel in that moment? What thoughts came to mind? How did that experience impact your life? As we continually strive to find awe in our daily lives, our lives and the societies we inhabit will become better and more enriched.
Why awe? It's because, as humans evolved into highly social mammals, long ago, individuals who cooperated with others through behavioral patterns similar to awe survived when faced with threats or the unknown.
More closely, awe makes us healthier, enables creative thinking, brings joy, gives meaning to life, and helps us build community.
(Page 21) Another thing, 'unmentioned' things that arouse awe can also be useful information.
Except for one or two special cases, such as losing all one's fortune to fraud, money was not an object of reverence.
And when talking about awe, no one mentioned experiences related to laptops, Facebook, Apple Watches, or smartphones.
No one talked about consumer experiences like new Nike products, Teslas, Gucci bags, or Montblanc pens.
In other words, awe arises in a realm that transcends and separates us from the worldly things of materialism, money, possessions, and how we appear to others.
“In awe, we are all equal” – Steven Spielberg
A practical and nuanced guide to making awe a vital force in all of life.
The stories of awe shared in this book are divided into four categories.
Part 1 covers the scientific story of awe.
We examine what awe is, in what situations we can experience it, how it differs from fear or aesthetic sense, and how it feels to us in our daily lives (Chapter 1).
Next, we explore how awe transforms our self-awareness, our way of thinking, and our relationship with the world (Chapter 2).
Then we go back to the past, retrace the steps of evolution, and ask fundamental questions.
Why do humans feel awe? Jane Goodall believed that chimpanzees, too, possess a sense of awe, or, to quote the exact phrase, a certain spirituality rooted in the ability to admire objects beyond themselves.
This very conundrum inspires Dakar Keltner to explore where in human evolution this reflexive reaction—that creeps us out, tears wells up in our eyes, our mouths agape, and our involuntary gasps of awe—came from, and what the underlying meaning of awe might be (Chapter 3).
In Part 2, we move on to personal experiences.
A story about the transcendent power of the spiritual beauty shown to us by others, and how important that power is in harsh environments like prisons and in institutions established to improve the quality of life, such as libraries and hospitals (Chapter 4).
A story about the collective enthusiasm felt when becoming one with a large number of people, such as a military dance that reaches a state of selflessness, group cheering at a professional basketball stadium, or the collective movement of a crowd experienced in everyday life (Chapter 5).
And it tells stories about how the wonders and power of nature can help heal the traumas of war, loneliness, and poverty (Chapter 6).
Part 3 discusses how human culture has expressed awe in various forms throughout history.
Specifically, we examine the place of awe in music (Chapter 7), the visual arts (Chapter 8), and religion and spirituality (Chapter 9).
The final part, Part 4, delves deeper into how awe can help us emerge as mature individuals in the face of loss and trauma, and more generally, when confronted with the uncertainties and unknowns of life.
We will discover how awe plays a crucial role as we wrestle with life and death, and the infinite cycle of life created by all living things (Chapter 10), and how awe offers profound insights into the eight wonders of life as we continually strive to find meaning in our existence (Chapter 11).
The first summer after losing his brother Rolf, Dacher Keltner climbed high mountains several times, desperate to feel his brother's presence.
The first of these was a 160-kilometer course that followed the Mont Blanc circumference.
As he climbed the trail, a sense of awe naturally filled Daker Keltner's heart.
Every day on our hike, we glimpsed Mont Blanc from a different angle, through clouds that would veil and recede from the mountainside every moment, and through the rapidly moving fog. As we walked through green valleys and climbed rugged, rocky paths, we witnessed what Wordsworth called “the morning light” and were awed by the “endless changes” of the Alps.
Mont Blanc was never the same.
One day, a thick blanket of clouds covered the sky.
The next day, it shone beige in the bright light.
For most, it was not easy to distinguish the ridge.
At other times, it stood tall and majestic, leaving onlookers frozen in awe.
I felt like I was becoming transparent in front of that “whole.”
I felt the green of the mountain seep into my body and become one with the mountain.
That peaceful atmosphere really filled my self-consciousness into an infinite and transparent space.
I felt Rolf spread out through the Alpine valleys and blend into the air that enveloped the peaks.
(Page 221) In this most divided and fragmented time in human history, when people are endangered by all kinds of crises, we desperately need awe.
Awe is the most essential emotion for opening our minds to reason, listening to great ideas and new insights, reducing immune system inflammation, and building strong bodies.
Awe is also the emotion that motivates us to share what we have with those around us, build strong networks of relationships, and take actions that benefit the nature and society around us.
Awe is also an emotion that transforms us and inspires the creative works of art, music, and religion.
Awe is a practical and nuanced guide to how we can establish awe as a vital force that sustains our lives, told through the voice of Dacher Keltner, a pioneer in awe research.
I encourage you to read this book carefully, slowly, to find moments of wonder in everyday life, and to approach the path of awe.
“Awe should occupy a greater proportion of our lives than it does now.
“He skillfully guides readers through a grand emotional experience.”
Recommended by Inside Out director Pete Docter
★★★ National Bestseller ★★★
★★★ Amazon's Best Books of 2023 ★★★
★★★ Recommended by Steven Pinker, Adam Grant, Rebecca Solnit, and Susan Cain ★★★
“You will face a great mystery that surpasses the world you knew.
When was the last time you felt awe?”
One day in January 2019, psychologist Dacher Keltner received a phone call.
She was my brother's wife.
“Can you please come here as quickly as possible?” The whole family had gathered to be with Daker Keltner and his brother Rolf, who had been his companion for 55 years, as he faced his final moments.
As he watched his brother pass away from colon cancer, these thoughts ran through Dakar Keltner's mind.
"What is Rolf thinking? How does he feel right now? What does death mean to his brother?" the voice in his mind said.
'I feel awe.'
Even just 20 years ago, there was no scientific study of this emotion, awe.
That is, until psychologist Dakar Keltner, along with Jonathan Haidt, wrote a paper explaining what awe is and how it affects our moral, spiritual, and aesthetic lives.
Since then, Dakar Keltner has been scientifically studying awe for over 15 years.
"Awe" is the culmination of that long journey.
Until a few decades ago, psychologists only studied emotions that were considered essential for human survival, such as fear and disgust.
But a revolutionary shift in thinking has taken place, and interest has turned to how we have evolved to meet our basic social needs.
We have survived so far because of our ability to collaborate, build community, and create a culture that reinforces a shared identity.
And all these actions are triggered and expanded by awe.
In this book, Dakar Keltner presents research findings on awe, a subject that has been shrouded in mystery for some time.
We explore how awe manifests itself in various societies, histories, and cultures, and in the lives of individuals, and how it transforms our brains and bodies.
And it reveals how, by cultivating experiences of awe in everyday life, we can appreciate the most humane aspects of human nature.
Eight wondrous moments that will make you feel truly alive
That moment will raise, sustain, and save your life, and the society we live in.
Have you ever been awestruck by the grandeur of nature? Have you ever felt the indescribable emotion of a child bursting into tears at birth? Have you ever been swept up in the collective excitement of a concert, singing along with the audience? Have you ever gazed upon a centuries-old work of art and been enveloped in an inexplicable sense of wonder? The only word that can describe these feelings is "awe."
Awe is the emotion we experience when we encounter something great and mysterious that we cannot understand.
But paradoxically, it is also an emotion that we can encounter anytime, anywhere in our daily lives.
We can each find awe in our own meaningful way.
And the more you experience awe, the closer you get to a happy and fulfilling life.
Decker Keltner describes the experience of awe as "meeting the eight wonders of life."
① Examples of others' courage, kindness, mental strength, or overcoming adversity (spiritual beauty) ② Experiences of becoming one with numerous people while moving in a group, such as in a military dance or sports stadium (collective enthusiasm) ③ Mother Nature ④ Music ⑤ Art and visual design ⑥ Spiritual and religious mystical experiences ⑦ Birth and death ⑧ Great insights or realizations.
Let us recall an experience that has passed through us among these eight moments of wonder.
When and where have you experienced awe? What emotions did you feel in that moment? What thoughts came to mind? How did that experience impact your life? As we continually strive to find awe in our daily lives, our lives and the societies we inhabit will become better and more enriched.
Why awe? It's because, as humans evolved into highly social mammals, long ago, individuals who cooperated with others through behavioral patterns similar to awe survived when faced with threats or the unknown.
More closely, awe makes us healthier, enables creative thinking, brings joy, gives meaning to life, and helps us build community.
(Page 21) Another thing, 'unmentioned' things that arouse awe can also be useful information.
Except for one or two special cases, such as losing all one's fortune to fraud, money was not an object of reverence.
And when talking about awe, no one mentioned experiences related to laptops, Facebook, Apple Watches, or smartphones.
No one talked about consumer experiences like new Nike products, Teslas, Gucci bags, or Montblanc pens.
In other words, awe arises in a realm that transcends and separates us from the worldly things of materialism, money, possessions, and how we appear to others.
“In awe, we are all equal” – Steven Spielberg
A practical and nuanced guide to making awe a vital force in all of life.
The stories of awe shared in this book are divided into four categories.
Part 1 covers the scientific story of awe.
We examine what awe is, in what situations we can experience it, how it differs from fear or aesthetic sense, and how it feels to us in our daily lives (Chapter 1).
Next, we explore how awe transforms our self-awareness, our way of thinking, and our relationship with the world (Chapter 2).
Then we go back to the past, retrace the steps of evolution, and ask fundamental questions.
Why do humans feel awe? Jane Goodall believed that chimpanzees, too, possess a sense of awe, or, to quote the exact phrase, a certain spirituality rooted in the ability to admire objects beyond themselves.
This very conundrum inspires Dakar Keltner to explore where in human evolution this reflexive reaction—that creeps us out, tears wells up in our eyes, our mouths agape, and our involuntary gasps of awe—came from, and what the underlying meaning of awe might be (Chapter 3).
In Part 2, we move on to personal experiences.
A story about the transcendent power of the spiritual beauty shown to us by others, and how important that power is in harsh environments like prisons and in institutions established to improve the quality of life, such as libraries and hospitals (Chapter 4).
A story about the collective enthusiasm felt when becoming one with a large number of people, such as a military dance that reaches a state of selflessness, group cheering at a professional basketball stadium, or the collective movement of a crowd experienced in everyday life (Chapter 5).
And it tells stories about how the wonders and power of nature can help heal the traumas of war, loneliness, and poverty (Chapter 6).
Part 3 discusses how human culture has expressed awe in various forms throughout history.
Specifically, we examine the place of awe in music (Chapter 7), the visual arts (Chapter 8), and religion and spirituality (Chapter 9).
The final part, Part 4, delves deeper into how awe can help us emerge as mature individuals in the face of loss and trauma, and more generally, when confronted with the uncertainties and unknowns of life.
We will discover how awe plays a crucial role as we wrestle with life and death, and the infinite cycle of life created by all living things (Chapter 10), and how awe offers profound insights into the eight wonders of life as we continually strive to find meaning in our existence (Chapter 11).
The first summer after losing his brother Rolf, Dacher Keltner climbed high mountains several times, desperate to feel his brother's presence.
The first of these was a 160-kilometer course that followed the Mont Blanc circumference.
As he climbed the trail, a sense of awe naturally filled Daker Keltner's heart.
Every day on our hike, we glimpsed Mont Blanc from a different angle, through clouds that would veil and recede from the mountainside every moment, and through the rapidly moving fog. As we walked through green valleys and climbed rugged, rocky paths, we witnessed what Wordsworth called “the morning light” and were awed by the “endless changes” of the Alps.
Mont Blanc was never the same.
One day, a thick blanket of clouds covered the sky.
The next day, it shone beige in the bright light.
For most, it was not easy to distinguish the ridge.
At other times, it stood tall and majestic, leaving onlookers frozen in awe.
I felt like I was becoming transparent in front of that “whole.”
I felt the green of the mountain seep into my body and become one with the mountain.
That peaceful atmosphere really filled my self-consciousness into an infinite and transparent space.
I felt Rolf spread out through the Alpine valleys and blend into the air that enveloped the peaks.
(Page 221) In this most divided and fragmented time in human history, when people are endangered by all kinds of crises, we desperately need awe.
Awe is the most essential emotion for opening our minds to reason, listening to great ideas and new insights, reducing immune system inflammation, and building strong bodies.
Awe is also the emotion that motivates us to share what we have with those around us, build strong networks of relationships, and take actions that benefit the nature and society around us.
Awe is also an emotion that transforms us and inspires the creative works of art, music, and religion.
Awe is a practical and nuanced guide to how we can establish awe as a vital force that sustains our lives, told through the voice of Dacher Keltner, a pioneer in awe research.
I encourage you to read this book carefully, slowly, to find moments of wonder in everyday life, and to approach the path of awe.
GOODS SPECIFICS
- Date of issue: June 19, 2024
- Page count, weight, size: 448 pages | 576g | 145*210*20mm
- ISBN13: 9791171712212
- ISBN10: 1171712219
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